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In ancient times, worship of Sun gods was fairly common. Small signs of this are still with us.
Japan’s royal family still traces its history back to the Sun goddess Amaterasu. People who speak English still call the first day of the week Sunday. Sun-worshiping Europeans did that too, long ago. Many beliefs and customs related to the Sun are the same all over the world.
The first calendars were based on the Moon’s cycles. Now we use the 365-day Gregorian calendar. It’s based on the time it takes Earth to travel around the Sun. Researchers think the Mayan pyramid at Chichen Itza in Mexico was a huge solar calendar. All its steps add up to 365. During the spring and fall equinoxes, shadows on the northwest steps seem to form a giant snake. ▶
◀ The first timepiece ever was a stick in the ground. People watched its shadow move through the day. This gave them a good idea what time it was. Over the centuries, people made better sundials. When held the right way, these sundials gave very accurate time. Until pocket watches were invented in the 1500s, people carried around little sundials.
“All mankind rejoices in you, O Shamash [the Sun god], all the world longs for your light.” That prayer comes from ancient Babylon in the Middle East. But something like it could have been said in ancient Rome, China, or North America. When ancient Greeks made a vow, they swore by the Sun. That’s because the Sun god saw everything. The chief Egyptian god, Ra, sent out rays in the form of flowers. Ra had his own town called Heliopolis. That means “City of the Sun.” Even when it’s not worshiped, the Sun can have religious significance. In the Middle Ages, many English Christians believed the Sun danced on Easter morning. This dance celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. To see this, people would go to a pool of water. Then they’d look at the Sun’s reflection. ▶
◀ This totem pole comes from a village in British Columbia, Canada. It shows the tribe’s sacred ancestors. Totem poles played a big part In seasonal festivals, such as the Lakota Sun Dance. The poles were seen as a way to communicate with ancestors and priests.
Check It Out!
What famous invention was first called heliography, or “sun drawing”?
Photography was invented by Joseph Niépce (NEE-EPS) in 1827. He called it heliography. That’s because he had to expose a picture to sunlight for eight hours to get an image. Later inventors changed the name to photography. That means “drawing with light.”
◀ This is a Plains Indian painting of a Sun dance. It shows dancers hanging from thongs that pierced their chests. They believed such suffering would bring them many buffalo the next year.
◀ The Sun is often used as a political symbol. France’s powerful King Louis XIV called himself “the Sun King.” That’s because the Sun was the life-giving center of everything. His palace at Versailles (vehr-SY) was decorated with images of the Sun. There were also images of Apollo. He’s a Greek god associated with the Sun. The gardens at Versailles trace the path of the Sun in the sky.
Sun Facts
Makeup
About 72 percent hydrogen, 26 percent helium, and 2 percent other elements
