ncerning these
cycles Godfrey Higgins observes:

"Persons of narrow minds will be astonished at such monstrous cycles;
but it is very certain that no period could properly be called the
great year unless it embraced in its cycle every periodical movement
or apparent aberration. But their vulgar wonder will perhaps cease
when they are told that La Place has proved that, if the periodical
aberrations of the moon be correctly calculated, the great year must be
extended to a greater length even than 4,320,000 years of the Maha Yug
of the Hindoos, and certainly no period can be called a year of our
planetary system which does not take in all the periodical motions of
the planetary bodies."

It is thought that as soon as these ancient astronomers perceived that
the equinoxes preceded, they would at once attempt to determine the rate
of precession in a given time; the precession, however, in one year
was so small that they were obliged to extend their observations over
immense periods. Jones informs us that the Hindoos first supposed that
the precession took place at the rate of 60 years in a degree, or 1800
in a Zodiacal sign, and of 21,600 in a revolution of the entire circle.
They afterwards came to think that the precession was at the rate of 60
years and a fraction of a year, and thus that the precession for a sign
was in 1824 years, and for the circle in 21,888 years. Subsequently they
discovered, or thought they had discovered, the Soli-Lunar period of 608
years, hence they attempted to make the two go together. Both, however,
proved to be erroneous.

In referring to the fact that among the ancient Romans existed the story
of the twelve vultures and the twelve ages of 120 years each, Higgins
remarks:

"This arose from the following cause: They came from the East before the
supposition that the precession took place a degree in about 60 years,
and 1824 years in a sign had been discovered to be erroneous; and as
they supposed the Neros made a correct cycle in 608 years, and believed
the precessional cycle to be completed in 21,888, they of course made
their ages into twelve. As both numbers were erroneous, they would not
long answer their intended purpose, and their meaning was soon lost,
though the sacred periods of twelve ages and of 608 remained."

According to Hipparchus and Ptolemy, the equinoxes preceded at the rate
of a degree in 100 years, or 36,000 hundred years in 360 degrees. This
constituted a great year