From Gwydion Williams
Anil Ananthaswamy mentions the world’s oldest temple at Göbekli Tepe being perhaps linked to the sudden appearance of Sirius, the dog star, at about the same time (17 August, p 14). I suggest an expansion of this view.
Almost all hunter-gatherer societies have a religious specialist, often called a shaman. These might plausibly maintain loose links over hundreds of miles, and see religious significance in the stars.
It would not take great astronomical knowledge to realise that the zone in which this bright star was visible was moving north. So the local shaman could make this prediction – and be triumphantly vindicated. That could be enough for them to evolve into a local priesthood.
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK
