The Pantomath
Towards understanding the Ancient Egyptian celestial diagram Yossra Ibrahim
Housing several astronomical phenomena, the night sky is one of the integral elements of nature that inspired the ancient Egyptian civilisation. The science of astronomy in ancient Egypt is known as early as the predynastic period (c. 5300-3000 BCE); perhaps its earliest uses are formulating calendars and the 24-hour system. In addition, this science motivated time keeping and calendars, and was central to certain religious and funerary concepts. The conceptualisation of a celestial afterlife and the event of the deceased king joining the imperishable stars can be thematized in a number of funerary texts; such as The Pyramid Texts and The Coffin Texts. A number of funerary decorations depict this celestial imagery hereinafter.
page 4
These scenes depicting celestial bodies and various elements of astronomy are considered a unique source of information concerning the ancient Egyptian society, culture, funerary beliefs, perception of astronomy and the heavenly bodies. These documentary scenes are usually referred to as “The Celestial Diagram�, a term denoting a set of decorative illustrations. Perhaps the earliest known celestial decorations are known from the Middle Kingdom decan tables depicted on the inside of some coffin lids. This decorative tradition continued on to later periods and produced elaborate celestial diagrams. These celestial diagrams can be found depicted on tomb and temple ceilings, sarcophagi lids, and water clocks dating from the Middle Kingdom to Roman times (ca. 2000BC to 3rd c. AD). These decorations elaborately portray a cohesive picture of the night sky and are the key to understanding how the ancient Egyptians perceived astronomical knowledge. Despite the variability of these sources, astronomy remains poorly depicted in ancient Egypt and is greatly missing in scholarly research. These primary sources we have at hand are the key to a great amount of evidence regarding the perception of stellar afterlife, reception of astronomy, integration of ideologies and cultures, and the observation of celestial phenomena. Although, these celestial diagrams are one of the expressive ways the ancient Egyptians rationalised astronomical concepts, research on this topic remains scarce and more scholarship needs to realise the cultural value of astronomy and provide new interpretations. Consequently, the main aim of this research is to recognise the ancient Egyptian perception of astronomy and conceptualisation of a stellar afterlife by offering an extensive and detailed study of astronomical representations dating from the New Kingdom up to the Graeco-Roman period (c. 332-642
