http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ mirrored file For complete access to all the files of this collection see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php ========================================================== THE ROUND ZODIAC CEILING OF THE TEMPLE OF HATHOR AT DENDERAH by JOANNE CONMAN THE SECRET CHAMBERS OF THE SANCTUARY OF THOTH © copyright 2002 The temple of Hathor at Denderah dates from Ptolemaic times, probably the first century BCE. The temple contains two well-known, but slightly different representations of the heavens. There is a round zodiac ceiling and a square zodiac in the outer hypostyle hall. The round zodiac ceiling shows the whole sky as it was understood by both Greek and Egyptian cultures. It shows the familiar constellations associated with the Greek astrological signs along with a number of other figures. They are carved on a disk that is supported by the goddesses of the four cardinal points and eight falcon-headed gods. My illustration for this article shows only the figures inside the circle. Along the edge of the circle, there is a procession of 36 figures that represent the spirits of the 36 decan stars, one corresponding to each of the Egyptians' 10-day weeks. The Egyptians used 36 bright stars that rose in the east just before sunrise to mark the start of their weeks. A new star rose about every 10 days. This outer ring of decans is meant to show the concordance of the decan stars with the Greek astrological zodiac. Certain other figures on the ceiling, such as the Hippo and the Foreleg in the center, are indigenous to Egypt, dating back to the earliest astral records we have, some 2000 years before this round zodiac. Deities indigenous to Egypt that are associated with certain stars or times are also shown on the ceiling. As I will discuss below, some figures remain unidentified. M. Georges Daressy, in his paper "L'Egypte Céleste," suggested there was a parallel between the constellations and other celestial figures at Denderah and Egyptian townships or nomes. Daressy found that the emblems of various nomes as well as figures representing the gods that were worshipped in those nomes were represented in the Denderah zodiacs. He argued that the sequence of the nomes parallels the sequence of the zodiac and that this relationship implies that the Egyptians conceived of some celestial-terrestrial coordination between the constellations and Egyptian townships.^1 <#ftn1> Astronomical constellations are different from astrological signs. Constellations are groups of stars that appear to be near each other and are connected by imaginary lines to form shapes supposedly resembling animals or other figures. (The resemblance depends how much imagination one has.) E.W. Maunder speculated that the constellations familiar to us were not originally astral simulacra. Certain groups of stars in the correct position can work as a system of celestial coordinates. Michael Ovenden found that the constellations were developed as a system of coordinates and that the system was most likely developed between 2900-2800 BCE by people who lived at about latitude 36° north.^2 <#ftn2> A number of constellations known to us were described in a poem called /Phaenomena/, written by Aratus, who lived about 315-240 BCE in Cilicia, in what is now Turkey. Aratus' information about the stars is consistent with the way the stars would have appeared about 2200 BCE, so it appears that Aratus had access to some ancient material. Additional support is found in the section of Aratus' poem where he specifically discusses the history of the worship of the star Spica over centuries.^3 <#ftn3> Significantly, Aratus does not discuss Canopus, the second brightest star in the heavens. Canopus was not visible in the second millennium BCE at latitudes north of about 34°.^4 <#ftn4> Interestingly, however, it was visible in Aratus' own time, which further bolsters Ovenden's idea that Aratus was working with material from millennia earlier. Astrological signs are mathematical constructions used to measure time. The Hellenistic and modern astrological signs are 12 30° divisions of a 360° circle spaced out over a 365.25-day year. The 12 astrological signs of the Greek zodiac took their names from the 12 astronomical constellations that lay along the path of the ecliptic 2000 years ago. The ecliptic has moved slightly and presently goes through 13 (not 12) constellations. However, since the astrological signs measure time, this fact makes no difference in the astrological zodiac. The earliest attested appearance of the Greek astrological signs dates from about the third century BCE.^5 <#ftn5> The astrological zodiac is essentially identical to the ancient Egyptian decan zodiac, which used a schema of 36 10° divisions to measure a year. The oldest known astrological zodiac is that of the ancient Egyptian decans. The earliest decan lists are dated from about 2000 BCE. There is no evidence that the Egyptian decan zodiac was used for divination or genethlialogy; however, the Cairo Calendar provides evidence of a belief in that certain days were lucky or unlucky according to astral influences. The decan spirits were important in the astral religion of Egypt. The earliest mention of some individual decans dates from the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom (c. 2450 BCE). The decan spirits' function in these afterlife texts appears to be to aid the deceased in navigating the sky, acting as guides and companions.^6 <#ftn6> In New Kingdom tombs, the pharaohs are shown worshipping the decans. Egyptians believed that some stars were dangerous or hostile, while others afforded people protection and bestowed blessings. Images of decans were inscribed on protective amulets. At Denderah, the decans are described as "mighty, great, great gods, who are protecting the gods (or stars) and follow Sothis (nb: Sirius) on the sky. Living stars who are living on the east of heaven and are defending the deities of Denderah. They are messengers of her Majesty (Hathor) who make the slaughtering of those who are hostile towards her. They make protection for Denderah."^7 <#ftn7> The earliest lists of decans were found on a dozen coffins at Asyut, dating from about 2000 BCE. More decan lists and more elaborate art connected with them have been found in a number of tombs that date from the time of the New Kingdom, some 5-700 years after the Asyut coffins. Differences exist among the lists of decans that have been found. Otto Neugebauer and Richard A. Parker classified all the lists they found into two main groups with several sub-groups. The decans on the round zodiac ceiling from Denderah are from a group that Neugebauer and Parker called the Tanis group. The earliest surviving example of this group is probably dated to about the time of the 26^th dynasty (664-525 BCE);^8 <#ftn8> however, most of the decan lists in the Tanis group are from the Greco-Roman period (after 333 BCE). Three new decans appear for the first time in this group, while four decans reappear from an earlier time. The astronomical constellations that gave their names to the Greek astrological zodiac signs are first attested as such in Assyria between the second and first millennium BCE. As early as 1100 BCE, possibly earlier, the constellations of Leo, Cancer, Libra, Scorpio, and Gemini are mentioned in Babylonian astrolables. In the Neo-Assyrian period, the planets and the moon were observed entering or leaving constellations by various astrologers who reported what they saw and what it meant to the kings.^9 <#ftn9> About 700 BCE, at the time of the famous omen text, /Enuma Anu Enlil/, 16 constellations still recognized today were closely observed by the Babylonian astrologers. The Greeks translated the constellations' names from Babylonian into Greek, retaining the same meanings, except for Aries, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces. Our constellations were known to the Babylonians as: The Bull of Heaven = Taurus Great Twins = Gemini (the stars Castor and Pollux were called "Great Twins") Crab = Cancer Lion = Leo (the star Regulus was called "King") Furrow = Virgo (the star Spica was "Corn-ear of Shala") Scales = Libra Scorpion = Scorpio Pabilsag (a Babylonian god) = Sagittarius Goatfish = Capricorn The Great = Aquarius Tails = Pisces Swallow = SW Pisces Annunitum (a Babylonian goddess) = NE Pisces Hired Man = Aries Snake = Hydra Fish = Piscis Austrinus Mad Dog = Lupus (with zeta Scorpii) In addition, most of the stars of Aquila were called "Eagle," and the stars of Crater and Corvus were called "Raven."^10 <#ftn10> On the round zodiac ceiling at Denderah, the representations of many constellations are of Mesopotamian rather than Egyptian style. Most clearly Babylonian are the images of the constellations Taurus-Pisces. Several of these figures resemble those found from ancient times in Sumeria. Their images in Mesopotamia appear on /kudurru/, or boundary stones, which are large, polished stones inscribed with information on land grants or sales. The figure of a goat-fish, called /suhurmashu/ ("carp-goat") is identical to the goat-fish on the Denderah ceiling that represents Capricorn.^11 <#ftn11> The scorpion is also in the style found on /kudurru/. It is a symbol of the goddess Ishara. Pabilsag is an ancient god whose worship is attested from the earliest times in the Mesopotamian city of Larag. He was a son of the deities Enlil and Ninisina, and has been associated with the more ancient Sumerian god, Ninurta. Pabilsag's image is the two-headed winged centaur that is Sagittarius on the Denderah ceiling.^12 <#ftn12> At Denderah, the portrayals of Libra and Aquarius have definite Egyptian connotations. The scales, topped with an image of Harpokrates (Horus the Child) enclosed in a disk, is Egyptian. The water carrier of Aquarius wears the white crown of Upper Egypt and is shown pouring out two jars of water. The stars of Aquarius are the evening stars of the Inundation, and the flood comes from Upper Egypt. It is possible that the connection of these stars with bringing water originated in Egypt. Neither the heliacal nor the acronychal rising of the Aquarius stars can be as easily connected with bringing water in Mesopotamia. The outer ring of the round ceiling shows a procession of the 36 figures who are the spirits of the decans, or ten day weeks of the Egyptians. They are all colored turquoise in my illustration of the ceiling. We will begin with the decan at the 6:00 o'clock position, and move counter-clockwise. Directly under the figure of Horus-who-is-on-his-pillar, a hawk wearing the double crown, perched on a roll of papyrus, the decans are as follows: 1. Waret - possibly "District Under." The figure is a falcon-headed male. 2. Pehwey hery - "The End (or Northern End?) of the Upper?" This is most probably a reference to the summer solstice, which marks the end of the sun's journey north for half the year. The figure is a falcon-headed male. 3. Knumet - Possibly "Ape." The figure is human-headed and wears the double crown. 4. Khery-kheped-Knumet - "The One Who is Under the Thigh or Buttocks of Knumet." The figure is a falcon-headed male wearing the double crown. 5. Het-djat - "The Front Part of /djat/." The figure is a human-headed male, wearing a small crown and a long garment. 6. Djat - The meaning of /djat/ is not certain. It may be "to ferry" or "to cross by ferry" or it may be connected to the crane, a migratory bird. The figure is a falcon-headed male, wearing the white crown. 7. Pehwey-djat - "The End or Latter Part of Djat." The figure is a human-headed male and wears the atef crown. 8. Tjemat - Possibly "The Mat." The figure is a falcon-headed male, with a sun disk, having a uraeus inside, and horns beneath the disk over his head. 9. Weshaty - "The One Who Relates to Fattening" or "The One Who Relates to Night." The figure is a human-headed male with a sun disk with uraeus inside above his head. 10. Bekaty - "The One Who Relates to Pregnancy" or "The One Who Relates to Morning." The figure is a human-headed male, wearing the double crown. 11. Ipsd - "The Doorbolt of the Sanctuary." The figure is a falcon-headed male with sun disk with uraeus inside above the head. 12. Sebshesen - The meaning of this name is uncertain. The figure is mummiform, wearing the atef crown without horns and holding crook and flagellum. 13. Tepi-a Khentet - "The One Who Precedes Khentet." Khentet means "to travel southward or upstream (feminine)," or "The (female) Southern Traveler." The figure is a crocodile head, with horns and sun disk, on a support. 14. Heri-yeb wia - "The (one who is in) the Middle of the Bark." The figure is a baboon sitting in bark, wearing a crown with what looks like a lunar crescent above two horns. 15. Sapty-khenwey- "The Lotus Blossom of the Two Khen (Fish?) The figure is a serpent-headed male. 16. Seshmu - "The Guide" or possibly "The Counterpart," since this decan rose heliacally (just before sunrise) at the time Sirius rose acronychally (just after sunset). The figure is a human-headed male, wearing the atef crown with horns and uraeus. 17. Sawey Seshmu - "The Two Sons of Seshmu" - The figure is a falcon-headed male. 18. Kenemu - "Wrapped in Darkness" - The figure is a disk-headed male. 19. Tepi-a Smd - "Precedes Semed" - The figure is a serpent-headed female. 20. Pa sebu wity - "The Lone Star" - The figure is a small ram with a sun disk on it horns. 21. Semed - Possibly "The Division of the Year," this decan marks the winter solstice, and the half-way point through the year. Semed was the name of the Full Moon Festival held every month. The figure is an ibis-headed male wearing the atef crown with horns and uraeus. 22. Seret - "Sheep" or "Ewe" - The figure is a goose. Just in front of the goose are 8 bound captives in a disk. The number 8 is frequently connected to the decan Seret, but the reason for this is not clear. It may connect to Isis, who is the deity of the decan and who is also associated with the number 8. 23. Sawey Seret - "The Two Sons of the Sheep." The figure is a ram, with sun disk on its horns. 24. Tepi-a Akhwey - "The One Preceding the Two Akh-Spirits" - The figure is a jackal-headed male. 25. Akhwey - "The Two Akh-Spirits" - The figure is a human-headed male, holding an unidentified object. 26. Tepi-a Bawey - "The One Preceding the Two Ba-Spirits" - The figure is four ram heads with sun disks on their horns on a support. 27. Bawey - "The Two Ba-Spirits" - The figure is headless, but with horns. It is mummiform and seated. 28. Khentu-heriyew - "The Upper Khentu." Khentu means "to travel southward or upstream (masculine)," or "The (male) Southern Traveler." The figure is a probably human-headed male. 29. Khentu-kheriyew - "The Lower Khentu" - The figure is a nude youth with one hand in its mouth, holding a flagellum in the other, sitting on a lotus. 30. Qed - Qed means "to go around, like the potter's wheel." Neugebauer and Parker say this is four uraei on a support, but in both their and in Daressy's illustrations, these figures look like four human-headed serpents to me. 31. Sawey Qed - "The Two Sons of Qed" - The figure is a ram head with sun disk and extra horns on a bark. 32. Khau - "The Thousands" or "Three Thousand." The figure is a human-headed female, kneeling, with three serpents on her head. 33. Aret - Means "To Rise Up or Ascend" or possibly "Jaw." It is connected to the Uraeus. The figure is a pig on a support. 34. Remen hery- "The Upper Forearm" - The figure is a human-headed male. 35. Tjes areq - "The Knot" - The figure is a human-headed male. 36. Remen khery - "The Lower Forearm" - The figure is probably an ibis-headed serpent wearing an atef crown with horns and uraei on a support. On this round zodiac ceiling, the planets are given their late Egyptian names. Like the Late Period decans, this is another indication that the material on the Denderah ceiling dates from Greco-Roman times. While the names of Mercury and Saturn are virtually unchanged from their earliest attested mention in Egypt, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus were known by other names in earlier times. During the New Kingdom, Mars was called "Horus of the Horizon;" Jupiter was called "Light Scatterer," "Star of the South," and "Horus Who Bounds the Two Lands (Egypt);" and Venus was called "The Crosser" (in the sense of a migratory bird).^13 <#ftn13> All the planets are shown in their places of exaltation or hypsomata in this round zodiac. In the square zodiac of the outer hypostyle hall, the planets are shown in their houses, or signs of rulership. In the round zodiac, all the planets are shown holding /wAs/ scepters, which indicate dominion. The planets do not always hold /wAs/ scepters in the square zodiac. The figures in my illustration have been color-coded as follows: Red - Babylonian Constellation (or its associated astrological zodiac sign) Fuschia - Egyptian Constellation Green - Planet [shown in their primary houses] Yellow - Star Dark Blue - Egyptian Deity [these are likely the planets in the sky] Periwinkle Blue/ Lavender - My Identification Golden Brown - Uncertain [Mars in Gemini -- somewhat away from cancer, which is badly placed] Beginning over the first decan, the first figure, at the 6:00 o'clock position, is the god Horus in his form as a hawk wearing the double crown, known as Horus-who-is-on-his-pillar. He is directly under the twins of Gemini. Moving counter-clockwise again, [clockwise] the next figure behind Horus on the ceiling is a recumbent cow on a barge with a star between her horns. This figure represents the star Sirius. Directly above her, placed between the Gemini Twins and Cancer the Crab, is the planet Jupiter, shown as a falcon-headed god holding a /wAs/ scepter. It is called Hor-up-Sheta meaning "Horus-Who-Opens-Mystery." [Mercury in Leo, who else with a bow?] Behind the Sirius cow is the figure of a young woman with a bow and arrow. She is the goddess Satet (or Satis, to the Greeks). She is the daughter of the goddess Anuket and Khnum, the ram-headed god from Elephantine who fashions men's bodies on a potter's wheel. Satet is also a consort to her father. She is linked to the star Sirius and her temple in Upper Egypt has connections to the star Sirius.^14 <#ftn14> Satet is closely associated with both the annual flood of the Nile and the southern border of Egypt. Her name is connected with pouring water or shooting in the Egyptian language. She wears the Upper Egyptian white crown, decorated with two gazelle horns, which link her, like her mother, to the Sudan. The Greeks associated her with Hera.^15 <#ftn15> [certainly the Sun] Behind Satet is her mother, a woman seated in a chair holding two water jars. Anuket (or Anukis, to the Greeks) is another goddess associated with the origin the Nile flood. Her shrine was at Seheil on Egypt's southern most border. She is one of the three consorts of the god Khnum. Anuket wears a headdress made from feathers of red parrots, which are found in the Sudan, linking her to areas to the south of Egypt. The Greeks associated her with Hestia, the goddess of the hearth.^16 <#ftn16> [so where is Khnum?] These two goddesses together with Khnum formed the Great Triad of Elephantine. They were seen as the guardians of the Nile and were responsible for dispensing its waters in the annual Flood. Their position on the round zodiac coincides with the decan stars that rise heliacally (just before sunrise) at the time of the flood. [Leo on Hydra, -- the only animal constellation to clearly do so] Just above these two goddesses is Leo the lion, who stands on a serpent. There is a woman holding Leo's tail followed by a small falcon, and a small seated figure is positioned just above Leo. The woman holding Leo's tail may be a pun, with Babylonian roots, alluding to the Inundation and paralleling the Egyptian pun suggested by Daressy that is found on the opposite side of the round ceiling. (See the figure holding the pig in the disk below.) A popular saying in Babylon was "He who seizes the tail of a lion will drown in the river; he who seizes the tail of a fox will be saved."^17 <#ftn17> When the stars of Leo rose heliacally (before sunrise), the land of Egypt was drowned in the river. That is why the two goddesses associated with the flood, Anuket and Satet are directly beneath Leo. The figure holding Leo's tail has been identified as possibly the goddess Mut or possibly the astronomical figure of Coma Berenices. The decans beneath her are linked to Amun, so she could represent Mut, Amun's consort. The falcon behind her is not identified; however, if the woman represents Coma Berenices, the bird could be Corvus. The serpent on which Leo stands on is probably Hydra. The small seated figure above Leo may represent the star Regulus. [venus in Virgo] Beneath the woman who holds Leo's tail is a larger figure of a seated woman holding a child in her hand. She is connected with Asyut by Daressy. Brugsch suggested that she is the goddess Isis with the infant Horus. [yeah!] The next figure is a bull-headed human holding a hoe. This figure is accepted as the star Arcturus. Positioned above and between Arcturus and the seated woman with her child is Virgo, holding an ear of grain. Above Virgo (and slightly ahead of her) is the planet Mercury, shown as a human-headed god, holding a /wAs/ scepter, a star over his head. It is called Sebeg, a name that has not been translated. Behind Virgo, above Arcturus, and touching the scales of Libra is the planet Saturn, shown as a bull-headed god holding a /wAs/ scepter. It is called Hor-ka meaning "Horus-bull." Above the scales of Libra, Horus the Child (Harpokrates) is shown in a disk. The small jackal figure standing on top of the disk is not identified. It may be a pun for the word "star." It may refer to an entrance to heaven, which is located in the area around Libra, by marking the place with the jackal or wolf god Wepwawet or "Opener of the Ways." Directly above Harpokrates is a small seated figure that may represent the star Spica. Under the scales of Libra, there is large figure of a lion with its front paws in a pool of water. This figure's placement suggests it could be the constellation Centaurus. Daressy connects this lion with the god Amun, citing the Harris papyrus, which tells of Ramesses making offerings at "la demeure d'Amon, le lion dans le bassin."^18 <#ftn18> Amun is not connected with the decans in this region, while he is connected with decans in other sections of the zodiac. However, pools and water seem to be alluded to in this region of the decan zodiac by the decan Sapty Khenwey ("The Lotus Blossom of the Two Khen [Fish?]"). Neugebauer and Parker^19 <#ftn19> speculated that this figure could be a god of the hour stars; however, in this round zodiac there are no other references to any hour deities. In contrast, in the square zodiac, the hour deities are shown among the constellations and stars, while this lion is not shown at all. The fact that this figure is not shown in both zodiacs suggests that it is an abstraction and not something astronomical. This figure remains uncertain. [???] The next figure following the lion is a human-headed hippopotamus wearing the crown of Upper Egypt. Daressy thought this figure represented the goddess Meshkenet, who insured the safe delivery of a child and who also decided the child's destiny before its birth. Directly behind her is the scorpion representing Scorpio. Just above the Scorpion is a falcon-headed figure seated on a boat. Above his head is a sun disk and uraeus, and he holds a /wAs/ scepter. I believe this figure represents the god Nehebkau, who was the lord of the decans. [Sagittarius] Behind the scorpion is the figure of the Mesopotamian god Pabilsag, a double-headed winged centaur, wearing the atef crown (without horns) of Egypt, holding a bow and arrow, and having his front hooves in a small bark. His front face is human, the rear face is a lion. This figure represents the sign of Sagittarius. [Jupiter is goose, "Ra"; Moon?] Pabilsag is followed by a man holding a mace standing over a goose. The man and the goose are in the right location on the ceiling to represent the winter solstice. Daressy identified the bird as a swan and suggested a connection to Leda, which would link the figures to Cygnus. These figures are in the correct place to mark the star Deneb (alpha Cygnii), which was a star with long history of importance in Egypt. Following the man and goose is the goat-fish of Capricorn. Directly above Capricorn is the planet Mars, shown as a falcon-headed god, holding a /wAs/ scepter, a star over his head. It is called Hor-desher meaning "Horus the Red." [Aquarius] Behind these two, a man wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt is pouring water out of two jars. This is Aquarius. Above Aquarius is the figure of a man, about to slit the throat of a gazelle, while just below him is a headless human figure on all fours. The headless being is above Capricorn as well as above Aquarius. The man is the god Anti. Anti was accused of beheading Hathor in the Jumilhac papyrus. His punishment was to be skinned alive and he became associated with the flayed skin or /imyut/ fetish, a symbol of the god Anubis. Egyptian gods' flesh was gold and their bones were silver. Having no flesh, Anti was associated with silver.^20 <#ftn20> On this ceiling, he is positioned over the decan Seret, which is the only decan whose metal is silver. Just below him is what looks like a headless animal, but which has human hands and feet. It may possibly be Anti's skin. Brugsch believed the Egyptians called the sign of Capricorn, "Skin."^21 <#ftn21> The figure behind Aquarius is the planet Venus, shown as a double-headed god holding a /wAs/ scepter. The front head is a falcon wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt and the rear head is a woman wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt. It is called Pa-netjer-Dua meaning "The Morning Star." Behind Venus, a figure in a circle holds a pig by the tail. Daressy thought this was a pun on the name for lapis lazuli, a semi-precious blue stone that was valued highly by the Egyptians, and the Nile, which was called "blue." Both were sacred to the goddess Hathor. The stars of the decans under this figure rise heliacally (just before sunrise) at about the time the water of river Nile would begin rising for the annual flood. These stars also rise acronychally (just after sunset) at the time of Inundation, so it is quite possible that there is a connection to Nile here. Above this figure in the circle are the two fish of Pisces. Willy Hartner thought that the square of water between the two fish represents the modern constellation Pegasus. [Saturn!] Above the upper fish is a Udjat Eye in a disk. The Eye represents many things in ancient Egypt, one of them being the full moon. Éric Aubourg believes the Eye on this ceiling represents an eclipse that dates the temple's construction to the summer of 51 BCE, in July or August.^22 <#ftn22> He believes the planets' positions on the ceiling mark the stations of each planet for the year the temple was built. This is unlikely since the planets are all shown in their exaltations or hypsomata, and the hypsomata are so well documented, so old, and (in my view) so very Egyptian. The position of the Eye, north of Pisces and east of Aries, is in the right general place to represent the notorious demon star Algol. This star, the head of Medusa, was known as Ras al-Ghûl, the head of the demon or ogre to the Arabs. Despite Algol's dreadful reputation in later astrology, it is important to be aware of the symbolism of the gorgon's head in Greco-Roman times. Though fearsome and dreaded as a vision in Homer, the gorgon's head was used apotropaically in the Hellenistic world. It frequently appears on coins and amulets. The Eye of Horus functioned in Egyptian culture in a similar way to that of the gorgon's head in Greek culture. This representation, then, would translate the Greek meaning of the star into Egyptian terms. Furthermore, I believe that the star Algol was originally connected to the decan of the sun's hypsoma, supported by the strong link between the gorgon and the sun.^23 <#ftn23> [lion headed as per 685 BC] The figure standing directly behind the two fish of Pisces, near the junction of their cords, is a lion-headed god. In Egypt, the sun was connected with lions as far back as the pre-dynastic times. This figure's placement is directly beneath Aries the Ram, the zodiac sign of the sun's exaltation or hypsoma. Since the planets are all shown in their signs of exaltation on this ceiling, it is likely that this figure represents the sun in its sign of exaltation. It is followed by the figure of a human-headed god, also carrying a /wAs/ scepter. The human-headed figure is positioned slightly ahead of Taurus, the sign of the moon's exaltation. Throughout Egypt's history, the moon was always represented by a god, never by a goddess. This figure is placed within reasonable proximity to the correct sign of exaltation for the moon. In addition, these two figures are the only figures on this ceiling besides the planets, the Orion figure, and the figure above Scorpio, which I identify as Nehebkau, to carry /wAs/ scepters, which are indicative of dominion. Just above these two figures is a recumbent ram, which is Aries. Above Aries and the Eye, there are two figures: an ape, with a falcon wearing the double crown over its head, sitting back to back with a gazelle. Based on his theory that the figures correspond to geographic locations, Daressy connects the ape with Thoth, standing in for the vilified god Seth, who was the god of the nome that Daressy would place here.^24 <#ftn24> Based on their position on the ceiling, these figures may correspond to the spring equinox. They are placed so that they are bisected by the east/west line. These figures may also represent stars in Perseus and/or Auriga. New Kingdom Egyptian texts (c. 1200 BCE) mention a Baboon constellation.^25 <#ftn25> Besides being linked with baboons, the god Thoth has a connection to the Eye of Horus, which he retrieved from Seth and restored. The Egyptian baboon constellation may be the Perseus figure, without Algol. This ape could possibly be only the bright star Mirfak, while the gazelle may represent Auriga or perhaps only Capella. The bull of Taurus follows these two figures and Aries. The male figure following the baboon and gazelle and above Taurus is holding something unidentifiable. He is thought to be identical to the man who holds a serpent in the square zodiac. Based on his positions in both zodiacs, his holding of a serpent in the square zodiac, and his holding of what may be a bull's head in the round zodiac, this figure may represent the star Aldebaran. After Taurus comes a striding man wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt and holding a /wAs/ scepter. He is the constellation Orion. Orion is followed by bird that could represent Lepus. Except for its tail, the bird resembles the /nH/ bird, which was used as the hieroglyph to write the word "eternity." So, it may not represent a constellation or star. It may be meant to be read, 'It is uncertain.' In the very center of the circle, there is a jackal on a plough with a Hippo holding a mooring post on one side and the Foreleg, with possibly a lamb or a lion curled on it, on the other side. The Hippo is thought to be the constellation Draco, the Foreleg is Ursa Major. Both these figures are attested in the Old Kingdom Pyramid Texts (c. 2450 BCE) and both appear consistently in the astral art throughout Egyptian history. The reclining figure on the Foreleg is not seen earlier and remains unidentified. The jackal may represent a Babylonian fox associated with Ursa Major, or could possibly be the Babylonian wolf (alpha Trianguli), which was associated with a plow, made up of the stars of Trianguli and gamma Andromedae.^26 <#ftn26> If the jackal is meant as a pun for the word "star" this figure may mean "plow star," alluding to Ursa Major again. It also could be connected to Wepwawet, the Opener of the Ways, as marking another entrance to heaven, which was traditional ly in the north in Egypt. In the square zodiac, this figure is placed between Libra and Scorpio, corresponding to the small jackal above Harpokrates on the Scales in this zodiac. contact me who is in time 1. 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Kákosy, L., "Decans in Late Egyptian Religions" /Oikumene/, Vol. 3 1982, 179 <#ref7> <#ref7> 8. Neugebauer, Otto and Richard A. Parker, /Egyptian Astronomical Texts Vol. III /(Brown University Press, Providence, RI, 1969), 140 <#ref8> <#ref8> 9. Rochberg-Halton, F., "Elements of the Babylonian Contribution to Hellenistic Astrology," /Journal of the American Oriental Society/ Volume108, 1988, 52-7 <#ref9> <#ref9> 10. Koch-Westenholz, Ulla, /Mesopotamian Astrology: An Introduction to Babylonian and Assyrian Celestial Divination/ (CNI Publications, Copenhagen, 1995), 132-3 <#ref10> <#ref10> 11. Black, Jeremy, and Anthony Green, /Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary/ (Imprint Austin, University of Texas Press,1992), 93 <#ref11> <#ref11> 12. Black, Jeremy, and Anthony Green, /Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary/ (Imprint Austin, University of Texas Press,1992), 147 <#ref12> <#ref12> 13. 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Parker, /Egyptian Astronomical Texts Vol. III /(Brown University Press, Providence, RI, 1969), 202 <#ref19> <#ref19> 20. Hart, George, /A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses/ (Routledge & Keegan Paul Inc., 1986), 19-21 <#ref20> <#ref20> 21. Brugsch, Heinrich, /Mémoire sur des observations planétaires consignées dans quatre tablettes Égyptiennes en écriture démotique/, (Berlin, 1856), 57 <#ref21> <#ref21> 22. Éric Aubourg "La date de conception du zodiaque du temple d'Hathor à Dendera," /Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale/, Volume 95, 1995 <#ref22> <#ref22> 23. Hopkins, Clark, "The Sunny Side of the Greek Gorgon," /Berytus /Volume 14, 1965, 25-35 <#ref23> <#ref23> 24. Daressy, M. Georges, "L'Égypt Céleste," /Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale/, Cairo, Volume 12, 1915, 20 <#ref24> <#ref24> 25. Gardiner, A. H., /Ancient Egyptian Onomastica/ (Oxford University Press, 1947), 4 <#ref25> <#ref25> 26. Hunger, Hermann and David Pingree, /MUL.APIN. An Astronomical Compendium in Cuneiform/, Archiv fur Orientforschung Beiheft 24 (Ferdinand Berger and Söhne Gesellschaft, Austria, 1989), 137 <#ref26> <#ref26> <#ref26> *RETURN TO THE SECRET CHAMBERS OF THE SANCTUARY OF THOTH* * *