Depictions of the ancient Egyptian sky goddess found on tombs and coffins dating back almost 5,000 years may represent a key feature of the Milky Way. After analyzing hundreds of images of the deity known as Nut, astrophysicist Dr Or Graur noticed that the goddess is sometimes drawn with a band of darkness zig-zagging across her back, and that this streak bears a remarkable similarity to the Great Rift that cuts through the middle of our galaxy.
Typically portrayed as a star-studded woman arching over the Earth – which is represented by her brother, the god Geb – Nut was believed to play the important role of protecting the world from the threatening waters of an abyss known as Nun. According to the Book of Nut – also known as The Fundamentals of the Course of the Stars – Nut also gave birth to the Sun each morning before swallowing it again in the evening.
For this reason, the sky goddess is usually depicted with her rear in the east and her head in the west, although Graur published a paper last year explaining how Nut’s arms are sometimes drawn in a north-south orientation. The author, therefore, suggested that the deity’s body may encompass the Milky Way, which stretches from east to west in summer and from north to south in winter.
In his latest study, Graur looked for variations in Nut’s depiction on 555 ancient Egyptian coffins. For instance, the casket of a priestess called Nesitaudjatakhet – who also held the title of “chantress of Amun-Re” – contains an image of Nut with an undulating black curve that bisects her body.
Drawings of Nut are reminiscent of the arched Milky Way with the Great Rift running through the middle.
Image credit: Osama Fathi
“I think that the undulating curve represents the Milky Way and could be a representation of the Great Rift – the dark band of dust that cuts through the Milky Way’s bright band of diffused light,” said Graur in a statement. “Comparing this depiction with a photograph of the Milky Way shows the stark similarity.”
“Similar undulating curves bisect the astronomical ceiling in the tomb of [the pharaoh] Seti I and appear as part of depictions of Nut in the tombs of Ramesses IV, VI, and IX,” he writes in his new study.
The same dark zig-zag pattern can be seen on this depiction of Nut on the tomb of Ramesses VI.
Image credit: Theban Mapping Project/Francis Dzikowski
Interpreting these ancient images, Graur says that Nut probably isn’t meant to personify the Milky Way, but is more of a celestial canvas upon which an array of heavenly bodies – including the Sun, Moon, stars, and galaxy – can appear in a variety of orientations. Furthermore, based on the way in which the Milky Way is drawn across Nut’s back, the author suggests that its ancient Egyptian name may have been “Winding Waterway”, thus mirroring the ways in which it was conceptualized by several other cultures, including some Native American tribes.
The study has been published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage.
Source Link: Milky Way’s Great Rift Identified In 5,000-Year-Old Ancient Egyptian Coffin Drawings
