• Email Us: [email protected]
  • Contact Us: +1 718 874 1545
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Medical Market Report

  • Home
  • All Reports
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Rare Complete Ancient Egyptian Zodiac Discovered On Temple Ceiling

March 25, 2023 by Deborah Bloomfield

An incredible series of relief paintings depicting the signs of the zodiac has been revealed on the ceiling of an ancient Egyptian temple. Known as the Temple of Esna, the site was constructed in honor of the ram-headed god Khnum and was covered with decorative artwork, including one of the most complete Egyptian star charts ever discovered. 

In addition to the full zodiac, researchers also found reliefs showing the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, plus a series of constellations known as the decans, which were used to measure the passage of time during the night.

Advertisement

The zodiac is made up of 12 constellations that lie roughly along the ecliptic, which is the path the sun travels across the sky over the course of a year. Otherwise known as star signs, the zodiac constellations are thought to have been introduced to Egypt by the Ancient Greeks.

Representation of the constellation Scorpio, after restoration and re-coloring. Image credit: Ahmed Emam, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

“The zodiac was used to decorate private tombs and sarcophagi and was of great importance in astrological texts, such as horoscopes found inscribed on pottery sherds,” explained Dr Daniel von Recklinghausen from the University of Tübingen in a statement. “However, it is rare in temple decoration: apart from Esna, there are only two completely preserved versions left, both from Dendera.”

At the Temple of Esna, all that remains is a large sandstone vestibule that was placed in front of the main structure by the Roman Emperor Claudius in the first century CE.  Over the past few years, von Recklinghausen and his colleagues have been painstakingly revealing and restoring the many incredible paintings that adorn the chamber.

Despite their age, the colorful decorations remain in fantastic condition thanks to the layer of mud that has protected and preserved them for around two millennia. Of course, this coating has also obscured the images from view, and researchers are working as delicately as possible to remove the dirt in order to reveal the illustrations without damaging them.

Ancient Egyptian decans constellations

Representation of decans, zodiac signs used to measure the twelve hours of the night. Image credit: Ahmed Emam, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

In 2020, the team succeeded in uncovering an inscription that revealed the previously-unknown names of the ancient Egyptian constellations. The Big Dipper, for example, was named after the malevolent god Seth and was depicted in the shape of a bull’s leg.

The constellation we know as Orion, meanwhile, was associated with the deity Osiris, while Sirius – the brightest star in the night sky and part of the Canid Majoris constellation – was named after the Egyptian goddess Isis.

Further restoration efforts in 2022 revealed a series of stunning frescoes representing the vulture goddess Nekhbet and the serpent goddess Wadjet. Alongside the newly-uncovered zodiac, researchers also found images of fanciful creatures including a snake with a ram’s head and a four-winged bird with the tail of a snake and the head of a crocodile.

More than half of the structure’s ceiling has now been restored – although, with plenty of mud still to remove, it’s likely the team will uncover yet more incredible paintings over the coming years.

Deborah Bloomfield
Deborah Bloomfield

Related posts:

  1. Soccer-Pepi impresses on debut as U.S. beat Honduras 4-1 in World Cup qualifier
  2. Tunisia president takes new powers, says will reform system
  3. Flite Material Sciences uses lasers, not chemical coatings, to keep ice and rust off surfaces
  4. Shares climb again as energy price dip eases stagflation fears

Source Link: Rare Complete Ancient Egyptian Zodiac Discovered On Temple Ceiling

Filed Under: News

Primary Sidebar

  • DNA From Greenland Sled Dogs – Maybe The World’s Oldest Breed – Reveals 1,000 Years Of Arctic History
  • Why Doesn’t Moonrise Shift By The Same Amount Each Night?
  • Moa De-Extinction, Fashionable Chimps, And Robot Surgery – No Human Required
  • “Human”: Powerful New Images Mark The Most Scientifically Accurate “Hyper-Real 3D Models Of Human Species Ever”
  • Did We Accidentally Leave Life On The Moon In 2019 – And Could We Revive It?
  • 1.8 Million Years Ago, Two Extinct Humans Had One Of The Gnarliest Deaths In History
  • “Powerful Image” Of One Of The World’s Rarest Tigers Exposes The Real Danger In Taman Negara
  • Evolution, Domestication, And A Lot Of Very Good Boys: How Wolves Became Dogs
  • Why Do Orcas Have White Spots Near Their Eyes?
  • Tomb Of First King Of Ancient Maya City Discovered In Belize
  • The Real Reason The Tip Of Your Tape Measure Wiggles Like That
  • The “Haunting” Last Message From NASA’s Opportunity Rover, Sent From Inside A Planet-Wide Storm
  • Adorable Video Proves Not All Gorillas Hate The Rain. It Might Even Win One A Mate
  • 5,000-Year-Old Rock Art May Show One Of Ancient Egypt’s First Rulers
  • Alzheimer’s-Linked Protein Levels “20 Times Higher” In Newborn Babies – What Does This Mean?
  • Americans Were Asked If They Thought Civil War Was Coming. The Results Were Unexpected
  • Voyager 1 & 2 Could Be Detected From Almost A Light-Year Away With Our Current Technology
  • Dams Have Nudged Earth’s Poles By Over 1 Meter In The Past 200 Years
  • This Sugar Could Be A Cure For Male Pattern Baldness – And It’s Been In Our Bodies All Along
  • “Cosmic Immigrants”: Daytime Star Seen In 1604 May Be An “Alien Type Ia Supernova”
  • Business
  • Health
  • News
  • Science
  • Technology
  • +1 718 874 1545
  • +91 78878 22626
  • [email protected]
Office Address
Prudour Pvt. Ltd. 420 Lexington Avenue Suite 300 New York City, NY 10170.

Powered by Prudour Network

Copyrights © 2025 · Medical Market Report. All Rights Reserved.

Go to mobile version