Archaeologists have found the first Ancient Egyptian reported astronomical observatory, which they say is the “first and largest” of its kind, according to the translated version. a statement from the National Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
A team of Egyptian archaeologists discovered the remains of a sixth-century BC building three years ago during excavations at the ancient city of Buto, which is now called Tell Al-Faraeen, in the Kafr El-Sheikh district of Egypt.
“Everything we found exceeded our expectations,” Hossam Ghonim, director general of Kafr El-Sheikh Antiquities and head of Egypt’s archaeological mission, told Live Science.
The team uncovered the ruins of an L-shaped mud building measuring 9,150 square meters (850 square meters). Its east-facing entrance, marked by a traditional archway known as a pylon, leads to an area where the sun’s rays would have shone on an observatory – known as ‘smn pe’ which was often and the priest – stood up to follow the sun and the stars. , Ghonim said.
The structure still has the image of smn pe facing the rising sun. The figure symbolizes the ancient Egyptians’ connection to the universe, Ghonim said.
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At first, the group thought they had found the temple. However, as the excavation continued, they discovered artifacts and written symbols, such as Chen, Cenet and Benu, related to time and astrology, Ghonim said. But it was the discovery of a large sunburst — along with several inscriptions, artifacts and a building structure — that led researchers to make a new announcement that the structure is an observatory, Ghonim explained.
“On the north side of the hall, we found a horizontal sunstone – a sundial clock that used the changing angles of the sun’s shadow to determine sunrise, noon and sunset while the sun – a simple but profound process,” said Ghonim, who noticed it early on. , archaeologists thought the clock was a temple gate. The team also found an ancient Egyptian timekeeping device known as a “merkhet,” also from the sixth century BC, at the site.
These findings shed light on methods of astrology used by the ancient Egyptians in order to know the calendar of the day and the days of religious and legal rituals, such as the installation of kings and the agricultural year, according to the statement.
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Mats and pillars
Inside the hall, archaeologists found an inscribed stone showing an astronomical view of the sunrise and sunset of the three seasons.
“The ancient Egyptians saw the Earth and the sky as two carpets,” Ghonim said. “They mapped the sky on the ‘Themet Hrt’ – the sky mat – and the ‘Themet Ghrt,’ or Earth mat, represented their calendar, marking events such as the Nile flood and the harvest . This is the first written stone mat of its kind ever found.”
These findings, along with other inscriptions, add to the evidence of the Egyptians’ deep understanding of seasonal changes and variations in the length of the day.
Archaeologists also found “three pillars” at the entrance of the hall – an unusual place because the typical structure of ancient Egyptian monuments has pillars at the end of the hall. This unusual placement of the pillars suggests that it is not a temple, as was previously thought. “We thought that these pillars could represent the three divisions of Egyptian time into seasons, months and weeks,” said Ghonim.
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Unlike traditional monuments, which usually have a single pylon, the observatory consisted of two pylons facing each other, creating a circular viewing and viewing space. akhetor the place where the sun rises. Facing Akhet, this was a limestone tower that was probably once connected to another and used to see the constellations, Ghonim said.
Excavations also uncovered a statue of the falcon-headed god Horus. The image of Horus, along with the eye of Horus, “embody the systems of the universe and are associated with the sun, the moon, the god Horus and the goddess Wadjet, the most important deities of Buto,” according to the statement. .
In ancient times, Buto was dedicated to the goddess Wadjeta snake goddess known for protecting the king. The review of the viewer gives a lot of evidence that Wadjet was very important to boneGhonim said.
Inside the observatory, archaeologists found a gray, granite statue of King Psamtik I from the time of Saite – the 26th dynasty – and a bronze statue of Osirisa god associated with the underworld and resurrection, and the snake, referring to the goddess Wadjet. These artifacts, along with various pottery items used in religious ceremonies, are dated to the sixth century BC and highlight its dual role in science and spiritual practice, Ghonim said. .
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