Exhibit:
Introduction | Ancient sky-watchers | Celestial deities in the time of the pharaohs | Cosmic connectors | The sun at which one cannot stare | Without the moon, there would be no life | Lunar enlightenment | Cosmic models | Celestial guidance | A universe of possibilities |
Education:
Astronomy in Africa | ArtLAB+ interviews | Star sounds | Cosmos diary (blog) | African Cosmos (Twitter) | Family guide | A Galaxy of Activities | Teacher Lesson Plans
| Sons of the Moon DVD


Egyptian knowledge of the heavens spread widely through travel and trade. Pharaohs in search of trade goods (particularly incense, hardwoods, gold, and ivory) sent ships to the land of Punt, now believed to have been located along the coast of the Horn of Africa. Centuries later, manuscripts preserved in libraries in Timbuktu, Mali, indicate that ancient Egyptian knowledge of astronomy crossed the Sahara, where local astronomers were making observations of their own.

The Great Sphinx before the pyramid of Khafre, Giza, Egypt
Photograph by Eliot Elisofon, 1970
Eliot Elisfon Photographic Archives, EEPA EECL 17310




  • The arrangement of some Egyptian pyramids, including those at Giza, correlate to solstice sunrises, the cardinal points of the compass, the movement of certain stars in the constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, and the rising and setting of specific stars on the horizon.
  • Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, was associated with the annual flooding of the Nile River, which was essential for farming in the Nile Valley.

    Ancient Egyptian interest in astronomy remains evident in writings, architecture, and religious art.


Relief of Sopdet
Egypt
Late Period (c. 600 BCE )
Limestone
Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, Egyptian Purchase Fund, 2008.54.5

Brilliant predictor. This beautiful fragment is a rare representation of Sopdet, the deity that personified Sirius (or Sothis, as the star was known in ancient Egypt), the brightest star in the night sky. Linked to the annual flooding of the Nile River, the star's appearance ensured the fertility of the soil and agricultural productivity.


Shu amulet
Egypt
Late Period, Dynasty 26­30 (664­332 BCE)
Faience
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, gift of Darius Ogden Mills, 1904, 04.2.372

A breath of fresh air. Shu, associated with air, wind, light, and water, was the god of life. He was depicted as a kneeling figure that stood up and separated darkness from light and the sky goddess Nut from the earth god Geb. This action provided the space for life to develop.
Exhibit:
Introduction | Ancient sky-watchers | Celestial deities in the time of the pharaohs | Cosmic connectors | The sun at which one cannot stare | Without the moon, there would be no life | Lunar enlightenment | Cosmic models | Celestial guidance | A universe of possibilities |
Education:
Astronomy in Africa | ArtLAB+ interviews | Star sounds | Cosmos diary (blog) | African Cosmos (Twitter) | Family guide | A Galaxy of Activities | Teacher Lesson Plans | Sons of the Moon DVD