'Unique' astronomical object reveals Ancient Egyptians kept close tabs on the Big Dipper

owenjarus - New research on a 2,400 year old star table shows that the Ancient Egyptians kept close tabs on the Big Dipper, monitoring changes in the constellation’s orientation throughout the course of an entire year.

The Big Dipper is composed of seven stars and is easily viewable in the northern hemisphere. Its shape looks like a ladle with a scoop attached. Ancient Egyptians represented it as an ox’s foreleg.

If a person were to observe the constellation at the exact same time every night they would see it gradually move counter-clockwise each time they saw it.

Professor Sarah Symons, of McMaster University in Hamilton Canada, carried out the new research. She presented her results on Sunday at an Egyptology symposium in Toronto. The star table she analyzed is located inside the lid of a 2,400 year old granite sarcophagus, constructed in the shape of a bull, which is now in the Egyptian Museum. The table is, “unique, though interesting, a very provocative astronomical object,” she said.

Indeed the sarcophagus dates to the 30th dynasty, an important period in Egyptian history. It is the last point of time in antiquity where Egypt would be ruled by native born rulers. In 343 BC the Persians took over Egypt, defeating a pharaoh named Nectanebo II and forcing him to flee south into Nubia. The country would remain under Persian control until Alexander the Great captured it in 332 BC, inaugurating a long line of Greek, followed by Roman, rulers.

...  Inside the sarcophagus there is an astronomical table, a section of which has rows that show the foreleg of an ox in a wide range of different positions. ... although confusing to read, includes notation for the three Egyptian seasons, Akhet, Peret and Shemu. Each season is broken down into four months. It also has symbols representing the beginning, middle and end of the night – although it isn’t known at what exact time these points would have been set. ...

The Big Dipper's “location throughout the course of the night, across the course of the year, was important for them to report.” ...

via 'Unique' astronomical object reveals Ancient Egyptians kept close tabs on the Big Dipper | Heritage Key.