According to
Mark Andrews in his article about "Dendera and the Temple of Hathor" on
touregypt.net, here is what we
know today about the Egyptian Zodiacs:
Introduction:
Dotted about the landscape of modern Egypt are many ancient temples from
the Mediterranean coast all the way to the southern border with the Sudan,
most located in the Nile Valley but scattered elsewhere as well. Some of
these temples are famous and stand out from the others, such the Temples
of Luxor and Karnak, Philae, Kom Ombo, Esna, Edfu and others. Among these
most important temples may also be counted Dendera, which provides
examples of a particularly rich variety of later temple features,
specifically its astronomical zodiac ceiling.
The Astronomical Ceiling:
The ceiling is decorated with vultures, winged disks,
and the union between Hathor and Horus. The colors are beautiful and are
mostly still original. The rest of the ceiling is a symbolic representation
of the north and south halves of the sky, the hours of day and night, and
the regions of the moon and sun. The bays to the right show the northern
stars while the left shows the southern stars. The figures of Nut dominate
each end of the hall. The continuing cycle of a day is represented by Nut.
Her dress is the sky; between her legs is the birth of the sun, which
disappears at night as she swallows it. The second band shows the stars,
planets and symbols of the Roman zodiac. The bands on either side of the
center show the course of the moon and sun.
Historical Astrology In Egypt
Astrology has
played a major role in society since the beginning of civilization, and
maybe even before that. Its influence can be seen in almost every part of
the world. Astrology’s history is a long one, and common belief is that
its origins lie with the Greeks. However, a closer look shows that the
foundations for astrology were laid much earlier than that, and the
Egyptians had much to do with this. The Egyptian influence will be
discussed shortly; but first, it will be very helpful to describe the
history of astrology up to the point that the Egyptians became involved.
The Sumerians,
who settled in Mesopotamia around 4000 BC, mark the first example of a
people who worshipped the sun, moon, and Venus. They considered these
heavenly bodies gods, or the homes of gods. The moon god’s name was Nanna,
the sun god was called Utu, and the god of Venus was named Inanna. These
were not the only gods the Sumerians worshipped; in fact, other gods,
especially those of creation, were more important in the Sumerian
pantheon. The Akkandians, near Sumer, adopted the sun, moon and Venus
gods, changing their names. This was common with the gods in ancient
times: the gods were accepted by a society, but their names were changed,
depending on who had conquered whom.
