Current Research in Egyptology 2019 - University of Alcalá, 17-21 June, Alcalá de Henares, Spain, 2019
The ancient Egyptian astronomical diagrams often depict the figure of a sheep next to the constel... more The ancient Egyptian astronomical diagrams often depict the figure of a sheep next to the constellation of the boat, which has recently been identified with the three brightest stars of the modern constellation of Libra. It follows from this that the constellation of the sheep must be located in the sky in the immediate vicinity of Libra, among the star groups that rise after that constellation. Evidence shows that the Egyptians, like other ancient cultures, determined their constellations by looking out for the outlines of stars that resembled the shape of an object or animal. Therefore identifying the constellation of the sheep means finding a series of stars that form the shape of the animal further to the east from Libra. On these premises, the paper argues that the Egyptian sheep was a huge celestial figure that included certain stars from the modern constellations of Scorpio, Sagittarius, Corona Australis, Telescopium, Ara, Scutum, Serpens, Ophiuchus, Aquila, Aquarius, and Capricorn. Later, the zodiacs of the Graeco-Roman era do not include the sheep constellation, but associate part of it (Capricorn) with a goose. An explanation for this omission is offered by arguing that the homonymous Egyptian expressions for the two animals led to the transformation of the original constellation of the sheep into a goose. Visual and textual clues support these interpretations, greatly enhancing our understanding of the Egyptian celestial diagrams.
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