Dendera zodiac

[The Librarian]

The sculptured Dendera zodiac (or Denderah zodiac) is a widely known Egyptian bas-relief from the ceiling of the pronaos (or portico) of a chapel dedicated to Osiris in the Hathor temple at Dendera, containing images of Taurus (the bull) and Libra (the scales). This chapel was begun in the late Ptolemaic period; its pronaos was added by the emperor Tiberius. This led Jean-François Champollion to date the relief to the Greco-Roman period, but most of his contemporaries believed it to be of the New Kingdom.

The relief, which John H. Rogers characterised as "the only complete map that we have of an ancient sky", has been conjectured to represent the basis on which later astronomy systems were based. It is now on display at the Musée du Louvre, Paris. D 38 Hall 12 bis In Egyptian mythology.

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Astrology had a big place in the art of divination from the second millennium BC when the Babylonian priests established the zodiac.
This term comes from a Greek word that means circle of animals. 
The signs do not correspond to the constellations, which earned them their original name.

The cult of the stars was particularly dominant in Babylon.

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The servants of God took a strong stand against the cult of the stars. 

They shared the view of the Scriptures, seeing them as mere material bodies that do not dominate man but rather serve as lighting and benchmarks.

The faithful King Joshua "put out of business the foreign-god priests [...], those making sacrificial smoke to Ba´al, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations of the zodiac." (2 Kings 23:5). This expression comes from the Hebrew word mazzalôth, plural, which appears only once in the Bible.

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The signs of the zodiac were introduced in the cathedrals of Christendom, and in Paris can be seen on the portal and left around Mary in the huge central rose of Notre-Dame de Paris and Burgundy the facade of the Basilica of Vezelay. 

See more here

[Cionweest]

The Dendera Zodiac is such an amazing piece of history. Imagine ancient Egyptians looking up at the same stars we do now and creating this detailed map. It's mind-blowing!

So, what do I think about it? I think it's a fascinating blend of art and astronomy. Those ancient folks really knew their stuff. The way they incorporated their gods and mythologies into the constellations is just brilliant. And it's not just about the stars, it’s a glimpse into how they viewed the universe and their place in it.

[Cionweest]

On 6/24/2024 at 2:01 PM, Cionweest said:

The Dendera Zodiac is such an amazing piece of history. Imagine ancient Egyptians looking up at the same stars we do now and creating this detailed map. It's mind-blowing!

So, what do I think about it? I think it's a fascinating blend of art and astronomy. Those ancient folks really knew their stuff. The way they incorporated their gods and mythologies into the constellations is just brilliant. And it's not just about the stars, it’s a glimpse into how they viewed the universe and their place in it.

By the way, if you're into stuff like this, you might wanna check out https://thepythagoras.com/. They have some neat articles about ancient civilizations and their contributions to science and math. It’s really interesting how much we owe to these early thinkers.