Summary

Each year, the American Research Center in Egypt organizes a meeting which gathers Egyptologists from the whole world, each specialized in a given topic (art, litterature, philology, religion, ...). One of the sessions of this 55th edition, supervized by Prof. Dr. Richard Wilkinson, was entirely devoted to ancient Egyptian Astronomy. For the very first time, professional Astronomers were invited to introduce the results of their research work into this topic, indeed. Chris Peterson, from the Cloudbait Observatory, first explained the reasons why this research area was, still today, so little developed. I then introduced a new way for the Astronomers and the Egyptologists to work together : a probabilistic approach to which the success of the new orientation theory of the pyramids of Egypt gave substance, as well as the outcome, within the context of my doctoral dissertation, of my work of identification of the old Egyptian decans - these stars whose successive risings or transits were used to tell nighttime under the First Intermediate Period, the Middle and the New Kingdoms. The Egyptologists which participated in this meeting welcomed this new approach which this dossier details.

Author

Karine Gadré, Culture Diff' company-head.
Dates of first publication and successive updates : may 2004 / september 2006
This dossier gave rise to a public lecture at the 55th meeting of the American Research Center in Egypt at Tucson, Arizona, in april 2004.

Access to the content

This dossier is made up of 21 pages and 18 illustrations. An interactive menu, a chronological space, a search by theme and by keywords are otherwise available. To access its content and check these functionalities, simply click on the upper menu.

Exlusively at Culture Diff'

From now on, each Egyptian term is written in the hieroglyphic and transliterated forms. In order to benefit from this improvement, simply download the related fonts then copy them in your file entitled True Type Fonts.

Further information

(Egyptian Gallery) Ancient Egypt "Room"
(AstroEgypto) Forming an international team of researchers into Astro-Egyptology
(AstroEgypto) The astronomical orientation of the pyramids of Egypt
(AstroEgypto) The sky of ancient Egypt : stellar clocks, water clocks and astronomical ceilings
(AstroSoftware) Software determining the days of heliacal setting and rising of any star
(AstroSoftware) Software determining the astronomical source of orientation of a monument

Bibliography

Aubourg Eric, "La date de conception du temple d'Hathor à Dendéra", BIFAO, 1995.
Cauville Sylvie, "Le zodiaque d'Osiris", Peeters, 1997.
Gadré, Karine, "Détail du projet de constitution, à l'échelle internationale, d'un réseau de chercheurs en astro-égyptologie", Cahiers Caribéens d'Egyptologie n°7/8, février/mars 2005 et Culture Diff', 2006.
Gadré Karine, "Les pyramides d'Egypte : la chronologie de leur édification, leur architecture interne et externe, leur orientation astronomique", Culture Diff', 2003.
Gadré, Karine, "Logiciel de détermination de la source astronomique d'orientation d'un édifice", Culture Diff', 2003.
Gadré, Karine, "Logiciel de détermination des dates de lever et de coucher héliaques d'une étoile", Culture Diff', 2003.
Gadré Karine", "Le ciel de l'Egypte ancienne : horloges stellaires, clepsydres et plafonds astronomiques", Culture Diff', 2002.
Krupp E.C., "Echoes of the ancient skies", Oxford University Press, 1983
Neugebauer Otto, Parker Richard A., "Egyptian Astronomical Texts : the Early Decans", Brown University Press, Providence, Rhode Island, 1960.