Sopdet (constellation)
| Sopdet in hieroglyphics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As the constellation Sopdet in the Middle Kingdom |
Sopdet Spd.t The dangerous goddess |
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| As the constellation Sopdet in Greco-Roman. time |
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Sopdet was the ancient Egyptian name of a constellation and dean . The constellation consisted of parts of the astronomical constellation Big Dog and symbolized the deity Sopdet .
The different spelling in hieroglyphs from the Middle Kingdom onwards is striking , as the constellation Sopdet was represented both with the typical t-ending and with Spd .
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According to the description of the Nutbuch, the dean star Sopdet had three stars, Seba-en-Sopdet (" Star of Sopdet ") and probably Wezen and Adhara . The triangle shown
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The reasons for the different spelling with regard to the t ending remain unclear. A possible cause is a male-female meaning of the Sopdet as a dean star . According to the astronomical conditions, the hieroglyphic writing was different: In the Middle Kingdom, the triangular hieroglyph M44 was still displayed upright, while in Greco-Roman times, due to the changed constellation, the sign M44 was inclined to the left on the tip.
In the dean lists of the Sethos scripture , Sopdet represented the 35th dean on the body of the groove . The heliacal ascent was scheduled for the 16th Peret IV and had as a dating basis the decree under Sesostris III. ( 12th Dynasty ) in his seventh year of reign.
Sirius invisibility periods
The "70 days of embalming ", derived in ancient Egyptian mythology from the invisibility of Sirius , only occurred within the period from the 1st Dynasty to the beginning of the 3rd Dynasty in the Memphis region or in the Nile Delta . Due to its own movement , Sirius could be observed in the night sky for a maximum of 10 hours during this period.
In Elephantine or Thebes , however, Sirius never remained invisible for 70 days. The pyramid texts of the Old Kingdom show that the Egyptians knew the 70-day invisibility period of Sirius.
In the dean list of Seti I , in connection with the heliacal rise at the time of Sesostris III. also the statement of "70 days of invisibility of the deans", although explicit reference was made to the dean Sopdet and not to the star Sirius.
| Invisibility periods of Sirius in different regions of ancient Egypt ( Gregorian calendar ) | ||||||
| year | Observation site |
Acronymic doom ( 1st night hour ) |
Heliac rise ( 12th night hour ) |
Invisibility duration ( duat ) |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2769 BC Chr. | Memphis |
April 13 ( 25th Schemu II ) |
June 23 ( 5th Heriu-renpet ) |
70 days | ||
| 2769 BC Chr. | Elephantine | April 18 (30th Schemu II) |
June 17th (29th Schemu IV) |
59 days | ||
| 2137 BC Chr. | Memphis | April 20th (1st Achet IV) |
June 28 ( 9th Peret II ) |
68 days | ||
Dating of Sopdet (System of the Nutbuch)
| Dating from Sopdet in Memphis | ||||||
| year |
Acronic culmination |
Acronymic doom |
Heliac rise |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2089 BC Chr. | 11. Achet I January 19th to 20th |
11. Achet IV April 19-20 |
21. Peret II June 28 to 29 |
Diagonal star clock | ||
| 1869 BC Chr. | 6. Achet III January 20-21, altitude 35.5 ° |
6. Peret II April 20-21 Arc of vision 8.6 ° |
16. Peret IV June 29th to 30th Arc of vision 8.8 ° |
Sesostris III. | ||
| 1537 BC Chr. | 29. Peret I January 23rd to 24th |
29. Peret IV April 23-24 |
9. Schemu III July 2nd to 3rd |
Ebers calendar | ||
| 1465 BC Chr. | 17. Peret II January 24th to 25th |
17. Schemu I April 24-25 |
27. Schemu III 3rd to 4th July |
Ramesside star clocks | ||
Astronomical data 28th century BC BC (Memphis)
- Wezen : Acronymic doom on April 11th
- Sirius : acronymic fall on April 12th, heliacal rise on June 24th (5th Heriu-renpet )
- Adhara : acronymic doom on April 10th
- Sopdet constellation: acronymic setting on April 10th, heliacal rising on June 24th (5th Heriu-renpet)
See also
literature
- Christian Leitz : Ancient Egyptian star clocks. Peeters, Leuven 1995, ISBN 90-6831-669-9 .
- Otto Neugebauer , Richard-Anthony Parker : Egyptian Astronomical Texts III - Decans, Planets, Constellations and Zodiacs. Brown University Press, Rhode Island 1969.
- Alexandra von Lieven : Floor plan of the course of the stars - the so-called groove book. The Carsten Niebuhr Institute of Ancient Eastern Studies (among others), Copenhagen 2007, ISBN 978-87-635-0406-5 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rolf Krauss: Sothis and moon data: Studies on the astronomical and technical chronology of ancient Egypt. Gerstenberg, Hildesheim 1985, p. 104.
- ↑ Alexandra von Lieven: Wine, women and song - rituals for the dangerous goddess. In: Carola Metzner-Nebelsick: Rituals in Prehistory, Antiquity and the Present - Studies on Near Eastern, Prehistoric and Classical Archeology, Egyptology, Ancient History, Theology and Religious Studies; Interdisciplinary conference from 1-2. February 2002 at the Free University of Berlin. Leidorf, Rahden 2003, ISBN 3-89646-434-5 , p. 47.
- ^ A b Heinrich Brugsch: Thesaurus inscriptionum Aegyptiacarum - Ancient Egyptian inscriptions - (Reprint 1883). Akademie-Druck- und Verlagsanstalt, Graz 1968, p. 86.
- ↑ Christian Leitz: Ancient Egyptian star clocks . Peeters, Leuven 1995, p. 64.
- ↑ Ascension azimuth (heliacal rise): Sun NE 55 °, Sirius SE 115 ° (difference approx. 60 °); Setting azimuth (acronymic setting): Sun NW 286 °, Sirius SW 245 ° (difference about 41 °).
- ↑ a b c The altitude information refers to the end of the respective night hour. Heliac rising before sunrise, aconychic setting and acronychic culmination after sunset.
- ↑ Actual culmination 40.7 ° about 2.25 hours after sunset.