Egyptian papyrus Zodiac from Dendera 45 x 65 cm

This papyrus reproduces a celestial vault in bas-relief carved in sandstone, which decorated the ceiling of the chapel of Osiris, in the temple of Athor at Dendera, in Egypt; bas-relief which is today preserved at the Louvre Museum.

The four kneeling couples correspond to the cardinal points, the twelve figures carrying the celestial sphere represent the months of the year. The thirty-six figures in procession along the celestial circle represent the decans, each corresponding to the Egyptian week, ten days long. Although it is generally accepted that the ceiling was sculpted in the Ptolemaic period, the vault could reflect knowledge of Egyptian astronomy four thousand years earlier. In the inner circle, the zodiacal signs mingle with the planets and constellations. Their precise position and the depiction of the eclipse that occurred in March 51 BC confirm that the zodiac was drawn between June and August of 50 BC, under the Ptolemies.