Celestical Alignments and Divine Will: Astronomy and Religion in Ancient Egypt

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The ancient Egyptians are mostly known for their sophisticated religious thought and monumental architecture, but they were also an advanced civilization when it came to the understanding of the cosmos. To them, however, the heavens were not just a realm of scientific interest but part of their religious thought and cosmology. To the Egyptians, the celestial sphere was the domain of the gods, residing there and interfering with human affairs at will.


It was a force of life, and as such, it was the most important factor in Egyptian mythology. Ra, the sun god, was believed to ride in his solar boat across the sky, battling nightly against the forces of chaos and emerging triumphant each morning. This daily cycle paralleled the journey of the soul through the underworld, underscoring the cyclical nature of life and death.

Ra's nocturnal vessel was called Mesektet (Ancient Egyptian: msktt) while he used Mandjet (Ancient Egyptian: mꜥnḏt) or the Boat of Millions of Years (Ancient Egyptian: wjꜣ-n-ḥḥw) during the day.


The stars, too, had divine meaning. Most of them were identified with specific gods; constellations were the star maps of heaven. The constellation Orion, for example, was identified with Osiris, god of the underworld, reflecting the journey of the heavenly body across the night sky. The Milky Way was a shimmer of brightness across the heavens, the celestial river, the path taken by the souls of the dead.


This viewpoint could be further reiterated by the evidence that temples and other monumental buildings of that country had the cardinal alignment with some sorts of celestial phenomena. For instance, the orientation of the Great Pyramid of Giza is stated toward the cardinal directions and may serve as a prototype of a very primitive observatory with the intention to connect the Earth with the skies.


Moreover, celestial events played a great role in religious festivals and rituals of Egypt. For example, the heliacal rising of Sirius coincided with the annual inundation of the Nile and was also a time of great celebration and renewal. There were festivals for the honor of the gods to keep their favor continuing.


Astronomy was inextricably involved with the religious beliefs and cosmological outlook of the ancient Egyptians. To them, the heavens were more than a passive background to their life; they took an active interest in religious and cultural life. It is by observing and interpreting these heavens that the Egyptians expressed themselves as far as the cosmos and divine are concerned, and continued perpetuating the prosperous continuity of their civilization.



This article attempts to look at the interrelationship between astronomy and religion in ancient Egypt, seeking thereby to explain the place of the celestial bodies and events within their mythology, rituals, and weltanschauung. This shows how the Egyptians went beyond observation of the heavens to rich religious and cosmological meaning.


Location: Egypt

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