Unraveling the Zodiac of Dendera: A Celestial Tapestry of Egyptian Beliefs
Figure 1 Dendera Zodiac on display at the louvre, Paris, France The Zodiac of Dendera is an exquisitely crafted astronomical ceiling from the Temple of Hathor at Dendera [also Dandarah ; a small town on the west bank of the Nile ] and stands as testimony to the great knowledge of the cosmos that the Egyptians had. Carved into the ceiling of the temple's roof chamber, this intricate relief depicts a celestial map , a visual representation of the universe as perceived by the ancient Egyptians . There were two zodiacs incorporated into the decorative program of the temple of Hathor. The older one, circular in shape [ moved to Paris in 1821 ] and dates circa 50 BCE, forms one half of the ceiling of the second eastern room in the series of chapels that were built on the roof of the edifice to house the mysteries of Osiris [ Figure 1 ]. The younger rectangular zodiac, created some eighty years later, is found high up in the pronaos [ a vestibule at the front of a classical temple, en...