We’ve already mentioned the merkhet, but the ancient Egyptians had other instruments that they used for astronomy purposes. What Instruments The Egyptians Used For Astronomy Amazingly, the calendar was divided into 12 months and each month had 30 days, so it was not quite unlike our own modern-day calendar. When there was a flood, this signified the beginning of the Egyptian year, and this flood always coincided with the rise of Sirius in the sky. Around 3000 B.C., they invented a 365-day calendar based on what they saw in the sky. The Egyptians also used the Sirius star to start their new year. The Egyptians discovered that each group of stars would rise 40 minutes later every night and by paying attention to the position of one group of stars in relation to the day of the year, this would tell them what time it was. They did this by dividing the sky into 36 groups of stars that were known as decans. For example, they found a way to use the stars that they could see in the sky to help them figure out what time it was at night. They also came up with a system of constellations that were different from those developed by the Mesopotamians and Greeks. It’s been said that they predicted the floods by looking at when the Sepdet star (Sirius as we know it today) rose in the sky. The people of that time made use of stone circles that, when discovered by researchers, were proof that the Egyptians could mark time and even predict when the floods would come. How Astronomy Was Used To Tell The TimeĪstronomy began in Egypt around the 5 th millennium B.C. Interestingly, as History Museum reports, by aligning their buildings with the stars, the ancient Egyptians believed they were bringing divine energy to the earth. This is found in the place where Orion and Sirius rise before dawn on the summer solstice, so t heir relationship with the stars and constellations is one that was very important to them – so much so that it’s even been theorised that the Giza plaza with its three pyramids was built to reflect Duat because of how the three pyramids are thought to symbolize the three stars that exist in Orion’s Belt. Take a look at a couple of books I recommend reading! The Egyptians believed that gods resided in Duat, the kingdom of Osiris. In this pyramid’s design, its four sides were aligned so that they faced north, east, south and west, with hardly any error, which is quite amazing. Then, the Egyptians would use this information to pinpoint where they should put the foundations of their buildings, such as the Great Pyramid at Giza. This instrument is similar to an astrolabe, which is an instrument that makes astronomical measurements, especially those of the altitudes of celestial bodies. They would look at star constellations such as Orion with the use of a merkhet. When the ancient Egyptians built their temples and pyramids, a lot of attention went to the stars, which they used as their inspiration.
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