Night sky and goddess Nut in Egyptian temple. This depiction is found on the astronomical ceiling of the outer hypostyle hall in the Temple of Hathor in the Dendera Temple complex, near Dendera, Egypt. The sky goddess Nut is wrapped around the bottom of the frieze, swallowing the setting Sun at left and giving birth to the Sun at right. Above her are two strips. The upper strip shows the hours of the night, with a mix of modern and ancient constellations. From left, the identifiable modern zodiacal constellations are: Capricorn, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Libra, Virgo, and Leo. The lower strip shows what are known as decanal stars, used to tell the time at night. This ceiling frieze dates from the 1st century AD during the Roman period. |