The stars
| For the Egyptians the most important astronomical
evento of the year was the rise of Sirio (called Soped by them) which was
when the star rose contemporary to the sun, precisely in the same point in
the horizon. The heavenly phenomenon, which occurs each year on the nineteenth of july, was considered the announcement of a flood soon. The waters of the Nile in fact began to rise exactly in this period, dragging with it the precious mud that would be deposited in the fields in Egypt bringing abundance and weel-being. The event of the country that with the eliaca rise of Sirio even the year was begun. In their ancient pictorial representations Sirio is often indicated as a star kept in a male divinity’s hand: it was Orione who was believed to drag the very bright star in the sky. On the circum-polar stars the Egyptians instead calculated eternity. They were called Ikhemu-sek that is “those who don’t know the death”. This name is given to them by the fact that they never set in the nocturne sky. The texts of the pyramids affirm that the pharaoh’s afterlife existance was connected to them, in the hope that his eternal life could follow the destiny of these stars that never disappear from man’s sight. |
