The mystery behind the two Dendera Zodiacs

The Dendera Zodiacs have been one of the most baffling puzzles pertaining to Ancient Egypt. Most people may be familiar with the older circular zodiac which petty astrologers reduce to an Ancient Egyptian Horoscope. You may definitely align your western astrological sign with this zodiac and we may tell you how in a future article, but it certainly does not mean that you share characteristics with the gods of Egypt. The fundamental importance of these zodiacs lies in the actual astronomical science they signify. These zodiacs did not only threaten both established science and Catholic doctrine at some point in time but were also a key Champollion utilized to decipher the Rosetta Stone. 

Description

The older zodiac, also known as Le Zodiaque de Paris (the Zodiac of Paris) is circular and dates to about 50 BCE. It formed half of the ceiling in the Osiris chapel at the Dendera Temple. The second rectangular zodiac, which is about 80 years older is found as part of the Dendera astronomical ceiling. Both artifacts are bas-reliefs but only the second zodiac remains intact in its resting place at the temple. Both zodiacs also incorporate some, if not all of the western Greek zodiac signs, but the circular outline of the older zodiac attracted more attention since it may as well be a planisphere representing the sky. It also attracted more attention since it was carved out from its ceiling and stolen but we'll get to that in a moment. Thus, we shall divert this article's attention towards it.

Discovery

It all started with Napoleon's invasion of Egypt. The French artist Vivant Denon was so dazzled by this zodiac that he made a very thorough sketch and published it in his book Voyage dans la Basse et la Haute Égypte in 1802. Heated debate would soon arise about the implications of this zodiac and what it means for the Biblical date of the creation of the world. This infamy encouraged an archaeological heist led by French Engineer Jean Lelorrain who actually blew up the ceiling with explosives to extract this zodiac and run off with it to Paris. The artifact now resides in Paris, at the Louvre Museum. 

Sketch of the Dendera Circular Zodiac, Open Source

Science vs. Religion

This discovery was contemporary to the race between Young and Champollion to decipher the hieroglyphic texts. With the round zodiac seemingly presenting an accurate account of the ancient constellations, debates over the date of its construction were boiling since the text was yet to be deciphered. People started doubting both science and Mosaic chronology over the mere existence of something they didn't understand. "What if the universe is a lot older than what we believe?" was the main concern. Mathematician Joseph Fourier as well as others estimated, from this object's representation of the sky, that it is probably 15,000 years old! Thus, this mystery became the prime interest for devouts and atheists alike. Champollion would soon resolve the rising conflict in his journey to decipher the Rosetta Stone. It was this zodiac that gave Champollion the key to the class of determinatives in hieroglyphics. By examining the sketches produced for the ceiling at Dendera, Champollion would manage to date this zodiac to the Greco-Roman period by translating one cartouche with the word autocrator, much to the relief of scientists and more to the relief of religionists. That cartouche may have led to the right conclusion but was an error in the sketch. The method of the correct dating we know today will be a topic for another article.

Mysterious Purposes

The actual purpose of these artifacts is still hotly debated. The circular zodiac represents the 360 days of the Egyptian year with 36 decans. Each Ancient Egyptian zodiac sign is believed to represent a season by using its associated deity as a determinative. The twelve constellations of the zodiac are present but some constellations' positions are mysteriously altered. The zodiac shows a unique alignment of the five planets known to ancient Egyptians that occurs once every thousand years. We can also attest that this zodiac depicted the circular path of the sun's orbit and that it is evidence of the precedence of Ancient Egyptians in Astronomy. However, we do not really know much beyond that. 

The cut-out Dendera Zodiac on display at the Louvre Museum
Chatsam, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons