Diagonal Star Tables: César Guerra Méndez & Amy Elizabeth Gilliatt

DIAGONAL
STAR TABLES 𓇼
César Guerra Méndez & Amy Elizabeth Gilliatt

PROVENANCE
Almost 30 rectangular coffin lids
Early Middle Kingdom
Mostly from the Asyut necropolis
Some of the earliest evidence of systematic, formal observation in the world

CONTENT
Lists of ‘decan star names’
Decan: modern word for star names appearing in
either diagonal star tables, or in lists of stars “Ideal type” of diagonal star table:
present in astronomical diagrams 36 columns, each representing one of the 10-day
Decans are members of set of stars which rise and weeks of the civil year (ie 360 days)
set Within each column, a list of 12 decans –in strict
They may refer to a single star or a group of stars. order, perform some astronomical action - 12
Presented as a consistently ordered group or list hours of night? (diff between longest and shortest
night in Aswan: 2:57, as opposed to 8:47 in
2 traditions: ‘T’ (ṯmȝt) tables [or diagonal] and ‘K’ London)
(knmt) tables [or broken diagonals] Depict what?
The motion of stars?
Time?
PROBLEMS IN INTERPRETATION
Translation and terminology
Do we understand
astronomy/astrology the same way
the Egyptians did? If not, can we use
the same words?
New technologies
We can now understand the night sky
with a higher degree of accuracy –
computing, etc – which may not have
been relevant or understood by the
Egyptians who produced these
diagrams
PROBLEMS IN INTERPRETATION
‘T’ and ‘K’ Tables
Accuracy of one over other?
Coffin variations – appear to be copies of an original by
people who didn’t understand them?
‘T’ tables contain 34 decans, ‘ideal’ tables would contain
36 – are we working with constructed ideals, or the real
evidence?
Decan ‘K’ – duplicated, how is this possible?

1) Two stars with identical names
2) One of the two is a an imposition or substitution
3) Neugebauer and Parker – ‘sȝbw creature’ (Facing
backwards?)
Intentional mistakes?
Don’t match up to our modern understanding, but
perhaps representative of an accurate Egyptian
understanding?
CONCLUSIONS
Neugebauer and Parker: Tables intended
to mark time using stars rising
Depuydt: Schematic, idealised and

descriptive – artistic and aesthetic
representation of the night sky
Symons: A mix of the two, descriptive

and idealised representation but also
intended for observation and practical
use
Lull: Tables intended to mark time, but

the beginning position of the stars
debatable
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Depuydt, L. (2010) ‘Ancient Egyptian star tables: A Symons, S. (2002) ‘The ‘Transit Star Clock’ from the
reinterpretation of their fundamental structure’ in Book of Nut’ in Steele, J.M. and Imhausen, A. (eds.),
Imhausen, A. and Pommerening, T. (eds.) Writings of Early Under One Sky: Astronomy and Mathematics in the
Scholars in the Ancient Near East, Egypt, and Greece: Ancient Near East, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, pp. 429–446.
Translating Ancient Scientific Texts. Berlin: De Gruyter, pp. Symons, S. (2014) ‘Contexts and Elements of Decanal
241–276. Star Lists in Ancient Egypt’ in Traditions of Written
Imhausen, A, and Pommerening, T. (2016) ‘Introduction: Knowledge in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia:
Translating ancient scientific texts’ in Imhausen, A. and Proceedings of Two Workshops Held at Goethe-
Pommerening, T. (eds.) Translating Writings of Early University, Frankfurt/Main in December 2011 and May
Scholars in the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome: 2012, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, pp. 91–122.
Methodological Aspects with Examples, Berlin: De Gruyter, Symons, S. (2015) ‘Classification of Ancient Egyptian
1–10. Astronomical ‘Diagrams’’, Journal for the History of
Lull García, J. (2016) La astronomía en el antiguo Egipto. Astronomy 46.1, pp. 66–75.
Valencia: Universitat de València, 242-262 Von Lieven, A. (2010) ‘Translating the Fundamentals of
Symons, S. (2016) ‘Challenges of interpreting Egyptian the Course of the Stars’ in Imhausen, A. and
astronomical texts’ in Imhausen, A. and Pommerening, T. Pommerening, T. (eds.), Writings of Early Scholars in
(eds.) Translating Writings of Early Scholars in the Ancient the Ancient Near East, Egypt, and Greece: Translating
Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome: Methodological Aspects Ancient Scientific Texts. Berlin: De Gruyter, pp. 140–
with Examples, Berlin: De Gruyter, 379–401. 150.

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What are decans and how are they presented in the tables?

What are some of the problems in interpreting the star tables?

DIAGONAL

César Guerra Méndez & Amy Elizabeth Gilliatt

Some of the earliest evidence of systematic, formal observation in the world

Decan ‘K’ – duplicated, how is this possible?

Depuydt: Schematic, idealised and

Symons: A mix of the two, descriptive

Lull: Tables intended to mark time, but

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