Archaeologists from the University of Tübingen, in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, have discovered ancient Egyptian frescoes depicting the signs of the zodiac under a 2,000-year-old layer of dirt and grime at the Temple of Esna. On April 2, writes the online magazine ARTnews.
Archaeologists are working to restore the temple, located on the West Bank of the Nile near the city of Luxor, once known as Thebes.
“The zodiac was used to decorate private tombs and sarcophagi and was of great importance in astrological texts such as horoscopes found on pottery shards.”said Dr. Daniel von Recklinghausen, a researcher from Tübingen, in a press release. “However, this is a rarity in temple decoration: apart from Esna, only two fully preserved versions remain, both from Dendera”added.
The zodiac was brought to Egypt late in its history by the Greeks when they established their Ptolemaic kingdom in the North African state. The zodiac is originally Babylonian in origin, although there is a long and varied astrological tradition with accompanying symbols throughout the world.
The temple has a complete representation of the twelve signs, although some are more recognizable than others. The sign of Sagittarius, for example, is represented as a centaur with a bow and arrow, which is how this sign is represented in modern times. However, in the Egyptian version, Sagittarius wears a lion mask, has a tail and wings of a scorpion.
Other reliefs found in the temple show the planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, as well as stars and constellations. There are also depictions of fantastic beasts such as a ram-headed serpent, a crocodile-headed bird, and many winged serpents.
All the reliefs are very well preserved. When the archaeologists cleaned the temple, the original colors began to show. Restoration work has continued for the past five years.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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