Depictions of Milky Way's River of Stars Found in Ancient Egyptian Art
The glorious river of stars, interwoven with dark dust, that makes up the plane of the Milky Way in the night sky may have been hiding in plain sight in art from ancient Egypt.
Some depictions of the goddess of the sky, Nut, that appear on the sides of elaborate coffins actually contain stylized interpretations of the galactic plane. That's according to an analysis of hundreds of coffins, conducted by astrophysicist Or Graur of the University of Portsmouth in the UK.
These depictions, he argues, are so detailed that they include the thick, sinuous rope of dust threaded through the stream of stars that pours across the night sky.
The goddess Nut is one of the oldest in the ancient Egyptian pantheon, ruling over the sky and all things in it. She is often depicted as a naked woman, her body daubed with cosmic objects such as stars and Suns, protectively arched like the sky itself over figures on the ground below.
In a paper published in April 2024, Graur proposed, based on a study of ancient texts, that the ancient Egyptians may have seen the plane of the Milky Way as a manifestation or representation of Nut.
Now, he has followed up his hypothesis by studying the available artwork. The goddess makes frequent appearances in funerary art, since one of her charges was the protection of the dead as they journeyed into the afterlife, so Graur made a study of depictions of Nut as painted on coffin elements up to around 4,600 years ago.
Mostly, the goddess appears either bare or covered with stars. Then, the coffin of a woman who lived during the 21st Dynasty, between 1077 and 943 BCE, yielded a promising feature. Her name was Nesitaudjatakhet, a singer devoted to Mut and Amun-Re, and the painting of Nut on the outside of her coffin included a long, thick, undulating line down the length of the goddess's body, stars painted on either side.
"I think that the undulating curve represents the Milky Way and could be a representation of the Great Rift – the dark band of dust that cuts through the Milky Way's bright band of diffused light. Comparing this depiction with a photograph of the Milky Way shows the stark similarity," Graur says.
It's not the only painting of Nut he found that has this feature, but it does seem to be quite rare. He identified just four other instances where Nut's body was accompanied or marked by a long, wiggly line, and none of those was a coffin.
In the tombs of Ramesses IV, VI, and IX, Nut appears twice, representing day and night, with an undulating line separating her two back-to-back depictions.
This rarity, Graur says, suggests that Nut and the Milky Way are not synonymous.
"I did not see a similar undulating curve in any of the other cosmological representations of Nut and it is my view that the rarity of this curve reinforces the conclusion I reached in a study of ancient texts last year, which is that although there is a connection between Nut and the Milky Way, the two are not one and the same," he explains.
"Nut is not a representation of the Milky Way. Instead, the Milky Way, along with the Sun and the stars, is one more celestial phenomenon that can decorate Nut's body in her role as the sky."
The finding highlights how much we don't know about the complex interaction between ancient Egyptian spirituality and science, and how their deities are depicted and why. It also illuminates the value of interdisciplinary research, and the new insights that can be brought with new perspectives.
Finally, Graur urges, it emphasizes the importance of access to resources.
"The catalogs assembled here underline the importance of fully digitizing museum catalogs and providing free access to them through public-facing websites," he writes.
"I am deeply grateful to those museums that have already made their collections accessible in this manner and I urge other museums (and the governments and private foundations that fund them) to create similar digital collections."
His analysis has been published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage.
Dawn's Second Look Reveals Vesta Could Be Part of a Lost World
Huge, Invisible Cloud Discovered Just 300 Light-Years From The Solar System
This Eerie Crack of Darkness in The Sky Is Hiding a Glittering Secret
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
How was the wheel invented? Computer simulations reveal the unlikely birth of a world-changing technology nearly 6,000 years ago
Imagine you're a copper miner in southeastern Europe in the year 3900 B.C.E. Day after day you haul copper ore through the mine's sweltering tunnels. You've resigned yourself to the grueling monotony of mining life. Then one afternoon, you witness a fellow worker doing something remarkable. With an odd-looking contraption, he casually transports the equivalent of three times his body weight on a single trip. As he returns to the mine to fetch another load, it suddenly dawns on you that your chosen profession is about to get far less taxing and much more lucrative. What you don't realize: You're witnessing something that will change the course of history – not just for your tiny mining community, but for all of humanity. Despite the wheel's immeasurable impact, no one is certain as to who invented it, or when and where it was first conceived. The hypothetical scenario described above is based on a 2015 theory that miners in the Carpathian Mountains – now Hungary – first invented the wheel nearly 6,000 years ago as a means to transport copper ore. The theory is supported by the discovery of more than 150 miniaturized wagons by archaeologists working in the region. These pint-sized, four-wheeled models were made from clay, and their outer surfaces were engraved with a wickerwork pattern reminiscent of the basketry used by mining communities at the time. Carbon dating later revealed that these wagons are the earliest known depictions of wheeled transport to date. This theory also raises a question of particular interest to me, an aerospace engineer who studies the science of engineering design. How did an obscure, scientifically naive mining society discover the wheel, when highly advanced civilizations, such as the ancient Egyptians, did not? It has long been assumed that wheels evolved from simple wooden rollers. But until recently no one could explain how or why this transformation took place. What's more, beginning in the 1960s, some researchers started to express strong doubts about the roller-to-wheel theory. After all, for rollers to be useful, they require flat, firm terrain and a path free of inclines and sharp curves. Furthermore, once the cart passes them, used rollers need to be continually brought around to the front of the line to keep the cargo moving. For all these reasons, the ancient world used rollers sparingly. According to the skeptics, rollers were too rare and too impractical to have been the starting point for the evolution of the wheel. But a mine – with its enclosed, human-made passageways – would have provided favorable conditions for rollers. This factor, among others, compelled my team to revisit the roller hypothesis. The transition from rollers to wheels requires two key innovations. The first is a modification of the cart that carries the cargo. The cart's base must be outfitted with semicircular sockets, which hold the rollers in place. This way, as the operator pulls the cart, the rollers are pulled along with it. This innovation may have been motivated by the confined nature of the mine environment, where having to periodically carry used rollers back around to the front of the cart would have been especially onerous. The discovery of socketed rollers represented a turning point in the evolution of the wheel and paved the way for the second and most important innovation. This next step involved a change to the rollers themselves. To understand how and why this change occurred, we turned to physics and computer-aided engineering. To begin our investigation, we created a computer program designed to simulate the evolution from a roller to a wheel. Our hypothesis was that this transformation was driven by a phenomenon called 'mechanical advantage.' This same principle allows pliers to amplify a user's grip strength by providing added leverage. Similarly, if we could modify the shape of the roller to generate mechanical advantage, this would amplify the user's pushing force, making it easier to advance the cart. Our algorithm worked by modeling hundreds of potential roller shapes and evaluating how each one performed, both in terms of mechanical advantage and structural strength. The latter was used to determine whether a given roller would break under the weight of the cargo. As predicted, the algorithm ultimately converged upon the familiar wheel-and-axle shape, which it determined to be optimal. During the execution of the algorithm, each new design performed slightly better than its predecessor. We believe a similar evolutionary process played out with the miners 6,000 years ago. It is unclear what initially prompted the miners to explore alternative roller shapes. One possibility is that friction at the roller-socket interface caused the surrounding wood to wear away, leading to a slight narrowing of the roller at the point of contact. Another theory is that the miners began thinning out the rollers so that their carts could pass over small obstructions on the ground. Either way, thanks to mechanical advantage, this narrowing of the axle region made the carts easier to push. As time passed, better-performing designs were repeatedly favored over the others, and new rollers were crafted to mimic these top performers. Consequently, the rollers became more and more narrow, until all that remained was a slender bar capped on both ends by large discs. This rudimentary structure marks the birth of what we now refer to as 'the wheel.' According to our theory, there was no precise moment at which the wheel was invented. Rather, just like the evolution of species, the wheel emerged gradually from an accumulation of small improvements. This is just one of the many chapters in the wheel's long and ongoing evolution. More than 5,000 years after the contributions of the Carpathian miners, a Parisian bicycle mechanic invented radial ball bearings, which once again revolutionized wheeled transportation. Ironically, ball bearings are conceptually identical to rollers, the wheel's evolutionary precursor. Ball bearings form a ring around the axle, creating a rolling interface between the axle and the wheel hub, thereby circumventing friction. With this innovation, the evolution of the wheel came full circle. This example also shows how the wheel's evolution, much like its iconic shape, traces a circuitous path – one with no clear beginning, no end, and countless quiet revolutions along the way. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Kai James, Georgia Institute of Technology Read more: Disaster evacuations can take much longer than people expect − computer simulations could help save lives and avoid chaos The horse bit and bridle kicked off ancient empires – a new giant dataset tracks the societal factors that drove military technology The mysterious biomechanics of riding – and balancing – a bicycle Kai James receives funding from The National Science Foundation.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Ancient cone-shaped skull shows signs of fatal trauma
Archeologists have spent over a decade excavating an ancient graveyard in western Iran known as Chegla Sofla. The Copper Age site contains a trove of skeletal remains, offering insight about regional life approximately 6,200 years ago, and even contains the oldest-known tomb constructed from brick. However, one of the most recent finds isn't a feat of engineering, but of body modification: the skull of a young girl with distinct evidence of cranial modification. And according to the team's conclusions recently detailed in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, she died from head trauma—but it's unclear what or who caused it. The practice of artificial head elongation has been documented across cultures around the world dating back millennia, including societies in Eurasia, Africa, South America, and the Americas. The desired results were typically accomplished by tightly binding a child's head with cloth bandages for years in order to mold their pliable cranial bones into the desired conical shape. Some of the earliest examples date to 9th millennium BCE proto-Neolithic groups living in present-day Iraq. But based on discoveries at Chegla Sofla, similar traditions extended well into the 5th millennium. Archeologists including experts at Iran's Tarbiat Modares University analyzed the remains to better understand their subject after excavating the skull of a young woman estimated to be under 20 years old. To do this, the team used computing tomography (CT) scanning to assess both her cranial bones and diploe—the spongy part of bones that function as shock absorbers. They determined her skull was thinner than usual—a feature indicative of cranial binding. CT scans also revealed a fracture extending from the front of the skull all the way to the rear with no signs of healing. The injury's severity is particularly prominent in the form of a triangular fracture along the left parietal bone's sagittal border. Further examination made it clear the injury was inflicted by a blunt object that did not penetrate the cranial vault. But beyond these findings, it's hard to know the circumstances surrounding her death. 'We know this woman experienced the fracture in the final moments of her life, but we don't have any direct evidence to say that someone intentionally struck her,' study lead author Mahdi Alirezazadeh told Live Science. While cranial elongation resulted in thinner bones more prone to fracturing, it seems clear that even a naturally developed skull wouldn't have fared well against the injury. 'It should be noted that the blow was so severe that it would have fractured a normal, unmodified skull as well,' explained Alirezazadeh. Unfortunately, there's little else currently available that might clarify the woman's final moments. Although her skull has been recovered, the same can't be said for the rest of her skeleton. Her remains were found in a mass grave at Chegla Sofla, so it may be a while before experts match the skull to other bones.
National Geographic
a day ago
- National Geographic
Snakes
There are over 3,000 types of snakes in the world. They have wide distribution, living everywhere except in Antarctica, Iceland, Ireland, Greenland, and New Zealand. In the United States, snakes live in almost every state, except Alaska, Hawaii, and Maine. About 600 species are venomous. Of those, only about 200 can kill or significantly wound a human. Nonvenomous snakes, which range from harmless garter snakes to the not-so-harmless python, dispatch their victims by swallowing them alive or constricting them to death. Whether they kill by striking with venom or squeezing, nearly all snakes eat their food whole, in sometimes astoundingly large portions. Almost all snakes are covered in scales. As reptiles, they're cold blooded and must regulate their body temperature externally. Scales serve several purposes: They trap moisture in arid climates and reduce friction as the snake moves. Several species of snakes are mostly scaleless, but even those have scales on their bellies. Cultural significance of snakes Throughout history, snakes have been important symbols in cultures across the globe. In ancient Egypt, people often associated snakes with royalty. The goddess Wadjet was depicted as a snake. Pharaohs wore head gear and held scepters topped with a uraeus, or the upright form of an Egyptian cobra. Many East Asian cultures see snakes as symbols of immortality and renewal because they can shed their skin. The snake is also one of 12 animals that hold a spot on the Chinese zodiac and star in many folklore. Snakes are also familiar creatures in Native American folk tales and traditions. The Hopi and Cherokee see snakes as connections to the Underworld that deserve reverence and respect. How do snakes hunt? Snakes eat all sorts of animals, from small mammals and small fish to larger prey up to three times larger than the width of their head. They're able to swallow such large animals because their lower jaws unhinge from their upper jaws. Once in a snake's mouth, the prey is held in place by teeth that face inward, trapping it there. Snakes hunt by flicking their forked tongues in different directions to smell their surroundings. That lets them know when danger—or food—is nearby. Snakes have several other ways to detect a snack. Openings called pit holes in front of their eyes sense the heat given off by warm-blooded prey. Bones in their lower jaws pick up vibrations from rodents and other scurrying animals. (Snakes gang up to hunt prey—a first) Left: A green tree python (Morelia viridis) at the Riverside Zoo. Right: Speckled rattlesnake (Crotalus mitchellii) at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Photographs by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark Behavior and reproduction About once a month snakes shed their skin, a process called ecdysis that makes room for growth and gets rid of parasites. They rub against a tree branch or other object, then slither out of their skin head first, leaving it discarded inside-out. Most snakes lay eggs, but some species—like sea snakes—give birth to living young. Very few snakes pay any attention to their eggs, with the exception of pythons, which incubate their eggs. (These are the rules of king cobra fight club—no venom allowed.) Here's a fact to make ophidiophobes feel uneasy: Five species of snakes can fly. Sea snakes Most snakes live on land, but there are about 70 species of snakes that live mostly among the coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific oceans. These family elapidae sea snakes and their cousins, kraits, are some of the most venomous snakes that exist. The yellow bellied sea snake is one of the most venomous. Most sea snakes pose little threat to humans because they're shy, gentle, and their fangs are too short to do much damage. What to do if you see a snake in the wild Experts say it's best to leave snakes alone and give them plenty of room. A rattlesnake (Crotalus) can lunge about two-thirds of its body weight. Most nonvenomous snakes will eventually glide out of the way. If a snake doesn't move, experts say to wait it out or just turn back. Do not attempt to handle it or touch it with a stick. Rattlesnakes don't always rattle their tails in warning, so it's important to be extra careful. (The key to protecting rattlesnakes from extinction? Clearing their name and reputation.) Conservation status There are nine IUCN Red List categories: Not Evaluated, Data Deficient, Least Concern, Near Threatened, Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, and Extinct. Roughly a hundred snake species are endangered, typically due to habitat loss from development. Of those endangered snakes, 17 percent are vipers. Pythons 101 From unbelievably flexible jaws to rows of razor sharp teeth, a range of impressive features make the python one of nature's most formidable predators. Learn about ball, burmese, reticulated, and other types of pythons, what the snakes eat, where they live, and how a surprising feature might be a sign of legged ancestors. What are the top 10 biggest snakes? The 10 biggest snakes in the world are the African rock python (Python sebae), amethystine python (Simalia amethistina), black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis), boa constrictor, Burmese python (Python bivittatus), green anaconda (Eunectes murinus), Indian python (Python molurus), king brown (Pseudechis australis), king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), and reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus). —BBC Science Focus Magazine What are the four most poisonous snakes? India has nearly 60 highly venomous snakes, including a few known as the 'Big Four.' They are the common krait, Russell's viper, saw-scaled viper, and spectacled snake with the deadliest venom in the world is the western or inland taipan. These snakes live in arid and semi-arid regions of Australia. Taipan venom contains a mix of toxins that paralyze muscles, constrict breathing, and cause internal bleeding. —Wildlife S.O.S. and Britannica What will keep snakes away? There are many ways to deter snakes from entering your home or property. Discourage rodents by maintaining a tidy yard and patching any holes or cracks where animals can enter. Keep pet food stored indoors and consider fencing or concrete walls to provide a physical barrier to snakes. Most experts don't recommend chemical repellents, which can be ineffective and harmful to others. Experts also discourage inhumane deterrents such as glue traps and ceramic eggs in chicken coops. —Utah State University How dangerous are snakes? Of the 3,000 species of snakes in the world, only about 10 percent are venomous. Half of those have venom deadly enough to cause human fatalities. —Rainforest Trust This story originally published on January 25, 2019. It was updated on June 10, 2025.
