The new sky above Esna. The astronomical ceiling of the Temple of Khnum

Speaker: Christan Leitz (Tübingen)

The new sky above Esna. The astronomical ceiling in the pronaos of the Temple of Khnum

The pronaos of Esna, one of the last examples of ancient Egyptian temple architecture, was mainly decorated during the Roman period (1st to 3rd century AD). In 2018, the University of Tübingen, in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities (MoA), now Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (MoTA), launched a project together with the Ministry's Documentation Center to complete a complete restoration of the pronao, whose walls were almost entirely covered with soot. Eight years later, the entire astronomical ceiling and most columns were cleaned and now appear in bright colors. During this purification, almost 200 inscriptions painted with ink were discovered, which could not be seen by Sauneron, editor of the Esna Temple. The presentation presents all 6 ceiling sections or travées of the astronomical ceiling and gives an overview of their decoration. The path of the sun and the moon, the decans (stars used to measure the hours of night), some well-known Egyptian constellations and many more unknown constellations, as well as the twelve signs of the zodiac.

Attendance is free. No registration required.

Location: James Simon Gallery Auditorium