The prehistory of Ancient Egypt
The Narmer Palette (from Wikipedia)
History became legend. Legend became myth. Not sure who said this first, but Galadriel was spot-on when it comes to Ancient Egypt.
The history of Ancient Egypt is fairly well known. The various king lists tell us about the royal dynasties, and there are plenty of temples, monuments, tombs and other remains with their hieroglyphs to piece together a coherent story. Beginning with the Ptolemaic period around 300 BC, and going backwards, it is generally agreed that Ancient Egypt has nearly 3000 years of history, comprising over 30 dynasties. These dynasties are divided into Kingdoms interrupted by 'intermediate' periods, probably caused by war, famine or another catastrophe. The precise dates of these dynasties are still contested by some, who prefer to shoehorn Ancient Egyptian history into a timeline that agrees with biblical scripture, or astronomical events, or some other uncertain clue. Nonetheless, the general view is that Ancient Egypt's history begins around 3150 BC with King Narmer (a.k.a. Menes) who united Upper and Lower Egypt, probably through war. Even though there remain some grey areas around the precise length of rule of such-and-such a Pharaoh, or exactly what happened during an intermediate period, or where some of the most ancient cities are buried, the timeline is reasonably intact.
The same cannot be said, of course, for Egypt's prehistory, corresponding to the Neolithic period - going back all the way to the end of the last ice age (the end of the Younger Dryas period) around 9600 BC. Without the glorious temples and their hieroglyphs to guide us, piecing together a coherent narrative for Neolithic Egypt is fraught with uncertainties. Nevertheless, I describe in Prehistory Decoded how Ancient Egypt appears to be a developing nation, with scattered communities along the Nile, during the Late Neolithic, going back to around 6000 BC. But there the trail stops, and we are left with an archaeological black hole for the next 3000 years within the Early Neolithic period. It appears the Nile was abandoned for nearly the whole of this Early Neolithic period, from 9000 to 6000 BC. Why?
This hiatus in civilisation along the Nile is troubling, and at odds with developments nearby in the Levant, which undergoes the Neolithic Revolution - an explosion of agriculture and population - at this time. I explain what I think might have happened in Prehistory Decoded.
But my aim here is not to repeat my suggestions in Prehistory Decoded. Instead, I aim to show that the Ancient Egyptians, going back into their prehistory, clearly knew about our ancient zodiac. This is important, because there appears to be a very strong connection between Gobekli Tepe and Dynastic Egypt, and establishing this link will help us understand how this ancient zodiac made its way to us today. It will also help us to finally establish the likely age of the Great Sphinx - something I also deal with in Prehistory Decoded.
In a previous post I showed how the Cippus of Horus scenes likely encode a date somewhere between 3400 and 2400 BC. The four animals (lion, scorpion, ibex/gazelle, crocodile) in this scene represent their corresponding constellations on a solstice/equinox. Decoding this scene added another animal to our zodiac - the crocodile likely represents Taurus for people from the Fayum region of prehistoric Egypt. As these 'Horus' charms and amulets were made until the Ptolemaic period, it seems likely the scene is 'drawing on the power' of an earlier age, in much the same way that some Christians wear the cross. Clearly, this is not the date these amulets were all made.
Now consider Amun, one of the most revered of all Ancient Egyptian deities. Amun was the patron deity of Thebes (Luxor), and because of the prominence of this city during the Middle and New Kingdoms, his power grew until he became the overlord for all Egyptian deities at this time - he became the progenitor for all other deities. During his Middle Kingdom reign (circa 2000 to 1650 BC) his animal persona was a duck or goose. As we know, the duck/goose corresponds to Libra in our ancient zodiac, and it is surely no coincidence that Libra is the autumn equinox constellation from around 2350 to 1000 BC. However, during the later New Kingdom his animal persona switches to the ram. But again, the ram represents Aries in our ancient zodiac (as it still does), and is the constellation corresponding to the spring equinox from around 1700 to 250 BC, which covers the whole of the New Kingdom period. Surely, this is not a coincidence. The switch from Middle to New Kingdoms appears to have resulted in a switch of preference from autumn to spring equinoxes, resulting in the switch from duck/goose to ram for Amun.
Now let's go back to the time just before Egypt was unified, around 3200 to 3100 BC. The story begins to get a bit hazy here - as Egyptian history begins to fade into legend. But the general view is that southern Egypt, lead by Narmer (a.k.a. Menes), conquered northern Egypt around 3150 BC.
Prior to unification, northern Egypt appears to have been ruled by a succession of Kings whose titles include the prefix hor- (as in Horus). It seems they were 'Followers of Horus'. Their proper Egyptian names are thought to be given by the Palermo Stone. However, much less is known about the kings of southern Egypt before Narmer. The prevailing, but not generally accepted view, is that southern Egypt was led by various warlords at different times named after animals, including Scorpion, Crocodile, Stork, Bull and so on. But we know these animals correspond, in the main, to known zodiacal symbols. For example, in earlier posts I have shown how the name 'Scorpion King' has probably been misinterpreted, and it instead refers to a date. Whatever the actual names of these southern warlords, it is probably true that they were alive during the 'reign' of their respective constellations. For example, Scorpius is the autumn equinox from around 3500 to 2400 BC, while Taurus (represented by the bull and crocodile) is the spring equinox from around 4100 to 1800 BC.
Going back further in time into the late Neolithic is very uncertain. We have only two sources of information about this legendary time, and neither is very coherent. Interestingly, and I expect this is no coincidence, this time of legend (the late Neolithic) is separated from Ancient Egypt's historical period (the Bronze Age) by a climate event lasting several hundred years, beginning 3500 BC.
First, we have the king list from the 'Turin Papyrus'. This list was written on the back of a tax document thought to be from the era of Ramesses II, New Kingdom, circa 1250 BC. It listed all the Egyptian kings, from the earliest mythical prehistory through to Rameses II. Unfortunately, it has decayed into many small fragments, with many pieces missing. It is, therefore, very difficult to make sense of, although this has not stopped scholars trying.
Second, we have the histories of Manetho, a priest during the Ptolemaic period. Unfortunately, once again, there are serious problems interpreting his work as no original copies survive. All we have are fragments of commentaries on his work by later scribes and historians. Fortunately, there are several such commentaries, including the 'Armenian Eusebius', 'Syncellus', 'Excerpta Latina Barbari', and so on. Unfortunately, they are often mutually inconsistent, sometime seriously. However, by neglecting the versions that obviously impose their own interpretation, and keeping those versions more accurate to the original, and by combining this with an interpretation of the Turin Papyrus, it is possible to arrive a story of Egypt's prehistory that dovetails nicely with the archaeological facts.
In a previous post I showed how the Cippus of Horus scenes likely encode a date somewhere between 3400 and 2400 BC. The four animals (lion, scorpion, ibex/gazelle, crocodile) in this scene represent their corresponding constellations on a solstice/equinox. Decoding this scene added another animal to our zodiac - the crocodile likely represents Taurus for people from the Fayum region of prehistoric Egypt. As these 'Horus' charms and amulets were made until the Ptolemaic period, it seems likely the scene is 'drawing on the power' of an earlier age, in much the same way that some Christians wear the cross. Clearly, this is not the date these amulets were all made.
Now consider Amun, one of the most revered of all Ancient Egyptian deities. Amun was the patron deity of Thebes (Luxor), and because of the prominence of this city during the Middle and New Kingdoms, his power grew until he became the overlord for all Egyptian deities at this time - he became the progenitor for all other deities. During his Middle Kingdom reign (circa 2000 to 1650 BC) his animal persona was a duck or goose. As we know, the duck/goose corresponds to Libra in our ancient zodiac, and it is surely no coincidence that Libra is the autumn equinox constellation from around 2350 to 1000 BC. However, during the later New Kingdom his animal persona switches to the ram. But again, the ram represents Aries in our ancient zodiac (as it still does), and is the constellation corresponding to the spring equinox from around 1700 to 250 BC, which covers the whole of the New Kingdom period. Surely, this is not a coincidence. The switch from Middle to New Kingdoms appears to have resulted in a switch of preference from autumn to spring equinoxes, resulting in the switch from duck/goose to ram for Amun.
Now let's go back to the time just before Egypt was unified, around 3200 to 3100 BC. The story begins to get a bit hazy here - as Egyptian history begins to fade into legend. But the general view is that southern Egypt, lead by Narmer (a.k.a. Menes), conquered northern Egypt around 3150 BC.
Prior to unification, northern Egypt appears to have been ruled by a succession of Kings whose titles include the prefix hor- (as in Horus). It seems they were 'Followers of Horus'. Their proper Egyptian names are thought to be given by the Palermo Stone. However, much less is known about the kings of southern Egypt before Narmer. The prevailing, but not generally accepted view, is that southern Egypt was led by various warlords at different times named after animals, including Scorpion, Crocodile, Stork, Bull and so on. But we know these animals correspond, in the main, to known zodiacal symbols. For example, in earlier posts I have shown how the name 'Scorpion King' has probably been misinterpreted, and it instead refers to a date. Whatever the actual names of these southern warlords, it is probably true that they were alive during the 'reign' of their respective constellations. For example, Scorpius is the autumn equinox from around 3500 to 2400 BC, while Taurus (represented by the bull and crocodile) is the spring equinox from around 4100 to 1800 BC.
Going back further in time into the late Neolithic is very uncertain. We have only two sources of information about this legendary time, and neither is very coherent. Interestingly, and I expect this is no coincidence, this time of legend (the late Neolithic) is separated from Ancient Egypt's historical period (the Bronze Age) by a climate event lasting several hundred years, beginning 3500 BC.
First, we have the king list from the 'Turin Papyrus'. This list was written on the back of a tax document thought to be from the era of Ramesses II, New Kingdom, circa 1250 BC. It listed all the Egyptian kings, from the earliest mythical prehistory through to Rameses II. Unfortunately, it has decayed into many small fragments, with many pieces missing. It is, therefore, very difficult to make sense of, although this has not stopped scholars trying.
Second, we have the histories of Manetho, a priest during the Ptolemaic period. Unfortunately, once again, there are serious problems interpreting his work as no original copies survive. All we have are fragments of commentaries on his work by later scribes and historians. Fortunately, there are several such commentaries, including the 'Armenian Eusebius', 'Syncellus', 'Excerpta Latina Barbari', and so on. Unfortunately, they are often mutually inconsistent, sometime seriously. However, by neglecting the versions that obviously impose their own interpretation, and keeping those versions more accurate to the original, and by combining this with an interpretation of the Turin Papyrus, it is possible to arrive a story of Egypt's prehistory that dovetails nicely with the archaeological facts.
Starting with Menes, and going backwards in time, we find in northern Egypt the 'Followers of Horus', a.k.a the Shemsu-hor, whose reign appears to go all the way back to, and possibly beyond, 6000 BC. Specifically, from the Turin Papyrus we find, immediately before Menes, the Shemesu-hor whose dynasty lasted, supposedly, for 36620 years. Meanwhile, from Manetho we find, immediately before Menes, the 'Spirits of the Dead' and 'Demigods' who reigned for perhaps 3620 years. Comparing these, it seems the Turin Papyrus' prehistoric timeline is inflated by a factor of around 10. However, the figure of 3620 years is a simple sum of the reigns of a variety of dynasties, and we can't know whether a simple sum is appropriate, or even if Manetho's timeline is accurate.
One wonders whether these prehistoric dynasties, perhaps going beyond 6000 BC, are well-recorded, or made up entirely. In their favour, we should be remember that precession of the equinoxes was likely known for 35,000 years already by this time, and that knowledge was not yet lost. Records of lists of kings is relatively simple in comparison. And Manetho appears to have been quite specific about names, how long they reigned, and where they lived. And, moreover, we already know that some of the northern kings just before Menes were 'Followers of Horus'.
But now we also know of the ancient zodiac, we can check the timeline for the 'Followers of Horus' against that.
In a previous post I showed that Horus (a falcon-headed deity) likely represents Sagittarius, as this constellation is consistently represented by a bird-of-prey. On Pillar 43 at Gobekli Tepe, Sagittarius is represented by the Eagle/Vulture. Using Stellarium, we see that Sagittarius is the autumn equinox constellation from around 6400 BC to 3600 BC. This therefore agrees almost perfectly with Manetho's timeline for the 'Spirits of the Dead'/'Demigods', a.k.a. the legendary Shemsu-hor. Even so, this confirms nothing. It is entirely possible that Manetho, knowing of the 'Followers of Horus' just before Menes, and also knowing about precession of the equinoxes, simply projected their timeline backwards to make a good fit with the precession of Sagittarius. We are none the wiser. However, either way, this is yet more evidence that the ancient Egyptians knew about our ancient zodiac from a very early time.
Going back even further in time, both Manetho and the Turin Papyrus become distinctly mythical. Before the reign of the 'Followers of Horus', we have in both Manetho and the Turin Papyrus a succession of deity-kings like Osiris, Helios (the sun) and Hephaistos interspersed with human-like names. This era perhaps corresponds to the mythical 'Zep Tepi', the beginning of time when the world emerged from the chaos of the waters and the gods lived side-by-side with men. According to our timeline, if the legendary 'Followers of Horus' fill the Late Neolithic period between 3150 and 6250 BC (the 8.2 kiloyear event), then these mythical deity-kings likely 'lived' during the Early Neolithic period. Zep Tepi is then seen to recall the Neolithic revolution following the Younger Dryas impact event. I make a similar suggestion in Prehistory Decoded.
Whatever, it should, by now, be obvious that the Ancient Egyptians knew about our ancient zodiac and precession of the equinoxes.
One wonders whether these prehistoric dynasties, perhaps going beyond 6000 BC, are well-recorded, or made up entirely. In their favour, we should be remember that precession of the equinoxes was likely known for 35,000 years already by this time, and that knowledge was not yet lost. Records of lists of kings is relatively simple in comparison. And Manetho appears to have been quite specific about names, how long they reigned, and where they lived. And, moreover, we already know that some of the northern kings just before Menes were 'Followers of Horus'.
But now we also know of the ancient zodiac, we can check the timeline for the 'Followers of Horus' against that.
In a previous post I showed that Horus (a falcon-headed deity) likely represents Sagittarius, as this constellation is consistently represented by a bird-of-prey. On Pillar 43 at Gobekli Tepe, Sagittarius is represented by the Eagle/Vulture. Using Stellarium, we see that Sagittarius is the autumn equinox constellation from around 6400 BC to 3600 BC. This therefore agrees almost perfectly with Manetho's timeline for the 'Spirits of the Dead'/'Demigods', a.k.a. the legendary Shemsu-hor. Even so, this confirms nothing. It is entirely possible that Manetho, knowing of the 'Followers of Horus' just before Menes, and also knowing about precession of the equinoxes, simply projected their timeline backwards to make a good fit with the precession of Sagittarius. We are none the wiser. However, either way, this is yet more evidence that the ancient Egyptians knew about our ancient zodiac from a very early time.
Going back even further in time, both Manetho and the Turin Papyrus become distinctly mythical. Before the reign of the 'Followers of Horus', we have in both Manetho and the Turin Papyrus a succession of deity-kings like Osiris, Helios (the sun) and Hephaistos interspersed with human-like names. This era perhaps corresponds to the mythical 'Zep Tepi', the beginning of time when the world emerged from the chaos of the waters and the gods lived side-by-side with men. According to our timeline, if the legendary 'Followers of Horus' fill the Late Neolithic period between 3150 and 6250 BC (the 8.2 kiloyear event), then these mythical deity-kings likely 'lived' during the Early Neolithic period. Zep Tepi is then seen to recall the Neolithic revolution following the Younger Dryas impact event. I make a similar suggestion in Prehistory Decoded.
Whatever, it should, by now, be obvious that the Ancient Egyptians knew about our ancient zodiac and precession of the equinoxes.
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