1,721,077 research outputs found
Satellite-Aided Analysis of the Position of the Sun Temples and the Dynastic History of the Vth Egyptian Dynasty
Full text linkThe Sun Temples of the Vth dynasty are the most elusive Egyptian monuments of the Old Kingdom. Textual sources seem to refer to a different temple for each different pharaoh of the dynasty, but only two have been discovered at Abu Gurab, a few hundred meters north of the dynastic necropolis of Abusir. Previously, the author has proposed a cognitive–topographical framework that strongly supports the idea, originally formulated by Stadelmann, that only these two already known temples actually existed, while the others—with the possible exception of the last one—mentioned in the sources refer to renovations carried out by subsequent pharaohs on existing monuments. This paper aims to give a complete reassessment of this question using satellite imagery. Together with recently disclosed archaeological excavations at Abu Gurab, which have direct relevance for the history of the Sun Temples, the analysis provided here adds new, surprising aspects to the dynastic scenario, bringing in the meantime, further support to the above-mentioned framework. A proposal for the location of the last temple is also highlighted in the same analysis
Geometry and perspective in the landscape of the saqqara pyramids
No full textA series of peculiar, visual alignments between the pyramids of the pharaohs of the
4th , the 5th and the 6th Egyptian dynasties exists. These alignments governed from the very
beginning the planning of the funerary monuments of successive kings and, in some cases, led
to establish building sites in quite inconvenient locations from the technical viewpoint.
Explaining the topography of these monuments means therefore also investigating on their
symbolic motivations: religion, power, dynastic lineage and social context, as well as getting
insights on the skills of the ancient architects in astronomy and geometry. In the present paper
we focus on the relationships between the Old Kingdom pyramids at Saqqara
Topography, astronomy and dynastic history in the alignments of the Pyramids' fields of the Old Kingdom
No full textIt is known since the 19 century that in the layout of the pyramid field of the pharaohs of the 4th
Egyptian dynasty at Giza, a “main axis” exists. Indeed, the south‐east corners of these monuments
align towards the site of the temple of Heliopolis, which was plainly visible in ancient times. It was
later discovered that a similar situation occurs in the main pyramid field of the subsequent dynasty
at Abu Sir. Here, the north‐west corners of three chronologically successive pyramids again voluntarily
align towards Heliopolis. However, the temple was in this case not visible, due to the rock
outcrop‐ today occupied by the Cairo citadel ‐ which blocks the view. In the present paper, a interdisciplinary
approach based on historical, topographical and archaeoastronomical analysis is developed
in an attempt at understanding such peculiar features, which governed from the very beginning
the planning of these wonderful monuments. A general pattern actually arises, which appears
to have inspired the choice of the sites and the disposition on the ground of almost all the funerary
complexes of the kings during the Old Kingdom. In particular, this pattern helps to explain the
choices in the location of the funerary complexes of Niuserre in Abusir, of Unas in Saqqara and of
the kings of the 6th dynasty at south Saqqara
Archaeoastronomy and Archaeo-Topography as Tools in the Search for a Missing Egyptian Pyramid
No full textAmong the royal pyramids of the 6th Egyptian Dynasty, that of the second king, Userkare, is missing. This Pharaoh, however, ruled long enough – two to four years – to plan his pyramid on the ground and have the workers excavate the substructure. Userkare’s unfinished tomb might therefore be buried in the sands of the Memphite necropolis, possibly with a copy of the Pyramid Texts carved on its walls. In the present paper, methods based on archaeo-topography and archaeoastronomy have been applied with the aim of finding the locatio
Sacred landscapes of imperial China: astronomy, feng shui, and the mandate of heaven
No full textThis book analyses the magnificent imperial necropolises of ancient China from the perspective of Archaeoastronomy, a science which takes into account the landscape in which ancient monuments are placed, focusing especially but not exclusively on the celestial aspects. The power of the Chinese emperors was based on the so-called Mandate of Heaven: the rulers were believed to act as intermediaries between the sky gods and the Earth, and consequently, the architecture of their tombs, starting from the world-famous mausoleum of the first emperor, was closely linked to the celestial cycles and to the cosmos. This relationship, however, also had to take into account various other factors and doctrines, first the Zhao-Mu doctrine in the Han period and later the various forms of Feng Shui. As a result, over the centuries, diverse sacred landscapes were constructed. Among the sites analysed in the book are the “pyramids” of Xi’an from the Han dynasty, the mountain tombs of the Tang dynasty, and the Ming and Qing imperial tombs. The book explains how considerations such as astronomical orientation and topographical orientation according to the principles of Feng Shui played a fundamental role at these sites
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