The Astrologer Priests of Ancient Egypt

Exploring the vital role of Egyptian priests who combined astronomy and astrology to guide religious rituals, agricultural planning, and royal decisions.

Martin Herdman is a retired field archaeologist and my husband. We work together on our ancient Egyptian project.

We made this film a couple of years ago, and it’s had over 1,000 views on YouTube. So we thought our new readers on Substack might enjoy it, too.

As our project to show how the ancient Egyptians created and used sacred numbers unfolds over the next 12 months, the importance of time will become increasingly apparent. So please stick with us to learn more.

Here's a summary of the YouTube video "Thoth Astrology: Time, Astronomy, and the Astrological Priests - Sky Watching in Ancient Egypt" by The Numbers of Thoth:

1. Introduction to Thoth: The video begins by introducing Thoth, the ancient Egyptian god of knowledge and wisdom, who is linked to the governance of time and the heavenly bodies.

2. Role of Astrologer Priests: It describes the astrologer priests in ancient Egypt who were responsible for astronomical observations and timekeeping, depicting their use of tools like the horologe (time measuring device) and palm fronds during temple processions.

3. Astrological Texts: The astrologer priests studied four main astrological books of Thoth that detailed visible stars, solar and lunar cycles, and their conjunctions and luminations.

4. Compendium of the Universe: A significant book mentioned is a comprehensive catalog from 1100 BC listing constellations, although notable omissions include the planets and the star Sothis (Sirius).

5. Calendar and Timekeeping: The astrologers were also tasked with maintaining the calendar, defining auspicious and inauspicious days, and determining festival timings.

6. Decans and Night Hours: The video explains the use of 36 groups of stars known as decans to track night hours, a system used extensively by temple priests for ritual timings.

7. Astronomical Innovations: The decans system showed advanced understanding of star movements, with these star clusters helping to mark the hours of the night through their successive risings each month.

8. Astronomical Ceiling in Senenmut’s Tomb: It discusses the archaeological find in the tomb of Senenmut, featuring a celestial diagram that highlights important constellations and planetary positions from around 1534 BC.

9. Mythological and Religious Connections: The constellations had significant mythological and religious importance, linking deities like Osiris and Isis to stars such as Orion and Sirius.

10. The Milky Way and Religious Symbolism: The video concludes by linking the Milky Way to ancient Egyptian spiritual beliefs about the afterlife and the cosmos, describing it as a celestial river aligning with religious texts and beliefs about the soul's journey.

Sources of information

RASC-TC It's Sirius O'Clock: Astronom...   Two Fragments of Diagonal Star Clocks in the British Museum Sarah SymonsFirst Published August 1, 2002 Research Article https://doi.org/10.1177/0021828602033... Astronomy in Ancient Egypt. Nature 144, 1041–1042 (1939). https://doi.org/10.1038/1441041c0 Waziry, Prof.Dr. Ayman. “Linguistic Symbolic Approach of Ancient Egyptian Differentiation Between Northern and Southern Constellations.” Egyptian Journal of Archaeological and Restoration Studies, 2015. Abdel-Hadi, Yasser & Yehia, Maha. (2009). Astronomical Interpretation of the Winding Canal in the Pyramid Texts. NRIAG Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics. 303 – 316. https://edubirdie.com/examples/the-as...