The Egypt Code (43 page)
Authors: Robert Bauval
Heb Sed (jubilee) scene, Karnak temple. Note the King racing with the sacred bull.
Heb Sed (jubilee) scenes from the Abu Ghorab sun-temples.
The Giza pyramids are aligned to the cardinal points, and it seems only natural that if an attempt were made to represent Orion’s distinctive three-star asterism in the site layout, a match should occur when the asterism was due south. However, no match occurred during the Old Kingdom (
c.
2686-
c
. 2160 BC) - the era when the Giza pyramids were built. The angle from the centre of Khufu’s pyramid to the centre of Menkaura’s pyramid is 52.2 degrees south of west, but when the asterism was due south, the angle between the corresponding stars Alnitak and Mintaka was only 16.2 degrees. As a N/S meridian match with the Giza layout did not occur in the Old Kingdom, Orion was precessed nearly 8,000 years back in time, to
c
. 10,500 BC, when Orion was at its lowest in the precessional cycle. However, even going this far back in time is not enough for the asterism to match the Giza layout - Orion needs to be precessed a further 1,000 years for a close match. It seems highly unlikely the ancient Egyptians in the Old Kingdom were aware of precession and its effect on Orion over long periods, and could visualize how Orion appeared at its lowest point in the precessional cycle and represent this it at Giza. It also seems unlikely the layout was conceived by a civilization nine millennia further back in time from the Fourth Dynasty. However, going so far back in time to find a close match is unnecessary, as one
can
be found in the Fourth Dynasty, although not due south as might be expected. At some point in the south-eastern sky as Orion was rising, Alnitak and Saiph aligned vertically, a useful aid and reference line if the relative positions of the three stars within the asterism needed to be roughly determined. When Alnitak and Saiph aligned vertically (52.2 degrees south of east), the asterism in Orion closely matched the Giza layout. Interestingly, this mirrored the angle between Khufu and Menkaura’s pyramids, which is 52.2 degrees west of south. According to the Pyramid Texts, the ‘Field of Offerings’ where the ‘Imperishable Stars’ are found was founded by means of a plumb-line (Pyramid Texts, 1,196). This may be an allusion to vertical alignments of stars in the sky that may have been an aid in ‘founding’ the royal funerary complexes.
c.
2686-
c
. 2160 BC) - the era when the Giza pyramids were built. The angle from the centre of Khufu’s pyramid to the centre of Menkaura’s pyramid is 52.2 degrees south of west, but when the asterism was due south, the angle between the corresponding stars Alnitak and Mintaka was only 16.2 degrees. As a N/S meridian match with the Giza layout did not occur in the Old Kingdom, Orion was precessed nearly 8,000 years back in time, to
c
. 10,500 BC, when Orion was at its lowest in the precessional cycle. However, even going this far back in time is not enough for the asterism to match the Giza layout - Orion needs to be precessed a further 1,000 years for a close match. It seems highly unlikely the ancient Egyptians in the Old Kingdom were aware of precession and its effect on Orion over long periods, and could visualize how Orion appeared at its lowest point in the precessional cycle and represent this it at Giza. It also seems unlikely the layout was conceived by a civilization nine millennia further back in time from the Fourth Dynasty. However, going so far back in time to find a close match is unnecessary, as one
can
be found in the Fourth Dynasty, although not due south as might be expected. At some point in the south-eastern sky as Orion was rising, Alnitak and Saiph aligned vertically, a useful aid and reference line if the relative positions of the three stars within the asterism needed to be roughly determined. When Alnitak and Saiph aligned vertically (52.2 degrees south of east), the asterism in Orion closely matched the Giza layout. Interestingly, this mirrored the angle between Khufu and Menkaura’s pyramids, which is 52.2 degrees west of south. According to the Pyramid Texts, the ‘Field of Offerings’ where the ‘Imperishable Stars’ are found was founded by means of a plumb-line (Pyramid Texts, 1,196). This may be an allusion to vertical alignments of stars in the sky that may have been an aid in ‘founding’ the royal funerary complexes.
This link between the Giza layout and Orion in the south-eastern sky is also highlighted by another interesting clue that involves all the pyramid fields between Saqqara in the south and Abu Rawash in the north. Looking south-east from Djedefra’s pyramid at Abu Rawash, 8.5 kilometre north-west from the Giza pyramids, the pyramid fields along the western escarpment overlooking the Nile valley as far as Saqqara lie on, or are either side of a straight line, beginning with the pyramid of Djedefra (son of Khufu) at the extreme northern end, and ending with the pyramid of Userkaf (son of Menkaura and great-grandson of Khufu) in the south. Userkaf’s complex was built right up against the north-east corner of Netjerikhet’s (Djoser) 13ha funerary complex that dominated the Saqqara necropolis. When Orion’s three-star asterism was above Userkaf’s and Netjerikhet’s complexes, viewed from anywhere along this line of pyramid fields, it closely matched the Giza layout when viewed from north of the Giza site looking south. Interestingly, the appearance of the asterism in the sky due south, closely matched the Giza layout when viewed from the north-west looking south-east along the 52.2 degree line that highlighted the asterism in the south-eastern sky when it closely matched the Giza layout. A direct line between Djedefra and Userkaf/Netjerikhet has a bearing of 52.2 degrees south of east, and runs past the two important pyramid fields of Giza and Abusir. Both these pyramid fields extend away from the line to the north-east towards the edge of the escarpment, and are roughly oriented towards the important religious centre of Iunu. Clearly, the general south-east direction of the escarpment dictated the line-up of these pyramid fields, but not exactly, as not all follow the edge of the escarpment. The two Zawyet el-Aryan pyramids are near the edge, but Djedefra’s funerary complex is about 2 kilometres, and Menkaura’s about 1 kilometre from the edge. The preferred site for these funerary complexes was usually high ground where they could be clearly seen over long distances - they were certainly not hiding their tombs as in later times.
Pyramids as ‘stars’?The pyramids are distinctive landmarks, and in their pristine state, with their white polished limestone casings that reflected the sun, moon and starlight, meant the pyramids shone brightly in a sea of sand during the day, and shone with an ethereal gleam at night. As the sun rose over the eastern horizon, the first rays of sunlight lit up the apexes of the pyramids causing them to shine like stars in an otherwise dark landscape - an awe-inspiring line of beacons/‘stars’ along the western escarpment. The same effect happened when the last rays of sunlight lit the apexes as the sun set in the west, when all else was in shadow.
At the southern end of the line of pyramid fields, the name of Netjerikhet’s Third Dynasty funerary complex at Saqqara, was ‘Horus is the Star at the Head of the Sky’ (Quirke/Helck), or ‘Star of Horus, Foremost of the Sky’ (in the Pyramid Texts, Horus was called the ‘Morning Star’). At the northern end, the name of Djedefra’s (Radjedef) pyramid was sHdw Dd=f ra, ‘Radjedef’s Star’ (J. P. Allen). One of the two pyramids at Zawyet el-Aryan, roughly midway between Abu Rawash and Saqqara, was named ‘Nebka is a Star’ (Edwards).
The true meaning and implications of these explicit stellar names, only become apparent in the earliest surviving royal funerary texts inscribed within pyramids from the end of the Fifth Dynasty. Unas the king (the first king to have ‘son of Ra’ included in his cartouche), purified himself with the cool water of the stars and bathed in the starry firmament (Pyramid Texts, 138), the ‘Imperishable Stars’ raised Unas aloft (Pyramid Texts, 139), and Unas guided the ‘Imperishable Stars’ (Pyramid Texts, 373). Unas was born as a star, and he appeared as a star (Pyramid Texts, 262). Unas opened his place in the sky among the stars of the sky, for he was the ‘Lone or Unique Star’ (Pyramid Texts, 251). Atum, the ‘father’ of Unas, assigned Unas to the excellent and wise gods, the ‘Imperishable Stars’ (Pyramid Texts, 380). He was a son of Sopdet (personification of Sirius, the brightest star in their sky) (Pyramid Texts, 458), and was given a warrant as Great Power by Sah (Orion), ‘father of the gods’ (Pyramid Texts, 408).
This text, from Utterance 273-4, is regarded as one of the oldest of the corpus of texts found within Fifth-Seventh Dynasty pyramids. Referring to Utterance 273-4, Badawy states: ‘At least one of the pyramid spells mentioning Orion belongs to the older stock since it occurs in the context of the so-called Cannibal Hymn’ (Badawy 1964: p. 199).
The ‘warrant’ granted by Sah to the king, may be an allusion to a celestial, ‘afterlife’ version of a title deed, held in the king’s hand when he performed the ceremonial
heb-sed
run, and thought to be a legal document legitimizing the king’s right to rule the unified land of Upper and Lower Egypt, or as Lehner states: ‘. . . the household deed to the whole of Egypt’ (Lehner 1997: 92).
heb-sed
run, and thought to be a legal document legitimizing the king’s right to rule the unified land of Upper and Lower Egypt, or as Lehner states: ‘. . . the household deed to the whole of Egypt’ (Lehner 1997: 92).
Beneath the Third Dynasty Step Pyramid and its ‘South Tomb’, depictions of Netjerikhet performing the ceremonial
heb-sed
run and holding the ‘title deed’ are found. ‘The step pyramid includes numerous architectural elements designed to perpetuate the role of the king in the afterlife. Symbolic components of the royal palace complex from which the king could rule for eternity. Elements associated with the celebration of the heb-sed (festival of rejuvenation of the kingship) express the desire to maintain the king’s ruleship in the netherworld’ (Wegner 2002: p.72).
heb-sed
run and holding the ‘title deed’ are found. ‘The step pyramid includes numerous architectural elements designed to perpetuate the role of the king in the afterlife. Symbolic components of the royal palace complex from which the king could rule for eternity. Elements associated with the celebration of the heb-sed (festival of rejuvenation of the kingship) express the desire to maintain the king’s ruleship in the netherworld’ (Wegner 2002: p.72).
From the Fifth Dynasty pyramid of Unas: ‘Sah (Orion) is encircled by the Duat, pure and living in the horizon. Sopdet (Sirius) is encircled by the Duat, pure and living in the horizon. I am (the king) encircled by the Duat, pure and living in the horizon. It is well with me and with them. It is pleasant for me and for them, within the arms of my father, within the arms of Atum’ (Pyramid Texts, 151).
The ideogram for Duat (N15) is a five-pointed star in a circle - an encircled star - just as the dead king who appeared as a star was encircled by the Duat. Like the classic ancient Egyptian five-pointed star motif that ‘decorated’ the royal funerary complexes, the pyramid has five points that define its form - the four corner points and the apex. Three early pyramids had names that were explicitly stellar. Evidence from the end of the Fifth-Sixth Dynasty, shows that the pyramid itself was believed to be the body of the king, and the king after his death was reborn as a star, and appeared as a star - ‘O Atum, set your arms about the king, about this construction, and about this pyramid as the arms of a Ka-symbol, that the King’s essence may be in it, enduring forever’ (Pyramid Texts, 1653).
Piankoff noted: ‘The pyramids were personified (C. Wilke, ‘Zur Personifikation von Pyramiden’,
ZÄS
, LXX [1934], 56-83), and the title of the queens of Dyn.VI shows that the name of the royal pyramid stood for the name of the deceased himself. Thus the daughter of Unas is the royal daughter of the body of the (the pyramid) ‘Perfect are the Places of Unas’; see P. Montet, ‘Reines et Pyramides,’
Kemi
, XIV (1957), 92-101) (from ‘The Pyramid of Unas’, Piankoff 1968: p.4).
ZÄS
, LXX [1934], 56-83), and the title of the queens of Dyn.VI shows that the name of the royal pyramid stood for the name of the deceased himself. Thus the daughter of Unas is the royal daughter of the body of the (the pyramid) ‘Perfect are the Places of Unas’; see P. Montet, ‘Reines et Pyramides,’
Kemi
, XIV (1957), 92-101) (from ‘The Pyramid of Unas’, Piankoff 1968: p.4).
The names of the pyramids, ‘Djedefra’s Star’ and ‘Nebka is a Star’, suggests the royal funerary ideology was significantly influenced by the starry sky in the Fourth Dynasty. Ra the sun god was becoming popular with royalty at this time, and the name of the sun god, the brightest celestial body in their sky was incorporated into the name of Khufu’s son, Djedefra. However the explicitly stellar name of his pyramid shows that the royal funerary beliefs also had an important stellar content. The king appeared as a star-a brilliant star, who travelled far, and daily brought products from far away to Ra (Pyramid Texts, 263).
A simulation of the night sky over Giza in the Fouth Dynasty, shows the three-star asterism in Orion closely matched the layout of the three pyramids at Giza when the asterism was 52.2 degs south-of-east. The line up of pyramid fields along the western escarpment highlighted the asterism as the line from Djedefra in the north to Userkaf/Netjerikhet in the south was also 52.2 degs south of east, which mirrored the angle of the Giza layout. This meant that Sah (Orion) the ‘father of the gods’ was ‘standing upright’ - ‘alive’ after rising from lying ‘dead’ on his side in the east-a metaphor used by the Egyptians to illustrate the king rising up, from being dead on his side, to standing up, alive in his celestial realm.
The main deities attested at Giza are Horus, Hathor (lit. House of Horus) Seth, Thoth and Anubis. The name of the god Khnum was incorporated into the full name of Khnum Khufu, which shows he was also an important deity. The name of the sun god Ra, was incorporated into the names of Khufu’s sons and grandson, Djedefra, Khafra, and Menkaura, and the epithet ‘son of Ra’ first appears with Djedefra, which shows Ra was a major player at this time also, although the cult of Ra found a fuller expression with the building of sun temples during the Fifth Dynasty. From the later Pyramid Texts, Ra was the brother of both Sah (Orion) and Sopdet (Sirius) (Pyramid Texts, 2126). Sah, Sopdet and the northern ‘Imperishable Stars’ played a significant role in the royal funerary beliefs, and when the explicit stellar names of at least three pyramids from the Third and Fourth Dynasties are considered, it seems a reasonable assumption that these stars were also included in the royal funerary beliefs then. If the upper southern shaft in Khufu’s pyramid linked to Sah (Orion) and the layout of the Giza group was a realization of a thematic vision for the Giza site that involved Sah, this reflected only one aspect of their multi layered belief system.
The so-called ‘star-shafts’Robert Bauval is not alone in noticing a possible link between the Giza pyramids and Sah (Orion). In 1954, Egyptologist Dr Alexander Badawy, proposed that a link between Khufu’s pyramid and the Orion constellation was incorporated into the design of the pyramid. He theorized that the upper shafts in Khufu’s pyramid should be ‘. . . considered as open ways for the king’s soul to reach the circumpolar stars to the North and the Orion constellation, to the South’ (Badawy, 1954, p.138). Badawy provided the ancient Egyptian religious/funerary rationale behind these stellar links in his 1964 paper ‘The Stellar Destiny of Pharoah and the So-Called Air-Shafts of Cheops’ Pyramid’, and in her accompanying article, ‘Astronomical investigation concerning the so-called air-shafts of Cheop’s pyramid’, the astronomer Virginia Trimble, showed how the three-star asterism in Orion, ‘. . . passed once each day, at culmination directly over the southern shaft of the Great Pyramid at the time it was built’.
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