Or Graur: The Egyptian Milky Way

The ancient Egyptians left us some of the earliest records of the night sky, where they noted the Sun, Moon, planets, and several constellations. Many of these objects are associated with – or personified by – certain gods (such as Re and the Sun). Yet how the Egyptians conceptualized the Milky Way remains unclear.

In his talk, Professor Graur will focus on the popular suggestion that the Milky Way was a manifestation of Nut, the Egyptian goddess of the sky. He has tested this theory by combining astronomical simulations of the Egyptian night sky, readings of ancient Egyptian religious texts (the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and the Book of Nut), ancient Egyptian material culture (coffins, funerary papyri, and tomb murals), and anthropological studies of Milky Way origin stories from around the world. He will show how Nut’s depictions changed over the course of Egyptian history and present the first visual evidence for the Milky Way in ancient Egyptian art. Professor Graur concludes by arguing that the Milky Way was not a manifestation of Nut but one more astronomical phenomenon that graced her body in her role as the sky.

Or Graur is a professor of astrophysics at the University of Portsmouth’s Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History. He specialized in observational studies of supernovae and tidal disruption events, as well as the multicultural mythology of the Milky Way. His latest books, Supernova and Galaxies, are out now, and his website is  www.orgraur.com.