The Lunar Mansions in Egypt

The Lunar Mansions in Egypt Author(s): Herbert Chatley Source: Isis, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr., 1940), pp. 394-397 Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/225759 . Accessed: 08/05/2014 21:28 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

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The lunarmansionsin Egypt It is well known to students of oriental astronomy that a system of grouping the equinoctial-ecliptic stars into 28 sets was widely used in Asia and can be traced in India and China well back into the first millennium B.C. (Jyotisha Vedanga, Atharva Veda, Taittiriya Brahmana, Hsia Hsiao Cheng, Chou Li, Huai Nan Tzu). A similar system is found in Arabia, being mentioned twice in the Kuran (7th century A.D.) and occurring in the old Arabian poems some of which are pre-Koranic. These three systems, although differing in detail, have so many points in common that they must have had a common origin. Incidentally the dates attached to the first two indicate some sort of communication between India and China prior to the Han dynasty. In the Bundahishn (3rd century A.D. ?) there is a Persian list of similar divisions and in ALBIRUNI'S" Chronology of the Ancient Nations " 03th century) there are Sogdian and Khwarasmian lists. FRITZ HOMMEL(Deutsche Morgenland. Ges. Zeitschr., Vol. 45, I89I, pp. 592-6I9) has made gallant efforts to connect the Arabic names with those of certain Babylonian star lists. He has in particular endeavoured to associate the mansions with the 24 extra-ecliptic stars referred to by DIODORUS SICULUS, but his reasoning seems forced and unconvincing. DE SAUSSURE,BIOT, and many others have discussed the WEBER,WHITNEY,SEDILLOT origin, diffusion and national priority of the mansions in great detail but no final conclusion has been reached. There is certainly no evidence that the Babylonians ever had a system of dividing the planetary zone into 28 parts. Their classification seems to have been definitely one of I2 or 36 parts, possibly not greatly differing from the 36 Egyptian dekans, save that in each group of three, the individuals were successively above, on and below the equator (The three belts of Enlil, Anu and Ea).


THE LUNAR MANSIONS IN EGYPT

395

The Egyptian dekanal system of 36 stars (or star groups) goes back at least to the tenth dynasty (say 2000 B.C.) and possibly to the Pyramid era and persisted without important change until the Roman period. It still survives in the zodiacal " faces of the classical astrologers. There is no record in the monuments of a system of 28 divisions in Egypt, unless the tabulation of the dekans in 28 columns (excluding Sothis) in the SENMUT ceiling and the Karnak clepsydra (say I500 B.C.) is so regarded. As the ceilings of SETI I, RAMESES II and RAMESES III show a smaller number of columns, probably this has no significance and is merely a matter of artistic lay-out. That other systems of star classification existed in Egypt is shown by the star tables in the tombs of RAMESES VI and RAMESES IX, but as far as can be seen these tables are either based on a numeration of 30 or 36 stars or on no numerical grouping at all. Nevertheless we find in ATHANASiJus KIRCHER's works (Oedipus Aegyptiacus, i652, and Lingua Aegyptiaca Restituta, I644) a list of the twenty-eight mansions and their Coptic names. -He was well aware that Arabian and Indian lists also existed but asserts " Est autem Aegyptiorum the Egyptian origin of the scheme: figmentum, qui Lunae cursum 28 dierum numero definientes, eidem singulo die naturali unam stationem, una cum Genio eius stationis veluti administro, quodem et conservatore assignabant" (Oedipus Aegyptiacus, Vol. 2, Pt. II, p. 24I-7). It is of course well known that KIRCHER was a most imaginative man and that little reliance can be placed on many of his statements. POGo has pointed out however his acute identification of fragments of clepsydrae and it is a fact that he gives a full list of the Coptic names of the mansions which can scarcely be fictitious. Unfortunately his sources are only indicated by a list of authors consulted and the probable conclusion to be drawn is that he borrowed the names from an Arabic writer. It is to be presumed that the latter asserted (or, at least, did not deny) the Coptic priority. The Coptic names agree in several instances with the Arabic ones, so that one of the two is perhaps a translation, but which of the two remains to be considered. KIRCHER also gives (Lingua Aegyptiaca Restituta, p. 52) the Coptic names of the signs of the Zodiac. These are in corrupt Greek, resembling those in the Bundahishn, except two variants which appear to be Egyptian. 7


396

H. CHATLEY

They are " Thoume " for Virgo, and " Phritithi " for Aquarius. The first is obviously the Egyptian dekanal name " Temut," of which HEPHAISTION's Greek form was " Tom," agreeing with the constellation Virgo. The second resembles the name of one of the mansions near to Libra, but cannot be the same. In the attached table the names of the mansions as stated by KIRCHER are given, together with their Arabic equivalents (some of which he also gives), the meanings of the latter and the probable interpretations of some of the Coptic names. COPTIC

LIST OF (" NIMONE

LUNAR MANSIONS (" MANAZIL ") & ARABIC

ARABIC

COPTIC

MEANING OF ARABIC

")

NOTES RE COPTIC NAMES

The Two Signs Little Paunch Pleiades Hyades

" Pi," Egyptn article Gr. koilia, belly.

Lion's Paw Nostrils Eye Forehead Mane Weathercock Barkers Prominent Cover Princers Crown

Ed. PI-MEH the cubir

PI-KUTORION

SHARATAN

KOLI6N ORIAS PI-ORION KLUSOS KLARIA PI-MAHI TERMELIA PI-AUTOS TITEHNI PI-KH6RION ASPHULIA ABUKIA KH6RITOS KHAMBALIA PRITITHI STEPHANI

BUTAIN THURAIYA DABARAN HAK'A HAN'A DHIRA' NATHRA TARF DJABBHA ZUBRA SURFA SAWWA' SIMAK GHAFR ZUBANA IKLIL

KHARTHIAN

KALB

Heart

AGGIA NIMAMREH POLIS UPEU Tts UPEU RITOS NU

SHAWLA NA'A'IM BULDA SA'D AL DHABIH SA'D BULA'

UPEU INEUTES UPEU THERIAN ARTULOS ARTULOSIA KUT6N

SA'D AL SU'UD SA'D AL AKHBIYA FARGH AL AWWAL FARGH AL THANI BATN AL HUT

Tail Ostriches Town Luck of slayer Luck of devourer Luck of lucks. Luck of tents. Fore socket Back socket Fish Belly

Eg. TA -TEHEN,the forehead Gr. Khorion, skin? Gr. Asphaleia, security?

Gr. Kamara, cover. Gr. Stephane, crown. Scorpio Gr. Kardia, 4 heart. Gr. Alkaia, tail. Gr. Polis, town. Note, "Upeu" corresponds crSapd

Gr. Arthron, Gr. Kutos,


to t

socket

Body, belly

THE LUNAR MANSIONS IN EGYPT

397

The simplest hypothesis is that the Coptic names are just translations from the Arabic, but it is minutely possible that they are based on an Egyptian tradition. Alternatively the Copts may have obtained them from the Persians at an earlier date than that of MUHAMMAD. SHAHPUR I in the 3rd century caused Hindu and Greek notions to be incorporated in the Zoroastrian literature (WEST in S. B. E., Vol. 4, p. XLVI) and it is probable that it was at this date that the mansions were borrowed from India and s6 appear in the Bundahishn, together with the Greek signs of the zodiac. The Persians controlled Egypt for a short period in the 7th century A.D. just prior to the Mohammedan conquest, and the mansions may have entered Egypt then, but this seems rather late. Presumably, but not certainly, KIRCHER'S authority for the Egyptian origin of the mansions comes from an Arabic source. Is there any trace in surviving Arabic writings of this opinion ? Unfortunately the Persian names of the mansions are untranslatable, with perhaps the exception of " Gau," the Bull, which appears to be identical with the Chinese " Niu," also the Bull. There is no clear connection between the Coptic names and the Egyptian dekans, unless perhaps " Kharthian," the Heart, can be identified with HER-AB-UA, The Heart of the Ship, Dekan No. I5 in the older lists. The Chinese mansion is also called " Heart." " Kuton " may be equivalent to KHAT-NUT, the Belly of Heaven, a very important star group near the dekan KHENTKHERT (No. 27) located near to the constellation Aries. This is the first in KIRCHER'S list but last in the usual Arabic lists. The Arabic name of this mansion is " The Belly of the Fish," which also suggests some association with the Egyptian constellation. As a matter of speculation it may be suggested as quite possible that the Egyptians observed the course of the moon amongst the dekanal stars and so arrived at a twenty seven or twenty eight day grouping, but as yet there is no evidence of this. London.

HERBERT CHATLEY.


The Lunar Mansions in Egypt

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