Source: BGNES
Amazing discovery in Egypt.
Archaeologists discovered an ancient astronomical observatory during excavations at the archaeological site of Tell El Farain in Egypt’s Kafr El Sheikh province.
Tell El Farain is located between the branches of the Nile – Tali and Termutiak – a few kilometers north of the Butik River in an east-west direction, along the southern shore of Lake Butik, Heritage Daily reported, quoted by Nova.
The city was a ceremonial center dedicated to the goddess Wadget, matron and patroness of Egypt. Since 2017, archaeologists have been excavating the remains of the Buto temple, where they recently discovered an ancient astronomical observatory from the 6th century BC.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the observatory is a mud brick structure that was used to observe and record the astronomical movements of celestial bodies.
Temple astrologers were particularly skilled at observing the stars, tracking the conjunctions and risings of the Sun, Moon, and planets, and tracking the phases of the moon. Astronomy also played an important role in determining the dates of religious holidays and the hours of the night.
The observatory has an L-shaped central hall built of clay bricks, resembling the pylon entrances of ancient Egyptian temples. It includes a stone platform decorated with engravings that depict the astronomical arrangements of the rising and setting of the sun during the different seasons.
Inside the building, archaeologists also discovered a tilted stone sundial (known as a shadow clock), which tells the time by a light spot or shadow cast by the position of the Sun.
Ayman Ashmawi of the Egyptian Antiquities Department said the mission also found several artefacts, including a statue from the 26th Dynasty, various religious objects and ceramics related to daily life and rituals.
According to the researchers, the observatory is the largest known example that provides new information about scientific and religious practices in antiquity.
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