The Celestial Architecture of Ancient Egypt

May 23, 2023

Ancient Egypt was a civilization in which architecture sprang from religion. No better example could be given than the Egyptian Tomb. The ancient Greek historian Diodorus, who lived in the first century BC, wrote of the Egyptian fascination with the afterlife. Diodorus speaks, “The inhabitants of this region consider the term of man’s present life to be utterly insignificant, and devote by far the largest part of their attention to the life after death. They call the habitations of the living ‘places of sojourn,’ since we occupy them but for a short time; but to the sepulchers of the dead they give the name of ‘eternal abodes,’ since men will live in the other world for an infinite period. For these reasons they pay little heed to the construction of their houses, while in what concerns burial they place no limit to the extravagance of their efforts.”

As to extravagant efforts of construction, no other work of Egyptian architecture stands out more boldly than the pyramids of Giza. What is even more astonishing about the three pyramids perched atop the Giza plateau, is their alignment with the three stars in the constellation of Orion’s belt. Lets dig a little deeper. Now in plan view, the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the middle pyramid of Khafre line up perfectly when drawing a straight line at a 45 degree angle from each of their two center-points. However, when extending that same line towards Menkaure (the small pyramid), it doesn’t line up with the other two larger pyramids. When comparing this offset of the pyramid with Orion’s belt, the same offset is seen in conjunction with the third and smaller star in the constellation. Thus we see here an architecture based on astronomy.

Now besides the pyramids of Giza lining up with Orion’s belt, there are also other pyramids to the north and to the south of Giza that correspond to other stars in the constellation of Orion. For instance just five miles north of Giza is Abu Rawash, which is the site of Egypt’s most northerly pyramid. It is also the earthly counterpart to the celestial Saiph, the star in the lower left position in Orion. Traveling south to the town of Zawyet El Aryan, we find two pyramid complexes which on land correspond to the star Bellatrix in the upper right area of Orion which is above. Also when looking at a map of Egypt facing south we see the constellation of Orion before us, with the Nile River symbolizing the Milky Way.

For the ancient Egyptians the constellation of Orion was also associated with the god Osiris, the Lord of the Underworld and of rebirth. The concept of death and rebirth was for the Egyptians a common occurrence, which played out in the very geography of the Nile Valley. For each year the Nile would flood bringing with it rich and fertile soil that was essential for agriculture. The time of the flooding of the Nile also coincided with the reappearance of the constellation Orion, which had been out of sight for 70 days. Thus with the annual flooding of the Nile, Osiris was reborn. To the left of Orion is the star Sirius associated with the goddess Isis, the consort of Osiris. Isis followed Osiris across the sky. There they ruled the heavenly kingdom. They ruled the night, for theirs is the kingdom of the dead.

The tombs of the Egyptians were covered with hieroglyphics, also known as the pyramid texts. The ceilings were covered with paintings of the sky, along with paintings of the gods mingled with the constellations. However, the Great Pyramid though believed to be a tomb has no hieroglyphics at all! Not in the Queen’s chamber nor in the King’s chamber, and neither in the Grand Gallery. What is present in both the Queen’s and King’s chamber are shafts that would seem to point to certain stars and constellations. For example, the angle of the southern shaft of the King’s chamber is 45 degrees. When calculating back to the building of the Great Pyramid, the shaft lines up perfectly with Orion’s belt. When using the same calculations in the Queen’s chamber the southern shaft points to Sirius, the star associated with Isis the consort of Osiris.

The ancient Egyptians worshiped the stars, for the stars were manifestations of their gods. The Egyptians also used the positioning of the stars to help them build and align their monuments. Also, the hieroglyphics etched within the tombs of the dead pharaohs would assist the soul on its ascension to the constellation of Orion and be united to Osiris. So it is evident that both architecture and religion were intertwined in ancient Egypt, and that astronomy was the glue that bound everything together. So, after examining the relationships of Egyptian architecture and religion and how astronomy was the guiding factor for both, then we could argue that the ancient Egyptians were attempting to build none other than heaven on earth.

 

References:

Bauval & Gilbert. The Orion Mystery. (New York, NY: Three Rivers Press, 1994).

Rawlinson, G. History of Ancient Egypt, Vol. 1. (Boston, MA: S.E. Cassino Publisher, 1882).

Ancient Sumer and the Land of Shinar

September 28, 2023

The Sumerian civilization is the earliest known historical human settlement that developed in ancient Mesopotamia, which is presently located within the borders and along the territories of the country that we know currently as modern day Iraq. Additionally, not only is this Sumerian civilization the first to crop up in ancient Mesopotamia, but it is arguably the first and the oldest civilization which originated in the entire world next to ancient Egypt. However, though historians and archaeologists have pinpointed the location of the first human habitation, academia would have us believe in the theories of evolution and the “big bang” in order to answer the questions of how mankind was created and how the world came to be. Furthermore, it is the sincere belief of this author that the “problem” of tracing the origins of the universe and of mankind can be solved by looking into the Biblical narrative, as well as the dates of recorded history as outlined by secular academic scholars. That being said, let us begin in the beginning by turning to the first book of the Bible: Genesis.

By studying the genealogies of the patriarchs as outlined in the book of Genesis, we come close to the date of 5,500 BC for the creation of the world and for the creation of the first man Adam. About two thousand years or so later the Flood took place at around 3,500 BC, close to the same date historians believe writing was invented in Sumer or ancient Mesopotamia. The Bible goes on to say that after the Flood the whole earth was of one language, “and it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there.” (Genesis 11:2). This plain of Shinar as described in the Bible is where the people built the Tower of Babel, for the name Babel is where the name Babylon derives it’s origin (Genesis 11:9). Additionally Sumer is known as the plain of Babylon, and we all can agree that Babylon was located in ancient Mesopotamia. So, if the land of Shinar is where the Tower of Babel was built shortly after the Flood around 3,500 BC, then both the origin of where the inhabitants of Sumer came from and when may be answered. Going further, the Bible states that after the Flood the Ark of Noah came to rest on the mountains of Ararat, near the boarders of modern day Turkey and Armenia. And since both the Tigris and Euphrates rivers have their origins in Armenia and end in Sumer (Modern Iraq), then it is very plausible that the survivors of the Flood and their families could have traveled down the area between the rivers until they decided to settle in Sumer.

Now some may disagree with this conclusion and argue that since the Bible says that after the Flood the people journeyed from the east and if the survivors of the Flood traveled from the ark and went eastward, then the plain of Shinar must be located Syria and not Iraq. However, when studying the geography of where the ark is believed to have rested (in the mountains of Ararat) we notice how the Tigris and Euphrates rivers first flow eastward before they later curve towards the south and then southeast until they both terminate into the Persian Gulf. So by traveling along the rout of where the Euphrates river begins, we do indeed journey from the east. Going further, if we continue following the rivers we will eventually find ourselves in the territory of ancient Sumer, or the Biblical land of Shinar. Additionally, in the opening verses of the Book of Daniel, scripture directly links the land of Shinar with Sumeria and Babylon. For it is written, “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar…” (Daniel 1:1-2). So here it is clearly revealed that Sumer and the land of Shinar are one and the same. Interestingly the name Sumer in ancient times was pronounced Shumer, very close to the name Shinar.

In conclusion, from the discoveries and theories of secular historians are we taught that ancient Sumer is the location of where writing was invented around 3,500 BC, and this is roughly the same date and place where we find the beginning of civilization as written in the Bible. Additionally, we see the connections of the Biblical land of Shinar with ancient Sumer from various passages found in holy writ. Following both the secular scholastic historians and Bible scholars, it is possible to not only match the date of the history of writing, but also the geographical location of the beginning of history in a post-Flood world.

 

References:

Kramer, S.N. History Begins at Sumer. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc.,1959).

Roux, G. Ancient Iraq. (New York, NY: Penguin Books, Inc., 1992).

Zondervan. The Holy Bible, King James Version. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009).