THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ZODIAC AND PLANISPHERE OF DENDERA 1.

Tapestry of the Planisphere of Dendera

A Painting from the original in the Museum of the Louvre at Paris, was exhibited in London in the year 1823, of which lithographed copies were sold at the exhibition room, Spring Gardens. From one of these given by the exhibitor to the late Wm. Hone the annexed lithograph has been made.
     In the explanatory paper circulated with the lithograph in 1823 it is said, "The figures carved and painted on the four sides of this chamber could not be seen without the aid or torches, the smoke of which had covered the zodiac, and hid it for ages. The appearance of this valuable monument, as exposed at Paris on the floor of the Museum of the Louvre, is that of a very large antique bronze medallion. This zodiac is the only astronomical monument of ancient Egyptians yet discovered which has a circular form." "Its centre is occupied by a fox or chacal." "It is thought that two emblems exactly opposite to each other, in a line passing by the signs Scorpio and Taurus, may mark the places of the equinox at the period when this ancient monument was constructed." "This zodiac or planisphere was discovered in the interior of the great temple at Dendera, when the French army was in Egypt." "It was carved on the ceiling of an obscure chamber, about twelve feet square." "The diameter of the circle of the planisphere is four feet nine inches; this is inscribed in a second circle or band of hieroglyphics, comprised in a square the side of which measures seven feet nine inches, French measure 2." "It was transported to Europe in 1821." "The price paid for it by the King of France was 150,000 francs, or 6250l. sterling."
     The painting from it, executed in Paris, three feet four inches square, exhibiting in London in 1823, was shown to every person who purchased the lithograph taken from it by a tracing, from which the accompanying lithograph was taken. It has been compared with the plate in Hamilton's Egyptiaca, and with one in the great French work on Egypt in the British Museum, and found to agree with them in all particulars, except that the fish representing the constellation of the Dolphin is omitted, as is the serpent under the foot of Orion: both of these are here supplied from these authorities.
     Various opinions have been brought forward as to the time of the erection of the temple in which the carving was found. It is now generally considered to have been founded about the time when Egypt passed from Greek to Roman dominion, and to have been repaired under other emperors whose names have been deciphered on it. The date of the building has no connexion with that of the invention of the figures of the planisphere; these ancient and traditionally sacred emblems, no longer understood, were still venerated by the builders, and placed in it as mysterious memorials of the primeval religion of Egypt.
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    1 Balbi's Geography says: "Denderah - C'est au plafond d'une des salles superieures qu'etait place le fameux planisphere, que M. Salnier a fait transporter en France en 1821, et qui, achett: par le roi, devrait former maintenant un des plus interessans morceaux du magnifique Musee du Louvre. C'est ce meme planisphere qui a fait naitre tant de'hypotheses pour expliquer is prodigieuse antiquite qu'on attribuait a ce monument, mais qui a disparu devant les fairs positifs, du aux savantes recherches faites par MM. Champollion Jeune, Richardson, et autres archeologues."
   2 This second circle has not been included in the accompanying plate, being supposed not to relate to the figures of the constellations in the planisphere which it encloses. Above this second circle are the two emblems supposed to indicate the position of the equinox at the time of the construction of this planisphere, as being nearly 2000 B.C. That under Taurus appears to be a lighted lamp or candelabrum, of which the flame ascends, as the Sun from the spring equinox in Taurus to the summer solstice, then just quitting Leo and entering the sign now called Cancer, but by the Egyptians figured as Scarabaeus.

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