An Ancient Egyptian Petroglyph Depicting A Zodiac Sign Was Found Along The Nile River
At a rock art site located on the western bank of the Nile River, an ancient Egyptian petroglyph depicting a zodiac sign was discovered.
It is the only known example of its kind. The image is of Capricornus, a mythological hybrid creature with the head of a goat and the body of a fish.
The researchers discovered the petroglyph during fieldwork. They were able to determine the possible reason for its creation by studying its history, its use, and its introduction into Egypt.
“The goat-fish was found in a locality of el-Hosh, which hosts a large number of petroglyphs and texts, much of it Predynastic, but also material from the Greco-Roman and Islamic periods,” said Dr. Frederick Hardtke, who discovered the petroglyph.
“The goat-fish was found adjacent to another extremely unusual image of what we believe to be a chameleon. These two taken together make the panel that they are on rather enigmatic.”
The origin of Capricornus occurred in Mesopotamia, where the Sumerian god Enki and Akkadian god Ea were typically portrayed as bearded men wearing gowns and horned caps. Water streams filled with fish would spout from the shoulders of the gowns.
Later, this illustration evolved into the first recognizable depiction of a goat-fish hybrid dating to 2112 to 2004 B.C.E. The Mesopotamians believed their gods were manifestations of the stars and planets. Enki/Ea were manifestations of the Capricornus constellation.
These stars and planets influenced life for humans on Earth and could be used to predict natural events, wars, and other aspects of life, leading to the development of the earliest horoscopes around 420 B.C.E.
Eventually, the zodiacs spread from Mesopotamia to Greece in the 5th century B.C.E. and then to Rome in the 1st to 2nd century C.E. By 300 B.C.E., Egyptians knew all about the zodiacs, and their earliest depictions could be seen on ceilings in Egyptian Ptolemaic temples.
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At some point, the zodiac symbols, including Capricornus, appeared in Roman-era temple ceilings, tombs, coffin lids, and coins.
During the Greco-Roman period in Egypt, the zodiacs seemed to be more common among the elites, but there was evidence of them in the lives of everyday people as well, indicating that the meaning of the goat-fish was understood back then.
The petroglyph may have been a navigational tool for desert tribes in the el-Hosh region. It was likely carved between the 1st century B.C.E. and the 2nd century B.C.E. during the Greco-Roman period.
It was crudely carved, suggesting that the creator reproduced it from memory. But it was also normal for rock art in Egypt to become cruder after the advent of writing.
The chameleon rock art near the Capricornus has a similar style and close association, so the two petroglyphs were probably produced by the same person.
The study was published in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology.
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