The hidden cosmic map of ancient Egypt discovered

For the first time, researchers have identified what seems to be a visual representation of the Milky Way in the ancient Egyptian works of art dating from 3,000 years, potentially changing our understanding of how the first astronomers saw the cosmos.

Dr. or Graur, astrophysicist of the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation of the University of Portsmouth, made the discovery while studying the decorations in the old Egyptian coffins. Its findings, published in the Journal of Astronomical History and HeritageIt reveals that a unique black curve painted in the body of an Egyptian goddess represents the bad “great crack” of our galaxy.

“I have found visual evidence of the Milky Way in the outer coffin of Nesitaudjatakhet, an amun-rre chantress who lived about 3,000 years ago,” said Dr. Graur. “This undulating curve remembers the great crack that cuts the Milky Way in two.”

The discovery focuses on nut representations, the ancient goddess of Egyptian sky often portrayed as a woman full of arched stars on her brother, the God of the Earth Geb. When examining 555 coffin elements that cover the dynastic history of Egypt, Graur identified 118 examples of what Egyptologists call the “cosmological vignette”, a scene that shows NUT’s arched form with GEB below.

The advance occurred when analyzing a particular coffin housed in the Odessa Archaeological Museum in Ukraine. This coffin has nuts with a distinctive black curve that bisigates your body from the soles of your feet to your fingers, with stars painted on both sides of the curve.

Compared to the photographs of the night sky, the similarity between this ancient work of art and the real appearance of the dark dust of the Milky Way (known as the Great Rift) is surprising. The finding provides convincing evidence that the ancient Egyptians observed and recorded this heavenly characteristic in their work of religious art.

Similar undulating curves appear in the tombs of several pharaohs, including Ramesses VI, where gold lines run along NUT’s back in astronomical roof paints. This representation pattern strengthens the connection between the goddess and our galaxy.

What makes this discovery particularly significant is to reopen the debate about whether the old Egyptian term “river via” could have been its name for the Milky Way. Previous scholars had suggested this connection, but visual evidence now provides stronger support for this interpretation.

Dr. Graur’s investigation also revealed another surprising pattern: only around a quarter of NUT representations, show it covered with stars, suggesting that the ancient Egyptians may have preferred to represent the sky of the day instead of the night sky, a statistical finding that challenges the previous assumptions.

Research demonstrates how the ancient Egyptians integrated astronomical observations into their religious beliefs. Instead of seeing Nut and the Milky Way as identical, they saw the galaxy as a heavenly phenomenon that, like the sun and the stars, could appear in NUT’s body in their role as heaven.

Intercultural analysis strengthens identification, since other unrelated cultures, including Navajo, Hopi and Zuni peoples, represent the Milky Way with similar undulating patterns in the bodies of spiritual beings.

This discovery adds to our understanding of ancient Egyptian astronomy while highlighting the notable observation skills of these first observers of heaven. His ability to incorporate celestial details in his work of religious art demonstrates the sophisticated integration of science and spirituality into one of the first civilizations of humanity.