Qed

Authors: Susanne M Hoffmann, Juan Antonio Belmonte Avilés

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Qed+Qedty (Belmonte 2003)

Qed (ḳd) is an Egyptian name that can be translated as circle, sheepfold or net. Decan star clocks include both Qed and Qedty (in dual form) for two different asterisms. They were not present on RSC which used more appealing constellations further north such as Aped and Wia, respectively, to cover the same RA range.  

Concordance, Etymology, History

Variants

• Qed
• Sawy-Qed
• Qedty (different constellation)

Origin of Constellation

In the decan star clocks there are two decans called Qed, in singular, and Qedty, in dual. They are far away in RA. One possibly was close to Pisces and before Aret, the other possibly to the South of Sagittarius. These are mentioned in NK celestial diagrams but never depicted as constellations.

Decan Star Clocks

Decan star clocks (also "diagonal star clocks") represent one of the earliest known systematic methods of stellar timekeeping, as they are preserved from the Middle Kingdom (2100-1800 BCE). During the night, the successive appearance of decans provided a way to divide the night into approximately twelve parts for the twelve hours of the night. These constellations shift successively, so that the Egyptian schema needs to be read diagonally: every ten days, another constellation is considered to rule the same hour, or in other words, each constellation (decan) rules a different hour depending on the time of the year. Hoffmann (2022) writes: "The pattern of this systematic shift of constellations through the hours of the day within a year is depicted on Egyptian diagonal star clocks, when the sequence of decans was observed in culmination instead of in rising (Symons 2007), leading to a reduction of deviations throughout the year."

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  Schema of Egyptian star clock in a coffin lid (CC BY Bettina Hoffmann).
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  Schema of Egyptian star clock: how it works (CC BY Bettina Hoffmann).
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  Diagonal star clock in coffins from the Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt (Coffin of Nacht, probably from Asyut, 11th/12th Dynasty): Hildesheim, Römer und Pelicäusmuseum.

Identification

Leitz (1995, 78) describes a graphical identification method for the decan constellations and says that he basically follows the identifications of Neugebauer and Parker (Astronomische Texte I, 97-100). Yet, on the following pages, Leitz (1995) gives his own arguments, always citing NP but occasionally giving alternatives.

Qed (ḳd) is the 22nd decan and reads in Leitz (1995, 92):

Der mit Abstand hellste Stern vor dem 22. Untergangshorizont ist Sirrah (α Andromedae), ein weißer Stern (Spektralklasse B9) der Größe m = 2.0, der mit laut Karte 1.°3 Horizontabstand etwa 0.°5 bis 1° zu tief steht.

By far the brightest star visible before the 22nd sunset horizon is Sirrah (α Andromedae), a white star (spectral class B9) of magnitude m = 2.0, which, with a horizon distance of 1.°3 according to the map, is about 0.°5 to 1° too low.

So, Leitz suggests an identification that he immediately rejects without presenting any alternative. Belmonte and Lull (2023) agree with the rejection and consider Alpha Andromedae far too north for a decan.

Qed means net, circle, or sheepfold, so Qedty means two nets or a pair of nets, and hence we expect them to have a nearly round, circular or enclosed form, which fits the two shapes of star bows south of the Egyptian ship-constellation Wia: the stars of the tail of Scorpius and those of Corona Australis.

In a complete independent analysis, a tentative interpretation on these two decans was given by Belmonte (2003) in MSAIT on the Decans, and simultaneously on his PUV book on "La Astronomía del antiguo Egipto" by Jose Lull in 2004. Both of them independently coincided in their hypothesis for Qed and Qedty after their analyses because they fit in RA within the errors. So this, among others, is why they published a paper in JHA in 2006 together. Table 4.7 is just a final count of 20 years of discussion and analyses.

Belmonte and Lull identify the pentagonal head of Cetus for Qed, and an area south of Sagittarius in which Corona Australis (quite circular) would be one of the pair Qedty.

Maravelia (2006, 450, Tab. 4, #23)

la tête de Cetus a une apparence circulaire (DC & GR.). Il s'agit peut-être du "kraal" de troupeau.

Engl.: the head of Cetus has a circular appearance (Diagonal Star Clocks and graphical representations). Perhaps it is a "kraal" of the herd.

"kraal" is an African term for a (circular) enclosure, here referring to α,ν, ξ, γ, μ Ceti, next to δ Ceti.

Image Variants of Fishing Nets

For a depiction in the tomb of Menna (TT 69), Thebes, tp. Amenhotep III, New Kingdom also see Hartwig (2015).

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  A team of men catching fish with a large net. (Weidenbach 1878)
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  Fishing and Fowling, from the Tomb of Ipuy (Ramses II)
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  On this painting adorning the tomb of Menna, a noble scribe during the reign of Amenhotep III (XVIIIth Dynasty), two Nile perches, fish with delicious flesh, are clearly visible. (image citation from Comptoir
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  modern replica for sale, original in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Transfer and Transformation of the Constellation

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  ancient manuscript 1
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  modern mapping by author XY
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  ancient manuscript 2
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  modern mapping by author AB
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  something else ...

Religion/ Tales/ Mythology

As far as we know, there is not any mythological or cultural context for these two decans (asterisms) as we have for many other Egyptian stars and constellations apart from the utility and hour keepers in diagonal star clocks (which is indeed important).

IAU Working Group on Star Names

Qed was proposed to WGSN in 2023 by Juan Belmonte: "Delta Ceti would instead be ideal for Qed (another decan), since Jose Lull and Juan Belmonte agree that Qed (circle or Sheepfold) could be related to the head of Cetus and its close to circular form in the sky. RA here fits very well. Delta being immediately below is a perfect candidate."

References

• References (general)