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==== Decan Star Clocks ====
==== 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)<ref>Hoffmann, S.M. (2022). Comparison of some General Concepts.,in Hoffmann and Wolfschmidt (eds.). Astronomy in Culture – Cultures of Astronomy, tredition Hamburg, 542-560</ref> 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<ref>Symons, Sarah (2007), A star's year: the annual cycle in the ancient egyptian sky, in J. M. Steele, ed., `Calendars and Years: Astronomy and Time in the Ancient World', Oxbow, Oxford (UK), pp. 1--33.</ref>), leading to a reduction of deviations throughout the year." <gallery>
Decan star clocks (also "diagonal star clocks")<ref>Leitz, Ch., 1995. Altägyptische Sternuhren. OLA, 62. Leuven: Peeters.</ref> 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)<ref>Hoffmann, S.M. (2022). Comparison of some General Concepts.,in Hoffmann and Wolfschmidt (eds.). Astronomy in Culture – Cultures of Astronomy, tredition Hamburg, 542-560</ref> 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<ref>Symons, Sarah (2007), A star's year: the annual cycle in the ancient egyptian sky, in J. M. Steele, ed., `Calendars and Years: Astronomy and Time in the Ancient World', Oxbow, Oxford (UK), pp. 1--33.</ref>), leading to a reduction of deviations throughout the year." <gallery>
File:EgStarClockSarg_BettinaHoffmann.jpeg|Schema of Egyptian star clock in a coffin lid (CC BY Bettina Hoffmann).
File:EgStarClockSarg_BettinaHoffmann.jpeg|Schema of Egyptian star clock in a coffin lid (CC BY Bettina Hoffmann).
File:EgStarClockSchema_BettinaHoffmann.jpeg|Schema of Egyptian star clock: how it works (CC BY Bettina Hoffmann).
File:EgStarClockSchema_BettinaHoffmann.jpeg|Schema of Egyptian star clock: how it works (CC BY Bettina Hoffmann).

Revision as of 17:35, 24 September 2026

Authors: Susanne M Hoffmann, Juan Antonio Belmonte Avilés, ASE Tech Team

Fishing and Fowling, from the Tomb of Ipuy, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Medina, Tomb of Ipuy, TT217 (CC0, Charles Wilkinson); epoch: circa 1279–1213 BCE = New Kingdom, Ramesside = Dynasty 19, Reign: reign of Ramesses II
Qedty
Asterism Info
Native
ḳdty
Translation
The Two Nets
Position (2000)
Right ascension287.0873737
Declination-40.49669798
Area0 sq. deg.
Stars
Bright stars1
Bayer/Flamsteed
stars		1
Stars brighter than 3.00m0
Brightest starQedty (4.571m)
Taxonomy
category
of asterism		IAU-Star Name
IAU-
constellations		CrA

Qedty (ḳdty), The Two Nets, one of them would be Corona Australis is an Egyptian name, used in decan star clocks. Qed and Qedty 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

Qed+Qedty (Belmonte 2003)

Variants

  • Qed
  • Qedty

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 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.

Qed means net, so Qedty means two nets or a pair of nets, and hence we expect them to have a nearly round, circular or enclosed form.

In a complete independent analysis, a tentative interpretation on these two decans was given by Belmonte (2003)[1] 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. 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.

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.

Leitz (1995) locates Qed in Alpha Andromedae, which is far too north for a decan.

Decan Star Clocks

Decan star clocks (also "diagonal star clocks")[2] 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)[3] 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[4]), leading to a reduction of deviations throughout the year."

  • Schema of Egyptian star clock in a coffin lid (CC BY Bettina Hoffmann).
    Schema of Egyptian star clock in a coffin lid (CC BY Bettina Hoffmann).
  • Schema of Egyptian star clock: how it works (CC BY Bettina Hoffmann).
    Schema of Egyptian star clock: how it works (CC BY Bettina Hoffmann).
  • 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.
    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.

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)[5].

  • A team of men catching fish with a large net. (Weidenbach 1878)
    A team of men catching fish with a large net. (Weidenbach 1878)
  • Fishing and Fowling, from the Tomb of Ipuy (Ramses II)
    Fishing and Fowling, from the Tomb of Ipuy (Ramses II)
  • 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
    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
  • modern replica for sale, original in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo
    modern replica for sale, original in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

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 WGSN star name discussion

The name was suggested for a star in CrA in 2023. It was decided in 2026 to name the star δ CrA in Corona Australis "Qedty".

  • Heryibwia profile card (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).
    Heryibwia profile card (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).
  • Heryibwia stick figure (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).
    Heryibwia stick figure (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).
  • Babylonian "River Boat" constellation: see Magur.
    Babylonian "River Boat" constellation: see Magur.
  • Kenemu profile card (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).
    Kenemu profile card (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).
  • Kenemu stick figure (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).
    Kenemu stick figure (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).
  • Qedty profile card (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).
    Qedty profile card (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).
  • Qedty stick figure (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).
    Qedty stick figure (CC BY M.Sadegh Faghanpour for IAU-WGSN).

References

  1. ↑ Belmonte, J. A., 2003. The Ramesside star clocks and the ancient Egyptian constellations. In M. Blomberg, P. E. Blomberg and G. Henriksson (Eds.), Calendars, Symbols, and Orientations: Legacies of Astronomy in Culture (pp. 57–65). Uppsala Astronomical Observatory report, 59. Uppsala Ocarina Books.
  2. ↑ Leitz, Ch., 1995. Altägyptische Sternuhren. OLA, 62. Leuven: Peeters.
  3. ↑ Hoffmann, S.M. (2022). Comparison of some General Concepts.,in Hoffmann and Wolfschmidt (eds.). Astronomy in Culture – Cultures of Astronomy, tredition Hamburg, 542-560
  4. ↑ Symons, Sarah (2007), A star's year: the annual cycle in the ancient egyptian sky, in J. M. Steele, ed., `Calendars and Years: Astronomy and Time in the Ancient World', Oxbow, Oxford (UK), pp. 1--33.
  5. ↑ Hartwig, Melinda. (2015). “Style.” In A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art, edited by Melinda Hartwig, pp. 39-59. Blackwell Companions to Art History Series. Boston & Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
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