Ancient Egypt

Astronomy has a key role in understanding ancient Egyptian religion and architecture. Indeed a fundamental duty that the Pharaohs assigned to themselves was of keepers of the cosmic order, called Maat by the Egyptians. The ideology associated with kingship thus designated the king as intermediary between gods and humanity, and—as a consequence—the doctrine of power in Egypt was deeply connected with the celestial cycles. In the Old Kingdom, this is reflected in the Pyramids of Giza, as well as in the pyramids and sun temples of the 5th dynasty at Abusir. Both these pyramid fields are thus described in full details. In the New Kingdom, the main role of architectural witness of power is taken by the great temples, such as Karnak and Abu Simbel. The archaeoastronomy of the capital of the “heretic” pharaoh Akhenaten is also discussed.