The Lunar Mansions in Egypt

Author(s): Herbert Chatley

Source: Isis, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Apr., 1940), pp. 394-397
Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/225759 .
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The lunarmansionsin Egypt

It is well known to students of oriental astronomy that a system
of grouping the equinoctial-ecliptic stars into 28 sets was widely
used in Asia and can be traced in India and China well back
into the first millennium B.C. (Jyotisha Vedanga, Atharva Veda,
Taittiriya Brahmana, Hsia Hsiao Cheng, Chou Li, Huai Nan
Tzu). A similar system is found in Arabia, being mentioned
twice in the Kuran (7th century A.D.) and occurring in the old
Arabian poems some of which are pre-Koranic. These three
systems, although differing in detail, have so many points in
common that they must have had a common origin. Incidentally
the dates attached to the first two indicate some sort of
communication between India and China prior to the Han dynasty.
In the Bundahishn (3rd century A.D. ?) there is a Persian
list of similar divisions and in ALBIRUNI'S" Chronology of the
Ancient Nations " 03th century) there are Sogdian and Khwarasmian lists.
FRITZ HOMMEL(Deutsche Morgenland. Ges. Zeitschr., Vol. 45,
I89I, pp. 592-6I9) has made gallant efforts to connect the Arabic
names with those of certain Babylonian star lists. He has in
particular endeavoured to associate the mansions with the
24 extra-ecliptic stars referred to by DIODORUS SICULUS, but
his reasoning seems forced and unconvincing. DE SAUSSURE,BIOT,
and many others have discussed the
WEBER,WHITNEY,SEDILLOT
origin, diffusion and national priority of the mansions in great
detail but no final conclusion has been reached.
There is certainly no evidence that the Babylonians ever had
a system of dividing the planetary zone into 28 parts. Their
classification seems to have been definitely one of I2 or 36 parts,
possibly not greatly differing from the 36 Egyptian dekans, save
that in each group of three, the individuals were successively
above, on and below the equator (The three belts of Enlil, Anu
and Ea).

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THE LUNAR MANSIONS IN EGYPT

395

The Egyptian dekanal system of 36 stars (or star groups) goes

back at least to the tenth dynasty (say 2000 B.C.) and possibly
to the Pyramid era and persisted without important change until
the Roman period. It still survives in the zodiacal " faces
of the classical astrologers.
There is no record in the monuments of a system of 28 divisions
in Egypt, unless the tabulation of the dekans in 28 columns
(excluding Sothis) in the SENMUT ceiling and the Karnak clepsydra
(say I500 B.C.) is so regarded. As the ceilings of SETI I, RAMESES II
and RAMESES III show a smaller number of columns, probably
this has no significance and is merely a matter of artistic lay-out.
That other systems of star classification existed in Egypt is
shown by the star tables in the tombs of RAMESES VI and
RAMESES IX, but as far as can be seen these tables are either based
on a numeration of 30 or 36 stars or on no numerical grouping at all.
Nevertheless we find in ATHANASiJus KIRCHER's works (Oedipus
Aegyptiacus, i652, and Lingua Aegyptiaca Restituta, I644) a list
of the twenty-eight mansions and their Coptic names. -He was
well aware that Arabian and Indian lists also existed but asserts
" Est autem Aegyptiorum
the Egyptian origin of the scheme:
figmentum, qui Lunae cursum 28 dierum numero definientes,
eidem singulo die naturali unam stationem, una cum Genio eius
stationis veluti administro, quodem et conservatore assignabant"
(Oedipus Aegyptiacus, Vol. 2, Pt. II, p. 24I-7).
It is of course well known that KIRCHER was a most imaginative
man and that little reliance can be placed on many of his statements.
POGo has pointed out however his acute identification of fragments
of clepsydrae and it is a fact that he gives a full list of the Coptic
names of the mansions which can scarcely be fictitious.
Unfortunately his sources are only indicated by a list of authors
consulted and the probable conclusion to be drawn is that he borrowed the names from an Arabic writer. It is to be presumed that
the latter asserted (or, at least, did not deny) the Coptic priority.
The Coptic names agree in several instances with the Arabic
ones, so that one of the two is perhaps a translation, but which
of the two remains to be considered. KIRCHER also gives (Lingua
Aegyptiaca Restituta, p. 52) the Coptic names of the signs of
the Zodiac. These are in corrupt Greek, resembling those in the
Bundahishn, except two variants which appear to be Egyptian.
7

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396

H. CHATLEY

They are " Thoume " for Virgo, and " Phritithi " for Aquarius.
The first is obviously the Egyptian dekanal name " Temut,"
of which HEPHAISTION's Greek form was " Tom," agreeing with
the constellation Virgo. The second resembles the name of one
of the mansions near to Libra, but cannot be the same.
In the attached table the names of the mansions as stated by
KIRCHER are given, together with their Arabic equivalents (some
of which he also gives), the meanings of the latter and the probable
interpretations of some of the Coptic names.
COPTIC

LIST
OF
(" NIMONE

LUNAR
MANSIONS
(" MANAZIL
") & ARABIC

ARABIC

COPTIC

MEANING OF
ARABIC

")

NOTES RE
COPTIC NAMES

The Two Signs

Little Paunch
Pleiades
Hyades

" Pi," Egyptn article

Gr. koilia, belly.

Lion's Paw
Nostrils
Eye
Forehead
Mane
Weathercock
Barkers
Prominent
Cover
Princers
Crown

Ed. PI-MEH the cubir

PI-KUTORION

SHARATAN

KOLI6N
ORIAS
PI-ORION
KLUSOS
KLARIA
PI-MAHI
TERMELIA
PI-AUTOS
TITEHNI
PI-KH6RION
ASPHULIA
ABUKIA
KH6RITOS
KHAMBALIA
PRITITHI
STEPHANI

BUTAIN
THURAIYA
DABARAN
HAK'A
HAN'A
DHIRA'
NATHRA
TARF
DJABBHA
ZUBRA
SURFA
SAWWA'
SIMAK
GHAFR
ZUBANA
IKLIL

KHARTHIAN

KALB

Heart

AGGIA
NIMAMREH
POLIS
UPEU Tts
UPEU RITOS
NU

SHAWLA
NA'A'IM
BULDA
SA'D AL DHABIH
SA'D BULA'

UPEU INEUTES
UPEU THERIAN
ARTULOS
ARTULOSIA
KUT6N

SA'D AL SU'UD
SA'D AL AKHBIYA
FARGH AL AWWAL
FARGH AL THANI
BATN AL HUT

Tail
Ostriches
Town
Luck of slayer
Luck of
devourer
Luck of lucks.
Luck of tents.
Fore socket
Back socket
Fish Belly

Eg. TA -TEHEN,the forehead

Gr. Khorion, skin?
Gr. Asphaleia, security?

Gr. Kamara, cover.

Gr. Stephane,
crown.
Scorpio
Gr. Kardia,
4
heart.
Gr. Alkaia, tail.
Gr. Polis, town.
Note, "Upeu"
corresponds
crSapd

Gr. Arthron,
Gr. Kutos,

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to
t

socket

Body, belly

THE LUNAR MANSIONS IN EGYPT

397

The simplest hypothesis is that the Coptic names are just

translations from the Arabic, but it is minutely possible that
they are based on an Egyptian tradition. Alternatively the Copts
may have obtained them from the Persians at an earlier date
than that of MUHAMMAD. SHAHPUR I in the 3rd century caused
Hindu and Greek notions to be incorporated in the Zoroastrian
literature (WEST in S. B. E., Vol. 4, p. XLVI) and it is probable
that it was at this date that the mansions were borrowed from
India and s6 appear in the Bundahishn, together with the Greek
signs of the zodiac. The Persians controlled Egypt for a short
period in the 7th century A.D. just prior to the Mohammedan
conquest, and the mansions may have entered Egypt then, but
this seems rather late.
Presumably, but not certainly, KIRCHER'S authority for the
Egyptian origin of the mansions comes from an Arabic source.
Is there any trace in surviving Arabic writings of this opinion ?
Unfortunately the Persian names of the mansions are untranslatable, with perhaps the exception of " Gau," the Bull,
which appears to be identical with the Chinese " Niu," also
the Bull.
There is no clear connection between the Coptic names and
the Egyptian dekans, unless perhaps " Kharthian," the Heart,
can be identified with HER-AB-UA, The Heart of the Ship,
Dekan No. I5 in the older lists. The Chinese mansion is also
called " Heart."
" Kuton " may be equivalent to KHAT-NUT, the Belly of
Heaven, a very important star group near the dekan KHENTKHERT (No. 27) located near to the constellation Aries. This
is the first in KIRCHER'S list but last in the usual Arabic lists.
The Arabic name of this mansion is " The Belly of the Fish,"
which also suggests some association with the Egyptian constellation.
As a matter of speculation it may be suggested as quite possible
that the Egyptians observed the course of the moon amongst
the dekanal stars and so arrived at a twenty seven or twenty
eight day grouping, but as yet there is no evidence of this.
London.

HERBERT CHATLEY.

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