The Zodiac

The ancient Egyptians had knowledge of the twelve signs of the Zodiac. However, the Egyptians did not invent the twelve classic signs. These were created by the Babylonians and the Egyptians learned of them from the Greeks during the Ptolemiac period.

The Egyptian zodiac recognized many of the same basic constellations, but they were imagined to be in different shapes than the ones common today. For instance, the "Big Dipper" was seen as the foreleg of an ox.

Below are the Egyptian images of the twelve classic signs of the Zodiac as they appeared in the second room of the temple roof at Dendera.

Aries
Aries
Taurus
Taurus
Gemini
Gemini
Cancer
Cancer
Leo
Leo
Aquarius
Aquarius
Virgo
Virgo
Libra
Libra
Scorpio
Scopio
Sagittarius
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Capricorn
Pisces
Pisces

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