According to a new study by British astronomer Or Graur, images found in ancient Egyptian tombs suggest that the sky goddess Nut may have been a veiled representation of the Milky Way.
Nut is the ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky, who swallowed the stars and the Moon each day, only to give birth to them again (symbolizing the cycle of day and night). She was associated with the cult of the dead, lifting them to the heavens and guarding them in their tombs. It’s no coincidence that her images adorned sarcophagi and the walls of tombs.
What Did the Scientists Report?
Or Graur’s team, an associate professor in the astrophysics department at the University of Portsmouth, examined 125 depictions of the goddess Nut in sarcophagi and tombs, some dating back as far as 5,000 years. Some of these images were remarkable in their detail, Graur reported. In many of them, the goddess is portrayed naked and arched over the sky, sometimes with stars and solar disks above her body. These illustrations provided scientists with intriguing material for new discoveries, as reported by Live Science. A key finding is that the ancient Egyptians identified the goddess Nut with the Milky Way.
For instance, on the outer part of the sarcophagus of the singer Nesitaudjathet (11th century BCE), there is an image of Nut lying down. A “thick, wavy black line” bisects her body into two halves. According to the researcher, this wavy line should be understood as the Milky Way, with the Great Rift—a dark band of dust that crosses our galaxy.
Graur noted that such depictions of Nut with a wavy line adorn at least four tombs in the Valley of the Kings. For example, on the ceiling of the tomb of Ramses VI (who ruled from around 1143 to 1136 BCE), there are two images of Nut “separated by thick, golden wavy lines that extend from Nut’s head and stretch over her back,” Graur said.
The fact that Nut is depicted with such lines in some images suggests a close connection to the Milky Way, according to the study’s lead researcher.
Rogério Sousa, a professor of Egyptology and ancient history at the University of Lisbon (Portugal), commented on the study: “I can say that I agree with the identification of Nut and the Milky Way proposed by Or.”
The results of the study were published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage.