Archaeologists engaged in restoration and re-coloring work at the Temple of Esna in Egypt have succeeded in uncovering a remarkable representation of celestial bodies together with all 12 signs of the zodiac.
Announcing the findings, Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the only previous publication on the temple of Esna, by French Egyptologist Serge Sonron, made no mention of these zodiac carvings, adding that this makes the discovery very significant.
According to Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities , the reliefs were discovered by a joint Egyptian-German team. The Egyptian Antiquities Recording Center and University of Tubingen mission includes restoration, recoloring, recording and documentation of the unique features found at the Temple of Esna.
The zodiac signs were discovered at the Temple of Khnun, or the Temple of Esna in Egypt. ( merlin74 / Adobe Stock)
Archaeologists Uncover the Zodiac at the Temple of Esna
The city of Esna was known as Senat in ancient Egypt and Latopolis in the Greek period. Esna lies on the west bank of the Nile River at a distance of 485 miles (780 km) from modern Cairo and 37 miles (60 km) south of Luxor. The temple complex was constructed during the Ptolemaic (Macedonian Greek dynasty) and Roman era. Although the foundations of the Esna temple were laid by King Thutmose III of the 18th dynasty, the temple was completed between 40 and 250 AD.
The temple was dedicated to the ancient Egyptian…
