The Egyptian petroglyph writes a new chapter in the history of the horoscope

At a rock art site on the west bank of the Nile, an important discovery was made: a petroglyph depicting the sign of the zodiac, a primitive image of a creature with the head of a goat and the body of a fish, identified as Capricorn, a mythological figure representing the titular constellation. Dr. Frederick Hardtke, who discovered the petroglyph, explained that it was found at el-Hosh, a site rich in petroglyphs and texts from eras including the Predynastic, Greco-Roman and Islamic periods. Zodiac symbols are completely anecdotal in Egyptian rock art, making this painting the only known example.

The discovery was published in The Journal of Egyptian Archeology.

“The petroglyph appears to depict the head of a mammal with two ears or horns placed on top and a small beard on the chin, to which is attached a scaly, fish-like body with a fan-shaped tail, from which branch one or possibly two short legs,” explains Hardtke, Australian archaeologists from Macquarie University.

Dr. Linda Evans notes that this image is unique in the iconography of pharaonic animals. “In an earlier article, we described it as a mythical animal, but after some digging I realized it resembled a goat, and I started researching its history and significance as a zodiac sign,” she said.

Another unusual chameleon-like figure was discovered next to the Capricorn petroglyph, making the panel puzzling. The similar style and close connection of the chameleon rock art near Capricorn means that both petroglyphs were probably made at the same time, probably by the same person.

The petroglyph is believed to have been created between the 1st century BC and the end of the 1st century AD, coinciding with the introduction of the Ibex to Egypt during the Greco-Roman period. The petroglyph was probably created before the 2nd century AD due to its depiction of a straight tail. The Roman variant of the Capricorn symbol with a looped tail became popular only in the early 2nd century AD

The first appearance of something resembling a Capricorn occurred in Mesopotamia around 2112 BC. The Sumerians and Akkadians adopted the form of a goat-fish to represent the god Enki, associated with the constellation Capricorn. According to Mesopotamia, their gods were manifestations of the stars and planets; this included Enki and Ea, who were manifestations of the constellation Capricorn. From Mesopotamia, zodiacs and their associations eventually spread to Greece in the 5th century BC, and from there to Rome in the 1st–2nd centuries AD

By at least 300 BC, zodiacs were known in Egypt, and the earliest depictions of them were found on zodiac ceilings in Ptolemaic temples, including the temples of Montu and Rattawy at Armant, where the zodiac signs were painted in the 1st century BC The introduction of the zodiac signs led to the widespread production of horoscopes during the period Greco-Roman in Egypt, with elite and non-elite Egyptians probably aware of the signs zodiac. The sudden interest in zodiac signs in Egypt was probably introduced by the Greeks or Romans, leading to the widespread production of horoscopes for both elite and non-elite Egyptians throughout the Greco-Roman period.

The rough appearance of the petroglyph suggests that it was probably drawn from memory, possibly inspired by the engraver’s exposure to the Capricorn symbol on temples, tombs, or coins. “We are certain that the petroglyph depicts Capricorn and that it was most likely created in the Greco-Roman period,” the scientists write. Given that desert dwellers use the stars to navigate at night, the petroglyph may have been created as a navigational tool for the el-Hosh region, possibly indicating certain constellations. The petroglyph may have been created as a result of the spread of zodiacs in Egypt, and the creator understood its meaning and wanted to transfer the same meaning to the rock.

Further evidence of the creation of the petroglyph in the Greco-Roman period are, although less numerous, examples of rock art using Greco-Roman motifs. “During this period we could find Greek inscriptions with names and dedications of gods, etc. Sometimes there are examples of figural representations of gods and animals along with texts,” Hardtke explained. “It should be noted that, overall, with the advent of writing, we have seen a gradual decline in both the frequency and pictorial quality of rock art in Egypt,” he added. This observation supports the idea that the primitive craftsmanship of the petroglyph reflects its temporal context.

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The discovery was reported by Phys.org, Gazeta.ru, Komsomolskaya Pravda and IFLScience, among others.

This article was written in cooperation with Alchemiq, a company dealing with generative artificial intelligence