Interview about ancient Egyptian Milky Way for EarthSky.org

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Dr Or Graur reexamined ancient Egyptian beliefs about the night sky, and explored whether the goddess Nut—depicted arching across the heavens—was inspired by the Milky Way, known to the Egyptians as the "Watery Ways." 

Period16 May 2025

Media contributions

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Media contributions

  • TitleThe Watery Ways: Exploring Ancient Egypt's Lost Cosmology
    Degree of recognitionInternational
    Media name/outletEarthSky
    Media typeWeb
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    Date16/05/25
    DescriptionAncient Egyptians worshipped the night sky as a goddess. The goddess Nut’s body arched across the heavens in their art. She guided the sun and the spirits of the dead into the twilight. But was Nut also the starry ribbon of our galaxy -- Egyptians called it the Watery Ways -- as seen by her long-dead followers? New interdisciplinary research from astrophysicist Or Graur of the University of Portsmouth takes a new look at the ancient evidence.
    URLhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6AgWE2Xc6I
    PersonsOr Graur
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