Black Genesis: The Prehistoric Origins of Ancient Egypt

Stele inscriptions, King Djoser (2650 BCE) is informed that “there is a town in the midst of the deep surrounded by
Hapy [the Nile], Yebu by name [Elephantine]; It is first [town] of the first nome to Wawat [Nubia], [it is known as]
‘Earthly Elevation,’ ‘Celestial Hill,’ and ‘Seat of Re’ when he prepares to give life to every face. Its temple’s name is
‘Joy-of-life.’ ‘Twin Caverns’ is the water’s name, they are the breasts that nourish all. It is the house of sleep of Hapy. He
grows young in it in [his time]. [It is the place whence] he brings the flood . . .” 31
The author of the texts was the high official of the region, Mater. He duly informs King Djoser that the ideal flood is
when the water level reaches “twenty-eight cubits high at Elephantine [and that] he [the Nile] passes [the town of] Semabehdet
at seven [cubits].” 32 The name Semabehdet is that of the Seventeenth Nome of Lower Egypt, which borders the
coastline of the Mediterranean, some 920 kilometers (572 miles) downstream from Elephantine as the crow flies. Today
it is called Tell Balamun. The difference in the level of the Nile between Elephantine and Tell Balamun is about 85
meters (279 feet). This provides the natural fall from south to north, allowing the river to flow northward at about 16
knots. 33 A sudden rise of 28 cubits, nearly 14 meters (46 feet), at Elephantine would bring about a rush of water, causing
the banks to overflow and the water to flood the adjacent land. Even so, the flooding of the land could be somewhat
controlled—but any higher water levels would cause overflooding and untold structural damage to the land and crops.
Any flooding lower than necessary would cause a drought that could lead to food shortage and, eventually, famine. It was
thus crucial that some sort of early warning system be installed, hence the nilometer.
Although the nilometer at Elephantine was far from being the refined hydraulic instrument that we would use today,
it gave a good indication of what type of flood to expect. Part of the early warning system came from the stars. Around
early June, as the sun approached its most northerly rising at the summer solstice, the constellation of Orion appeared
again at dawn in the east, followed by Sirius. At this time of year, the nilometer was watched with great care. No wonder,
then, that the temple of Satis, divine protector of the Nile and the flood, from where officials monitored the rising of
Orion and Sirius, was located only a short distance away from the nilometer of Elephantine. Intriguingly, Ron Wells
showed that the ancient designers of the temple seemed to have demarcated the two extreme variations of the Big Dipper
constellation as it revolved around the north celestial pole. We can recall how the stars of this particular constellation, as
well as those of Orion and Sirius, were specifically used by the star people of Nabta Playa. Yet can such astronomical
similarities be regarded as evidence of a progressive cultural link between Elephantine and Nabta Playa?
A new trend in archaeology and cultural anthropology is open to what has been loosely termed nontangible
evidence, which, as its name implies, cannot be physically evaluated—it does not, for instance, include artifacts.
Nonetheless, conclusions are valid because they can be reasoned to be so—there is a sort of silent eyewitness account
from the past. Astronomical evidence is nontangible regarding understanding ancient cultures, especially in the case of
ancient Egypt. It has been known for some time that the ancient Egyptians performed a very important ritual for aligning
their religious monuments toward the sun and stars. From earliest times, they performed a ceremony called stretching the
cord to align royal pyramids and temples. This ceremony, which we have seen in chapter 4, required the participation of
the pharaoh and a priestess, who assumed the role of a deity called Seshat.
The goddess Seshat was unique among all the other goddesses of ancient Egypt in that she was said to be supremely
proficient in the sacred sciences, particular astronomy and sacred architecture. Depicted as a slender woman, Seshat was
especially venerated by scribes, for she was also the patroness of the sacred hieroglyph writing and keeper of the royal
annals. 34 Her companion-husband was Thoth, the god of wisdom and astronomy, and she often appears next to him on
temple reliefs. Such a prestigious union gave Seshat enormous status and respect. Nonetheless, her most important role
was participating with the kings in the stretching the cord ceremony to establish the four corners of temples and pyramids
and to align them toward specific stars, usually the Big Dipper. In this capacity, Seshat is always shown in a leopard-skin
dress with spots that are sometimes shown as stars, which is apparently symbolic of her ability to see in the dark, like the
leopard. 35 On her head, Seshat is depicted wearing a golden tiara with a seven-pointed star or rosette. Her many epithets
included Foremost in the Library, Mistress of Writing in the House of Life, Keeper of the Royal Annals, and Lady of the
Stars. 36 The French scholar Anne-Sophie Bomhard, an expert on the ancient Egyptian calendar, writes, “The recognition
of the annual cycle and its definition, the linking of celestial phenomena to terrestrial happenings, are essential
preliminaries to establishing any kind of calendar. This enterprise requires long prior observations of the sky and the
stars, as well as the recording, in writing, of these observations, in order to verify them over long periods of time. It is
quite natural, therefore, that the divine tutors of Time and Calendar should be Thoth, God of Science, and Seshat,
Goddess of Writings and Annals.” 37