CAIRO, EGYPT—According to an Ahram Online report, an astronomical observatory dated to the sixth century B.C. has been unearthed at the Tel El-Faraeen archaeological site in the Nile Delta of lower Egypt by a team of Egyptian archaeologists. Mohamed Ismail Khaled of the Supreme Council of Antiquities said that the large mudbrick building featured an L-shaped central hall, several storage rooms, and a slanted stone sundial. A surveying and timekeeping tool known as a merkhet, pottery, religious items, and a statue dated to the 26th Dynasty (664–526 B.C.) were also recovered. “[The discovery] highlights the advanced astronomical knowledge of the ancient Egyptians, including their ability to determine the solar calendar and significant religious and agricultural dates,” Khaled explained. To read about a painted astronomical ceiling in the Temple of Esna, go to "Ancient Egyptian Astrology."
