resent Orion’s Belt, which also held
an important place within ancient
Egyptian astronomy. Wendorf and
Schild (2004) point out another
intriguing feature:
pyramid at Saqqara was constructed, indicating that there was a preexisting cultural base, which may
have originated in the desert of
Upper Egypt. An exodus from the
Nubian desert at 5000 years ago
could have precipitated the development of social differentiation in
pre-dynastic cultures through the
arrival in the Nile valley of nomadic
groups who were better organized
and possessed a more complex cosmology.” (Malville, Wendorf, Mazar
& Schild, 1998)
“Perhaps the most convincing tie
between the myths and religion of
Ancient Egypt and the Cattle Herders
of the South Western Desert are the
groups of Nabta Basin stelae. The
stelae here face the circumpolar
region of the heavens. According to
The Big Dipper
According to Schild and Wendorf,
there is enough evidence to suggest that at least some of the roots
of ancient Egyptian beliefs, magic,
and religion, originated with the
people of Nabta Playa. For example, some of the stalae at Nabta
Playa are aligned with the brightest
star of the pattern of seven stars
known as the Big Dipper, which
forms part of the Ursa Major constellation. Records indicate that
this star was also very important in ancient Egyptian cosmology. Furthermore, the row of three
megaliths within the calendar circle
of Nabta Playa are believed to rep13