BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:The Milky Way and the Ancient Egyptian Goddess of the Sky - Or Gra
 ur\, Associate Professor of Astrophysics\, University of Portsmouth Instit
 ute of Cosmology &amp\; Gravitation
DTSTART:20250506T103000Z
DTEND:20250506T113000Z
UID:TALK228793@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:88984
DESCRIPTION:The ancient Egyptians left us some of the earliest records of 
 the night sky\, where they noted the Sun\, Moon\, planets\, and several co
 nstellations. Many of these objects are associated with - or personified b
 y - certain gods (such as Re and the Sun). Yet how the Egyptians conceptua
 lized the Milky Way remains unclear. In my talk\, I will focus on the popu
 lar suggestion that the Milky Way was a manifestation of Nut\, the Egyptia
 n goddess of the sky. I have tested this theory by combining astronomical 
 simulations of the Egyptian night sky\, readings of ancient Egyptian relig
 ious texts (the Pyramid Texts\, Coffin Texts\, and the Book of Nut)\, anci
 ent Egyptian material culture (coffins\, funerary papyri\, and tomb murals
 )\, and anthropological studies of Milky Way creation stories from around 
 the world. I will show how Nut's depictions changed over the course of Egy
 ptian history and present the first visual evidence for the Milky Way in a
 ncient Egyptian art. I will conclude by arguing that the Milky Way was not
  a manifestation of Nut but one more astronomical phenomenon that graced h
 er body in her role as the goddess of the sky.\n\nOr Graur is an associate
  professor of astrophysics at the University of Portsmouth's Institute of 
 Cosmology and Gravitation. Alongside his observational studies of supernov
 ae and tidal disruption events\, Or studies the multicultural mythology of
  the Milky Way. In this talk\, he will present the results of three papers
  he has written on the subject of the ancient Egyptian Milky Way.\n\nIf yo
 u have a question about this talk please contact: or.graur@port.ac.uk 
LOCATION:Hoyle Lecture Theatre\, IoA 
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR