New research at the Temple of Satet on Elephantine Island has revealed a sophisticated architectural alignment designed to capture the first light of the star Sirius. This astronomical event signaled the 'Heliacal Rising' and the start of Wepet Renpet, the Ancient Egyptian New Year, which coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile. The alignment directed a beam of light into the innermost sanctuary exactly once a year.
Archaeologists also discovered a series of small, ivory-carved gazelles and floral offerings at the base of the alignment pillar. These artifacts suggest that the New Year festival was a time of intense personal devotion, where the local population celebrated the return of the life-giving waters through music and the presentation of symbolic animals associated with the goddess Satet.