During a routine restoration of the portico at the Temple of Thoth in Hermopolis Magna, epigraphists have discovered unrecorded inscriptions dating back to the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. These texts provide a detailed technical manual for the astronomical calibration of the temple’s gateway, specifically regarding the heliacal rising of the star Sothis. The inscriptions clarify how ancient priests adjusted the temple’s solar apertures to maintain chronological accuracy over centuries.
The find is being hailed as a 'Rosetta Stone' for ancient Egyptian archaeoastronomy. Along with the texts, several bronze astronomical instruments were found in a nearby ritual deposit, offering a rare physical look at the tools described in the inscriptions. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has announced that these artifacts will be showcased in the Grand Egyptian Museum later this year.