The Great Pyramid of Giza

[SHaYap]

1 hour ago, Windowpane said:

 

But what reflecting pools were there at Giza?

 

Why only Giza? 

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Occasionally, the sun god is depicted as a sun arising from the pool symbol. Egyptian pharaohs had decreed that objects in paintings and the like should be instantly recognizable to the viewer. Hence, reflecting pools were shown from a bird's-eye view, even if the rest of the image was shown from the side.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org › wiki

Egyptian pool - Wikipedia

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[Wepwawet]

28 minutes ago, third_eye said:

Why only Giza? 

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For the sake of nerdiness, the pool, lake is better, in Egypt is not strightforward and can be two very different things at the same time depending on perspective. Usually it is a lake of water, but the same lake can simultaneously be a lake of fire in the Duat. At Edfu the sacred lake was also used to stage religious plays, and the harpooning of Set as a hippo, by Horus, was re-enacted.

[SHaYap]

1 hour ago, Wepwawet said:

For the sake of nerdiness, the pool, lake is better, in Egypt is not strightforward and can be two very different things at the same time depending on perspective. Usually it is a lake of water, but the same lake can simultaneously be a lake of fire in the Duat. At Edfu the sacred lake was also used to stage religious plays, and the harpooning of Set as a hippo, by Horus, was re-enacted.

I was thinking maybe those temple complexes with specific pools of standing water, like... 

Quote

The Osirion or Osireon is an ancient Egyptian temple. It is located at Abydos, to the rear of the temple of Seti I.

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osireion

?

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[Wepwawet]

53 minutes ago, third_eye said:

I was thinking maybe those temple complexes with specific pools of standing water, like... 

?

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I think the term "lake" can cause an issue in perception of size, it's the term I prefer though. What we have is a number of water features serving different purposes. At Abydos we have a representation of the waters of Nun, which would not have been suitable for stargazing. Then we have something more like a lake at Karnak. This is the place where the barques carrying the king and the images of the gods would depart from and return to. At Edfu we have a third type which is probably the closest to a potential "stargazing pool". This is in the outer courtyard and is a rectangular pool primarily used for bathing by the priests in their purity rituals, and occasionaly for religious shows as mentioned. All temples would have this as purity was of extreme importance. They had "Cleanliness is next to godliness" long before the Victorians.

Edited July 27, 2020 by Wepwawet

[SHaYap]

3 minutes ago, Wepwawet said:

I think the term "lake" can cause an issue in perception of size, it's the term I prefer though

How big does a pool have to be to be a lake though, anyways, a lake kinda defeats the purpose for reflecting the night sky. 

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[Wepwawet]

34 minutes ago, third_eye said:

How big does a pool have to be to be a lake though, anyways, a lake kinda defeats the purpose for reflecting the night sky. 

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The lake at Edfu is about 30X40m. It's equivalent at Karnak, ie the lake within the temple precinct used for purity ritual, is about 70X200m. The other sacred lake is far bigger and joins to the Nile. Today it is hidden under silt and modern development. "Sacred Lake" is the term that is universally used to describe these features. "Pool" just doesn't have the same gravitas.

This page shows a reconstruction of Karnak so it is easier to see what I am on about. The dimensions given are different to mine, which I took from [faulty] memory.

Reconstruction of Karnak

Edited July 27, 2020 by Wepwawet

[SHaYap]

20 minutes ago, Wepwawet said:

This page shows a reconstruction of Karnak so it is easier to see what I am on about. The dimensions given are different to mine, which I took from [faulty] memory.

As a reflecting pool, that's too big to serve any purpose except, like you mentioned, for rituals and ceremonial processions.

From what I've been told, In old Chinese temples, the 'tien' prophesying pools are small and is scattered around at different strategic spots to reflect different views of the night sky, designated to different deities. It's just lunar markers on the calendar marking the turning of the seasons. 

It's mainly the really old temples though, from before the industrial revolution at least, and survived unmolested without modern "refurbishing" or renovations. 

Even fewer people knows what the pools are about to tell the truth. 

Meh...

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[Harte]

Just a little breeze and your stargazing is shot.

I think they looked up.

Harte