Astronomy was significant to the Egyptians because they had a strong belief that their Gods resided in stars. The constellation now known as Orion represented their God of the Dead, Osiris; Sirius represented Osiris� sister, Isis; and the constellation Hyades (also the head of modern Taurus the Bull) represented Osiris� brother, Soth (Seth).

"The Dog Star was identified with Sirius; Orion was identified with Osiris. . . . It is not surprising to find an identification of Osiris with Orion . . .[for] one of the central themes of the Pyramid Texts was the complete identification of the dead king with Osiris . . ."

"Behold he has come as Orion, behold Osiris has come as Orion . . . O king, the sky conceives you with Orion, the dawn-light bears you with Orion . . . you will regularly ascend with Orion from the eastern region of the sky . . . your third is Sothis (sirius) . . .[PT 820-2]"

These quotes show how the Egyptians believed that different stars and constellations represented their Gods. In order to worship their Gods they worshipped the stars. They studied the stars in order to study their Gods. The high priests of Egypt were also the best astronomers in the world, although the specifics of their knowledge are not known due to their intense secrecy. Herodotus, a Greek historian, wrote, "The Egyptians, they said, were the first to discover the solar year and to portion out its course into twelve parts. They obtained this knowledge from the stars." If their high priests were the best astronomers in the world, then their whole religion and culture revolved around astronomy.

Egyptian religion was based on astronomy and their culture was based on religion. Their culture directly reflects this in that they believed that their king, or pharaoh, was the son of Osiris who was represented by the constellation Orion. The divine myth of Osiris was very important to the Egyptians. The Main points of the myth are that Osiris died, was mummified, was reborn, and gave his seed to Isis to give birth to Horus. The culture of the Egyptians closely reflected this story. They believed that pharaohs, like Osiris, had to be mummified in order to ascend to the heavens to go to the Duat, or afterworld. The pyramid texts speak of this relationship between the stars and the pharaoh. These texts are a series of writings found on the walls and ceilings in some of the fifth and sixth dynasty pyramids (no writings were ever found in the fourth dynasty pyramids) and constitute the oldest religious writings in the world. They show that the king is a star and that he navigates the duat, along with Osiris, or Orion.

"O king, you are this Great Star, the companion of Orion, who traverses the sky with Orion, who Navigates the (Duat) Netherworld with Osiris; you ascend from the east of the sky, being renewed in your due season, and rejuvenated in your due time. The sky has born you with Orion. . . .[PT 882-2]"

". . . The king, a Star brilliant and far-travelling . . . the king appears as a Star . . .� [PT 262]"

"�May you ascend to the sky, may the sky give birth to you like Orion . . .� [PT 2116]

�Live and be young beside your father (Osiris), beside Orion in the sky . . .� [PT 2180]"

This says that when a king dies he goes to the stars. This was very important to the Egyptians. Because of this strong astronomical belief they slaved in the construction of the pyramids for more than ten dynasties.

The pyramids of Egypt are considered by many to be monuments to astronomy and the power of the pharaohs. Robert Bauval, who grew up in Egypt and studied the Great Pyramids for over ten years, believes the architecture is made specifically to allow the pharaoh to ascend to the heavens as told in the pyramid texts. There are four shafts in the Great Pyramid (Khufu) which are called �air shafts�, but whose real purpose is yet unknown. Using the data collected from Gantenbrink�s UPUAUT 2, a robot that climbed up the shafts, and a computer program, Bauval found crucial data. At the time of construction, estimated at 2450 BC, the four �air shafts�, king�s northern and southern and the queen�s northern and southern, are aimed at the stars Sirius, Zeta Orionis, Alpha Draconis and Beta Kochab. When the pharaoh died he was mummified and taken to the pyramid. In the queen�s chamber the opening of the mouth ceremony was performed by the pharaoh�s son and three high priests, facing the shaft that points to Sirius. Egyptians believed this allowed the pharaoh�s seed to go to the womb of Isis to give birth to a new Horus-king. The pharaoh was then taken to the king�s chamber where he faced the shaft pointing to Zeta Orionis, one of the three stars that are Orion�s belt, where the pharaoh went to the afterworld of Osiris to reside with him forever.

This theory suggests a connection between the Egyptians� religious beliefs, astronomy, and culture. It seems to fit all of the calculations found and gives a detailed purpose for the Great Pyramids. Dr. Edwards, former Keeper of Egyptian Antiquities of the British Museum and Vice-President of the Egyptian Exploration Society, fully agrees with Bauval and supports his findings. The current Keeper however, does not agree with Bauval. Since there are no hieroglyphics or pictures inside any of the Great Pyramids, this is still just a theory. Also, there were never any bodies found in the Great Pyramids to suggest that they were tombs. There have been pictures describing things such as the opening of the mouth ceremony found in other tombs to support the theory.

Astronomy was the central part of the Ancient Egyptians. Their culture, buildings and traditions all revolved around stars and astronomy. Their high priests were considered the best astronomers in the world. The divine myth of Osiris and the Horus-King cycle had a common basis in astronomy. They constructed huge buildings according to astronomical calculations. The Egyptian culture as a whole revolved around astronomy.