Sceau-cylindre de Mésopotamie (env. 3500 av J.C.)

Sceau-cylindre de jaspe et son impression : lions au cou serpentiforme et aigles à tête de lion – Mésopotamie, Période Uruk (4100 AC–3000 AC)

deux cornes, une balance… Amiens (Notre-Dame)

le Zodiaque de Notre-Dame d’Amiens

Le Zodiaque d’Amiens

ou “Calendrier picard”, qui figure sur le portail gauche

de la façade de la Cathédrale Notre-Dame.

(photographies de Vassil – Ces images proviennent de Wikimedia Commons

D’avantage d’infos ici : Zodiaque de la Cathédrale d’Amiens sur Wikipedia )

Cliquez sur les miniatures pour les voir en (très) grand.

Une Corne (Vénus de Laussel, env. -25.000 ans)

Zodiaque rectangulaire de Denderah

Cliquez sur les images miniatures des côtés Est et Ouest pour les agrandir… beaucoup ! (Très grandes images)

Disposition originale – l’Est est en haut, l’Ouest en bas, et le Nord à droite (… c’est un plafond ! ) :

Sceau afghan (XIIème siècle)

Sceau afghan du XIIème Siècle (1,85 cm diamètre !) - copyright Trustees of the British Museum

Sarcophage égyptien

Soter sarcophage (env. 150 après J.-C.) - Copyright Trustees of the British Museum

Lid of the coffin of Soter

Height: 213.000 cm

EA 6705

Room 62-3: Egyptian mummies

Lid of the coffin of Soter

From Qurna, Thebes, Egypt
Roman Period, early 2nd century AD

Archon of Thebes

In January 1820 a tomb was found in the Theban necropolis belonging to members of the family of Soter; the coffins and mummies are now in various European museums. The site of their discovery was never recorded, but has been plausibly identified as Theban tomb No. 32, originally of the reign of Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC).

The coffins are all rectangular in form, comprising a baseboard and a cover with a vaulted top (representing the canopy of heaven) and four corner-posts.

The inscriptions are in hieroglyphic and Greek. The Greek inscriptions provide genealogical information about the occupants, sometimes including exact ages and dates of birth and death. Several of these events are dated to specific years of the reigns of the Roman emperors Trajan (reigned AD 87-117), Hadrian (reigned AD 117-138) and Antoninus Pius (reigned AD 138-161).

The exterior decoration of the coffin is taken from the traditional Egyptian repertoire. Inside is a large figure of the sky-goddess Nut, as if stretched above the mummy. Twelve female figures at each side personify the hours of day and night, and the morning and evening suns in barques flank the goddess’ head. At the sides of Nut’s body are painted the signs of the zodiac, Leo to Capricorn on the left, and Aquarius to Cancer on the right.

S. Walker and M. Bierbrier, Ancient faces: mummy portrai-1 (London, The British Museum Press, 1997)

Zodiaque rectangulaire de Denderah (tracé des symboles)

Dessin des figures du plafond du temple de Denderah (2ème pièce)

Zodiac Man – 1399

extrait d'un "Physician's folding calander" (I399) conservé à la British Library

Zodiaque XVIème Siècle

Zodiaque du XVIème siècle (on note les parentés avec le Tarot)