Merkhet
Ancient Egyptian timekeeping and surveying instrument using star alignment.
The merkhet, whose name means 'instrument of knowing', was an ancient Egyptian device used for surveying and timekeeping. It consisted of a bar with a plumb line attached to a wooden handle and was employed to track the alignment of specific stars called decans or baktiu. These stars allowed the measurement of time during the night, as sundials were ineffective in darkness.
Quick Facts
- Material
- wood or bone
- Associated tool
- bay
- Surviving example date
- 600 BC
- Surviving example location
- Science Museum in London
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- A surviving merkhet in the Science Museum in London dates to 600 BC.
- That merkhet belonged to the son of a priest from a temple dedicated to Horus near Edfu in Upper Egypt.
Design
The merkhet was built with a horizontal bar, typically carved from wood or bone, and a plumb line suspended from a transverse hole at one raised end of the bar, which was attached to a controlling wooden handle. It was used together with a sighting tool called a bay, made from a specially cut palm-rib with a sliced V shape at one end. This pair of instruments could also determine north. The Egyptians observed the meridian line to track celestial movement; time was measured by watching particular stars cross the meridian and align with two merkhets, one of which pointed to Polaris. The names of the stars used for this purpose are not known.
More in Culture of Ancient Egypt
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