Contexts and elements of decanal star lists in ancient Egypt

Lists of star names (“decan lists”) have been preserved in several distinct contexts in Egypt from the First Intermediate Period (around 2200 BC) to the second century AD. This chapter looks at both the content and the context of these texts and how each evolved, adapting to different locations and purposes, and accreting new elements. Hypotheses of why and when changes occurred, the function of star lists in funerary decoration, the relationship of the lists to the reality of the star sky, and the possible observational motives for development are discussed. Sources include diagonal star tables, star lists within and accompanying astronomical ceilings and zodiacs, and texts such as the Fundamentals of the Course of the Stars (Book of Nut) and the Naos of the Decades which also describe decanal stars.