Horus, the sky deity, god of kingship, and one of the primary deities attested at Giza, not only had an important solar aspect to his multi-faceted celestial persona, but also a stellar aspect.

Some examples of Early Dynastic seal impressions: 'Horus, star of the corporation' (Hrw-sbA-ht), Anedjib, Dyn 1; 'Horus risen as a star' (Hrw-h-sbA), Hetepsekhemwy, Dyn 2; 'Horus, the star of souls' (Hrw-sbA-bAw), Khasekhmwy, Dyn 2; 'Horus, the foremost star of the sky' (Hrw-sbA-hnti-pt), Netjerkhet, Dyn 3.

In each case the star sign N14 is used, the same N14 sign used for 'Nebka is a Star'.

In the Pyramid Texts, Horus was referred to as 'Horus of the Duat' who was also the 'Morning God / Star' the divine falcon. The 'Morning God' was a star: ".....as you go forth from here as a star, as the Morning God / Star."


The importance of stars in the afterlife beliefs of the ancient Egyptians is evident from as far back as the pre / early dynastic period:

"As far as the afterlife was concerned, the loftiness of the pyramid hints at its celestial dimension. The Pyramid Texts refer to a journey in the company of the sun and stars.

In particular, the king was believed to join the circumpolar stars which surround the Pole Star....

A picture of a boat pecked into the northern rock face of the Wadi Abu Mu'awwad in the eastern desert has a star some distance above the prow.

"The technique and patination of the star and boat are identical, suggesting that both were made at the same time, as part of the same composition. It looks very much as if the boat is following the star. At another site in the eastern desert on the northern side of the Wadi Hammamat the largest and most impressive boat has a star above the prow of the boat. "Here, and in the Wadi Abu Mu'awwad, there seems to have been no doubt in the minds of the ancient artists that the afterlife journey would be guided by a star. Whether or not the stars were also believed to be the boat's ultimate destination, we can only guess; but its a tempting possibility." (T. Wilkinson, 2003: 158)


A pre / early dynastic knife handle (Metropolitan Museum 26.241.1), also shows a star above a boat carrying the king, and, a Predynastic palette from Girza "shows a celestial cow goddess, her head surrounded by stars. This object indicates that the worship of a female protective deity with astral connotations, perhaps already identified as Bat, was a feature of Egyptian religion from at least the middle of the forth millennium BC (Hornung 1983: 103)" (T. Wilkinson 2001: 282)

A row of stars was used in a relief from a Dyn 2 temple dedicated to Hathor (lit. 'House / Enclosure of Horus') The lower part shows a boat, and the upper part shows the king taking part in the foundation ceremony.


Stars covered the upper and lower surfaces of the first burial chamber's ceiling of Netjerikhet's 'South' or 'Ka' tomb, and according to Lauer, the ceiling of the main chamber under Netjerkhet's main pyramid, was originally covered with stars.


A band of five-pointed stars was carved above the openings to each naos containing a statue of Snefru in the Valley Temple of his southern pyramid at Dahshur.


All these examples indicate a stellar theme to the royal funerary beliefs, especially linked to boats, Horus and Hathor. The stellar theme found in the royal funerary complexes is found right through the OK and beyond.


Even at the height of the Dyn 5 sun-temple era, the sun-temples and royal funerary complexes had a stellar theme:


Neuserra's sun-temple at Abu Ghurab, was named 'Shezepibra (Sspw-ib ra, 'recipient of the heart of the Sun'), the place where 'Divine' offerings were offered to the king's father, the Sun, on the occasion of the many festivals, including a festival of 'the excursion of the Sun in Shezepibra' that occurred many times during the year, and also other festivals, 'of Bastet'; 'the day of the coming forth of Min' etc. The temple was clearly a temple dedicated to the Sun, but stone fragments from the remains of the temple show evidence of a stellar theme

"Mr Perring excavated in the centre of the northern front, and found amongst the rubbish fragments of stone which were rudely sculptured and coloured, and in some instances, were marked with golden stars upon a dark-blue ground, as if they had belonged to the ceiling of an apartment;" ('Operations carried on at The Pyramids of Gizeh' Howard Vyse, Vol III, 1842)


A sed festival scene preserved on a fragment of a bas-relief from the sun temple, shows a band of stars forming the top border of the scene, that indicates this festival had a stellar aspect.


The portico in the Dyn 5 mortuary complex of Sahura, was covered with yellow stars on a blue background. The royal cult complex on the east side of the pyramid contained a five-niched chapel located between the open court and the pyramid. Its ceiling was covered with stars. The ceiling in the Valley Temple was painted with stars.


The north chapel of the Dyn 5 funerary complex of Djedkara, was built over the entrance to the pyramid. A small ceiling block decorated with stars and found near the entrance, probably came from this chapel.


Stars were clearly a feature of Old kingdom funerary complexes, and this stellar theme complements the names of some Old Kingdom pyramids. The Dyn 3 pyramid of Netjerikhet was named, 'Horus, Foremost Star of the Sky' (Quirke, following Helck's, interpretation). In Dyn 4, the pyramid of Djedefra, son of Khufu, was named: 'Djedefre is a shining star' (Strudwick 2005); ‘Radjedef's star’ (J.P. Allen 1998); 'The Pyramid which is the sehdu-star' (Baines & Malek 1986); 'Djedefre is a sehed-star' (Edwards 1985). Another Dyn 4 pyramid at Zawiyet el-Aryan was named 'Nebka is a Star' (Edwards). Edwards concludes that these last two with explicit stellar names, "clearly associate their owners with an astral after-life." (Edwards 1985 (1948): 282)


Some Dyn 5 pyramids had 'ba' names: 'The appearance of the ba of Sahura', 'The ba of Neferikara', 'Divine are the bas of Neferefra' (Strudwick 2005: xxx).


According to royal funerary inscriptions found within four Dyn 6 pyramids, the bas of the kings appeared as stars. From the pyramid of Pepi: "You (Nut) have encircled the land and everything within your arms, and have placed this Pepi as an Imperishable Star that is in you (P 20)..........that you (Nut) might make (each of) them a star, as 'She of a Thousand Bas' (xA-bA.s), and they might not go away from you as stars, you should not let Pepi be away from you, in your identity of the above. Allen's note on 'She of a Thousand Bas' (xA-bA.s): Nut, whose "Thousand Bas" are the stars of the night sky.


The true meaning and implications of the Pre / Early Dynastic star / boat / king theme, the explicit stellar names of some Old Kingdom pyramids, and the stellar theme found within the funerary complexes, only become apparent in the earliest Pyramid Texts inscribed within pyramids from the end of Dyn 5. Unis the king, purified himself with the cool water of the stars and bathed in the starry firmament §138, the 'Imperishable Stars' raised Unas aloft §139, and Unas guided the 'Imperishable Stars' §373. Unas was born as a star, and he appeared as a star §262. Unas opened his place in the sky among the stars of the sky, for he was the Lone or Unique Star §251. Atum, the 'father' of Unas, assigned Unas to the excellent and wise gods, the 'Imperishable Stars' §380. He was a son of Sopdet (personification of Sirius, the brightest star in their sky) §458, and was given a warrant as Great Power by Sah (Orion), 'father of the gods' §408.

btw I'm still waiting for your extensive references to 'priest of Re', 'followers of Re' etc that would be clear evidence of an exclusive cult of Re at Dyn 4 Giza. Dyn 5 had priests of Re, so how about Dyn 4 when according to you, there was, a massively dominant, exclusive cult of Re.

CT