Harkhebi (ca. 300 BC) was an

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

who lived in Ptolemaic Egypt during the rule of the

Ptolemaic dynasty The Ptolemaic dynasty (; grc, Πτολεμαῖοι, ''Ptolemaioi''), sometimes referred to as the Lagid dynasty (Λαγίδαι, ''Lagidae;'' after Ptolemy I's father, Lagus), was a Macedonian Greek royal dynasty which ruled the Ptolemaic ...

. He was known as the priest of

Selket Serket ( egy, , italics=no, translit=srqt) is the goddess of healing venomous stings and bites in Egyptian mythology, originally the deification of the scorpion. Her family life is unknown, but she is sometimes credited as the daughter of Neith ...

(the stargazer). He specialized in the treatment of snake bites and scorpion stings. He also kept record of day and night, tracking the rising and setting of the sun. This is how it was deduced in 1872 that he was present in the temple of Illahun. He may have based many of his observations on earlier

Babylonia Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...

n contributions to astronomy. A funereal

statue A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...

associated with him is known with an inscription in which he describes himself as an expert on observing

star A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...

. He referred to the planets as "the gods who foretell the future" and claimed to know everything

Sirius Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...

predicted, but apparently did not write personal horoscopes. Harkhebi predicted the weather patterns of the heliacal risings of the fixed stars. He refers the winds and the omens to his prediction of meteorology. While Harkhebi was observing the north and south motions of the sun and Venus, he concluded that the Babylonians had some affiliation with the weather phenomena in ''Enuma Anu Enil.''

Named after Harkhebi

The lunar crater Harkhebi is named after him. Half of the crater is on top of the large walled plain Fabry. This is on the north-northeast side of Fabry. On the other half, the northwest half, lies Vashakidze, a smaller crater than Fabry. And on the southwest is Vestine, and Richardson on the south.

References

* Marshall Clagett, ''Ancient Egyptian Science: A Source Book'', Diane 1989 * Michael Rice, ''Who's Who in Ancient Egypt'', Routledge 1999, p. 54 * Scott B Noegel, Joel Thomas Walker, Brannon M Wheeler, ''Prayer, Magic, and the Stars in the Ancient and Late Antique World'', Penn State Press 2003, pp. 123ff. 4th-century BC births 3rd-century BC deaths Ancient astronomers Ancient Egyptian astrologers Ancient Egyptian scientists 3rd-century BC Egyptian people {{astronomer-stub