Identification
| Title | Water clock (Amenhotep III) |
| Water Clock ID | WCO 1 (see catalogue of water clocks) |
| Type | Astronomical Representation |
| Decan List Family | AR1 |
| EAT3 Number and Name | 3 Amenhotep III |
| EAT3 Pages and Plates | 12-14, Pl 2 (four views) |
| EAT3 Decan List Family | Senmut |
| Publications |
Daressy (1915); Sloley (1924); Sloley (1931); Pogo (1936); Chatley (1940); Balmer (1982); Fermor et al. (1983); Cotterell et al. (1986); Mills & Symons (2000) |
| Location |
Found in Karnak Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo; on display room P49 JE 37525; SR 7/19741 and SR 1/10670 |
| Date | 18th dynasty, time of Amenhotep III |
Content
| Registers | 3 |
| Circumpolar Group and Deities | Yes |
| Planets |
Superior: Jupiter, Saturn (Mars is omitted) Inferior: Mercury, Venus |
| Decan Names | Yes |
| Decanal Stars | Yes |
| Personifications of the Decans | No |
| Cluster Numbers | Yes |
| Depictions of Decanal Constellations | Yes |
| Decanal Deity Names | Yes |
| Decanal Deity Figures | No |
| Lunar Months | Yes: 12 figures labelled with the names of the lunar months, with King offering |
| Civil Months | Yes: around the rim of the vessel, labelling the twelve columns if hour marks on the interior surface by season and month. |
| Nut | No |
| Other features |
The length of the hour scales during the civil year makes it clear that this water clock was designed to be used during the hours of the night. The spout of the water clock is now missing, but would originally have been situated below a figure of a baboon sitting on a djed-pillar. Unique to this water clock is a large vignette on the exterior wall, opposite the area where the spout would have once existed. Within this scene, Amenhotep III is shown offering towards the sun god Re-Horakhty, while the moon god Thoth is pictured behind these two figures. |
Notes
This is the earliest surviving ancient Egyptian outflow water clock. It was found in 1906, in pieces.
Schematic
| Legend for Schematic | |
|---|---|
| C | Circumpolar group of constellations |
| A | Circumpolar attendant deities |
| D | Decans |
| P | Planets |
| M |
Civil months (labels around the rim) Lunar months (figures and labels) |
| X |
Other cosmic deities: The king offering to the Sun and Moon (upper registers) and baboon on a djed-pillar (lower register) |
 |
Location and orientation of the circumpolar hippo |
 |
Indicates the starting point and directionality of list or procession of figures |
Decan List
The list gives an approximate layout for how the decans, deities, cluster labels (x-nwt Xt), and decanal figures (in bold) are arranged. However, the only way of perceiving the complete layout and orthography of the labels is by consulting photographs, drawings, or the original. For conventions and abbreviations, see below the table.
The decan list is very similar to that in the Tomb of Senenmut with no major depatures in decan names or deities.
| 1 tpy-a knm<t> | Hapy, Imseti | |
| 3 Xry xpd knmt, 2 knmt | Isis | |
| 4 HA<t> DAt, 5 pH<wy> DAt | Duamutef, Children of Horus | |
| 6 TmAt Hrt, 7 TmAt Xrt | Duamutef | |
| 8 wSAti, 9 bkAti | Duamutef, Hapy | |
| 10 tpy-a xntt, 11 <xntt> Hrt | Horus | |
| 12 xntt Xrt | Seth | Boat |
| 13 Tms n xntt | Horus | |
| 14 sApti xnwy | Isis, Nephthys | |
| 15 Hry-ib <wiA> | Seth | |
| 17 knm<w> | Children of Horus | |
| 18 tpy-a smd | Horus | |
| 19 smd | Hapy | Sheep |
| 20 sit | Isis, 3-nwt Xt | |
| 21 sAwy sit | Duamutef |
|
| 22 Xry xpd srt | Kebehsenuf | |
| 23 tpy-a Ax<wy> | Duamutef | |
| 24 Axw<y> | Duamutef, Kebehsenuf | |
| 25 bAw<y> | Hapy, Imseti, 4-nwt Xt | |
| 26 xntw Hr<w>, 27 Xrw | Children of Horus |
|
| 28 qd, 29 sAwy qd | Hapy, Kebeh<senuf> | |
| 30 xAw | Children of Horus, <5>-nwt Xt | |
| Sahu | ||
| 31 art | Eye of Horus | |
| 32 Hry rmn sAH | Children of Horus | |
| 36 spdt | Isis | Sopdet |
| SP1 Hr-tAS-tAwy rn=f rsy pt sbA | Planet (with Figure of King) |
|
| SP2 Hr-kA-pt DA pt iAbty sbA | Planet (with Figure of King) | |
| A Stwy | Turtles | |
| B <n>srw | Imseti, Xt <-pw> | |
| C sSpt | Eyes of Horus | |
| E abSs | Horus, D hpds | |
| F <nTr> wAS | Duamutef | |
| IP1 sbg | Horus | |
| IP2 DA baH |
Osiris | Benu |
The decan numbers and letters shown here are for the decan family AR1.
SP = superior planet
IP = inferior planet
Grey shading = damage
< > = omitted but understood
( ) = explanatory notes or additional material
The number of star symbols accompanying the decans is also omitted here, as it is often impossible to tell to which decan the symbols refer. EAT3 deals with star symbols in some detail.