AstroEgypto
AstroEgypto
To disseminate the results of one's research, to share them,
it is not enough to write articles then publish them on various media.
It is also necessary to travel, to meet one's peers and the general public.
Symposia and scientific events have been designed for this purpose.
The interest in the topic covered explains the number of presentations made.
+ AstroGraphy | Softwares | Publications | PhD thesis | Lectures | Press Review
Hereafter is the list of scientific events (symposiums, conferences, science cafés, round tables, etc.) in which I participated, in my quality of specialist of the Egyptian archaeoastronomy. For this purpose, various partnerships with research institutes, associations and centers of scientific culture have been established.
November 13, 2024 : Conference at the Cité de l'Espace, Toulouse
Title : The sky and the gods in ancient Egypt
Speakers: Anne-Sophie von Bomhard, Egyptologist / Karine Gadré, Astronomer / Bernard Arquier, Egyptologist
Organization: “Les amis de la Cité de l'Espace” association
Summary : In Egypt, traces of astronomical activity date back to 5000 BC. At Nabta Playa, nomadic peoples erected several megalithic complexes close to human burial sites, orientating them towards the north, the rising positions of the solstitial sun, of the star Sirius and of the stars of the Orion constellation. The cultural foundations had been laid, which would be adopted by the nascent Pharaonic civilization as early as the third millennium: for the deceased, the quest for eternity would henceforth consist in joining the stars and their cycles. To assist in this, the hieroglyphic names of the Sun, the decanal stars and the imperishables, as well as their respective movements, were engraved on the walls and ceilings of tombs and sarcophagi, alongside the names of the associated divinities. The southern and northern skies were depicted separately until the Greco-Roman period. The circular zodiac that decorated the temple of Hathor at Denderah is one of the precious witnesses to this ultimate syncretism.
To trace the birth and evolution of this celestial imagery over the millennia, Egyptologists have studied the historical context and linguistic content of each of the archaeological remains, while astronomers have developed realistic digital simulations of the ancient Egyptian sky based on data acquired during recent space missions: Hipparcos / Gaia, Copernicus / Sentinel, etc.
November 18, 2016 : Lecture at the Maison de la Philosophie, Toulouse
Title : What are the limits of science ?
Summary : During this evening, various scientific topics have been addressed on the basis of thirty or so photographs taken in the Occitanie region: the creation of the world, the content of our Universe, the inner structure of our planet, the transition from the inert to the living, the evolution of life on Earth, the creation of archaeological databases as well as our perception of the beyond. Each of these research areas is hampered by a limit - of cultural, experimental, statistical, or ethical nature, that past and modern scientists constantly push(ed) in order to extend always more our field of knowledge - in other words, our understanding of Mankind and of the surrounding Nature.
April 24, 2016 : Participation in a science café at the Quai des Savoirs, Toulouse
Title : What are the limits of science ?
Summary : This debate was part of "The science in question" cycle initiated by the Popular University of Philosophy of Toulouse. It was moderated by Eric Lowen, philosopher and Director of the Popular University of Philosophy of Toulouse. During the debate, seven scientific topics were addressed: the creation of the world, the content of our Universe, the inner structure of our planet, the transition from inert to living, the evolution of life on Earth, the constitution of archaeological databases and our perception of the afterlife. Twenty photographs taken in the Land of Oc' constituted the main support of discussion. Further details ...
October 11, 2014 : Animation of a roundtable at the Museum of Toulouse
Title : Giordano Bruno, a man of science ?
Summary : On October 9, 10 and 11, 2014 were held, as part of La Novela Festival, the Giordano Bruno Days at the Natural History Museum of Toulouse. Three days of exchanges between artists, historians, philosophers and scientists around the historical figure of Giordano Bruno. On Saturday, October 11, Karine Gadré led a roundtable between Sylvie Vauclair, astrophysicist, Alain Blanchard, cosmologist, and Philippe Solal, philosopher, about the life and work of Giordano Bruno.
May 16, 2014: Participation in a round table organized by the French Federation of Unesco Clubs, Mondonville (near Toulouse)
Title : Can science contribute to peace?
Summary: The French Federation of Unesco Clubs invites you to attend a moment of reflection and exchange on the contribution of science to peace in the world. Four speakers from the scientific community of Toulouse will share their points of view on this crucial subject for our common future: Karine Gadré, astronomer and director of the company Culture Diff', Jean-Michel Hupé, researcher in neurosciences at the CERCO laboratory (University of Toulouse and CNRS), Anita Meidani, teacher-researcher in sociology at the LISST CERS laboratory (University of Toulouse) and Cyrille Delpierre, researcher in epidemiology at INSERM. The debate will be moderated by Hélène Amblard, journalist and writer. Further details ...
October 12, 2013: Animation of a debate on « Art & Science » at the IRAP within the Festival of Science, Toulouse, France
Summary : On the occasion of this new edition of the Festival of Science, the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology (IRAP) has opened its doors to the public. Nearly 500 people attended scientific lectures, experiments, and visited the new white rooms of the laboratory where were exhibited some of the works conceived by Carolle Schutz, an artist graduated from the School of Art in the Pyrenees. Art and Science have also been the subject of a debate between Carolle Schutz, Peter von Balmoos, astrophysicist at the IRAP, and the public. The debate was moderated by Karine Gadré, co-organizer of the Festival of Science at the IRAP. Further details ...
September 28, 2013 : Participation in a round table entitled « The making of the heaven » within the Festival La Novela, Toulouse, France
Title : "The making of heaven"
Organizer: City of Toulouse
Summary : This roundtable, moderated by the philosopher Jean-Jacques Delfour, brought together researchers in the humanities and exact sciences: historians, anthropologists, astronomers. It formed part of the day devoted to ancient astronomy organized within the Festival La Novela. Further details ...
August 10, 2013 : Show-Lecture "The tango of the stars", Savères, France
Title : "The tango of the stars"
Organizers / Authors : The associations Les Chemins Buissonniers and IntermiDanses invite you to a tour between dance and astronomy, a scientific and poetic trip in the heart of a solar system in the process of forming, with Karine Gadré, Astronomer and Jorge Saraniche, musician, accompanied by the storyteller Jean-Michel Hernandez.
Summary : The tango of the stars evokes the danse of the celestial bodies. This movement, as well as that of the dancers, results from a constant search for balance between the opposing forces that govern them: gravitation on the one hand, radiation on the other hand. Gravitation is responsible for the collapse of interstellar matter, the birth of stars and their trail of rocky (planets, asteroids) and gaseous (planets, comets) bodies, their respective movements as well (shape and inclination of orbits, collisions). Radiation is responsible for the stellar pulsations, the ionization of interstellar matter, and is essential to life. This dance party will guide you step by step on the way to the creation of a solar system and the emergence of life on other Earths, visibles from the sky of Savères ...
The scientific and illustrated content of this Art & Science show is available in French here.
9 Mars 2013 : March 9, 2013 : Participation in a round-table at the Maison de la Philosophie, Toulouse, France
Title : "The place of women in science today"
Résumé : This round table is organized at the Maison de la Philosophie of Toulouse on the occasion of the International Day of Women's Rights 2013. It is part of a symposium on the theme "Women and Science" which brings together five women scientists (Olga Antonova, Mariotti Françoise Marie-France Barthet, Véronique Lizan, Karine Gadré) and a philosopher (Eric Lowen, Director of the Maison de la Philosophie of Toulouse).
October 5, 2012 : Animation of a round table at the Cité de l'Espace, Toulouse, France
Title : "The role of cosmology in the culture and history of science"
Abstract : This round table, held at the Cité de l'Espace, Toulouse, France, in the dual framework of the Scientific Days of the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology (IRAP) and the 50th anniversary of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), has brought together four researchers: Alain Blanchard, Professor of physics at the University Paul Sabatier of Toulouse, astrophysicist at IRAP ; Philippe Solal, philosopher at the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA) ; Carlo Rizzo, Professor of Physics at the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse ; and Eric Lowen, philosopher, Director of the House of the Philosophy of Toulouse. The discussion first focused on the contribution of the philosophers and philosophy to the scientific thought from Antiquity to the Middle Ages ; then, with the development of instrumentation, on the development of theoretical and observational cosmology ; finally, the current place of philosophy in science was discussed: an essentially ethical role, the goal of philosophy being to find the path of wisdom.
May 15, 2012 : Public lecture at the Stages of Baroja, Anglet, France
Title : "Space data : tools for modern Archaeoastronomy"
Abstract : The Egyptian Expedition, led by Napoleon Bonaparte at the very end of the eighteenth century, led to the rediscovery of the Egyptian civilization: its art, its history, its writing, its pantheon, ..., its knowledge of the sky and the objects filling it as well, as testified by the many monuments (pyramids, temples, ...), texts (related to the heliacal rising of Sirius, for example) and other reliefs (stellar clocks, astronomical ceilings) characterized by a particular astronomical orientation or content. The qualitative study of these remains has revealed some of the major astronomical achievements of this civilization: the differentiation of the celestial objects (Sun, Moon, planets and stars), the establishment of the solar cycle to 365 days, the definition of the lunar month of 29 days, the division of the day and night into twelve hours each, the categorization of the stars (the "imperishables", the decans) and the planets (Venus and Mercury on the one hand, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn on the other hand) on the basis of their respective positions and "behaviors" (movements) on the local celestial vault. The quantitative study of the archaeological remains that we have now has led to a better knowledge of the Egyptian chronology, to the mapping of the southern sky of ancient Egypt, to the determination of the astronomical source of the best-preserved religious and funeral buildings ... This type of study is based upon the use of numerical models which combine various astrometric and photometric parameters in order to reconstruct at best the visibility conditions of a celestial object in the night or twilight sky of ancient Egypt. The combined use of these astrophotometric models and of digital elevation models, built from altimetric data, will soon lead to reconstitute the observed astronomical reality within the local topographic context, at the epoch considered. Thus, space data gradually integrate modern archaeoastronomical approach ...
October 15 2011 : Lecture at the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Toulouse, within the context of the Inauguration of IRAP
Title : "Astronomy and Archaeology : two paths to the past"
Abstract : This oral presentation aims, at first, to explain the similarities between Astronomy and Archeology as well as their differences ; in a second step, to detail the "product" of the crossing of these two disciplines: Archaeoastronomy or the study of the astronomical orientation, content, of archaeological remains, using modern methods.
Note : The full program of the festivities related to the Inauguration of IRAP is available on download here.
July 5 2011 : Lecture at the Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Toulouse
Title : "Egyptian Archaeoastronomy and Space Archaeology"
Abstract : This lecture was intended to introduce the IRAP researchers to the ongoing Culture Diff' projects : the making up of two Web interfaces devoted, the one to Egyptian ArchaeoAstronomy, the other one to Space Archaeology. These Web interfaces will comonly consist in a set of information resources (space images, articles, books, thesis, etc.), in the description of the archaeological remains discovered using satellite imagery and / or of interest on an archeoastronomical plane, in a set of software resources (softwares leading to analyze and process spatial images, softwares useful to Archaeoastronomy, etc.), in a collaborative workspace (mailing list, tweets, wiki) between members of each project, in an area of publication of the results, validated or being validated. The aim is to promote the growth of these two disciplines by providing researchers coming from exact science and the humanities all necessary tools.
April 7, 2011 : Conference within the context of the CNRS Astronomy School entitled "De l'environnement du Soleil aux environnements stellaires", 4-7 avril 2011, Station biologique du CNRS, Roscoff
Title : "From Egyptian ArchaeoAstronomy to Space Archaeology"
Abstract : This lecture aims at demonstrating that the introduction of collaborations between social researchers (archaeologists, historians, linguists) and exact scientists (astronomers, space engineers) on the one hand, the introduction of scientific tools (space imagery and numerical models) within social studies on the other hand, can lead to the development of new research areas : space archaeology and archaeoastronomy, in this case. Space Archaeology leads to the discovery of remains which were unknown because located below a luxurious vegetation, below modern cities or below the earth surface. These remains can then be studied on the archaeoastronomical plane. The common objective is a better knowledge of the considered people.
December 2, 2010: Lecture at the Ecole Supérieure d'Art et de Céramique de Tarbes (ESACT)
Title: "Egyptian Archaeoastronomy and Space Archaeology: two fields issued from crossing archeology, astronomy and space technology (2/2)"
Abstract: This oral presentation is a continuation of the lecture made at the ESACT on November the 16th (see below). At first, I will present recent developments in Egyptian Archaeoastronomy and Space Archaeology which result from exchanges between archaeologists, historians, linguists, astronomers and engineers, on the one hand, the crossing of tools, methods coming from archeology, astronomy and space sector, on the other hand. In a second time, I will detail the projects of the Culture Diff' company which aim at promoting the growth of Egyptian Archaeoastronomy internationally and the growth of Space Archaeology in Toulouse, France.
November 16, 2010: Lecture at the Ecole Supérieure d'Art et de Céramique de Tarbes (ESACT)
Title: "Egyptian Archaeoastronomy and Space Archaeology: two fields issued from crossing archeology, astronomy and space technology (1/2)"
Abstract: These two last centuries, Egyptian Archeology has uncovered many remains which show a specific astronomical orientation or content: temples, tombs, bas-reliefs, texts, etc.. The study of these remains from the archaeological, historical, philological and astronomical (using numerical models combining various astrometric and photometric parameters) sides allows a better understanding of the astronomical culture of the Egyptian civilization and leads to reconstruct the beginnings of observational astronomy. In recent decades, astronomical observations are carried out both from the ground and from space, using telescopes equipped with multi-sensor wavelengths. Meanwhile, space archeology has grown, giving archaeologists a global, multi-dimensional and multi-wavelength vision of the Land of Egypt. The acquisition and the processing of space imagery has led to a major development of existing astronomical and archaeological databases. The crossover of actors, methods and tools of archeology, astronomy and space sector today lead to the establishment of Virtual Observatories and Virtual Expeditions.
October 29, 2010: Conference within the context of the Celebration of Science, Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Paris (Cancelled due to strike in public transport)
Title: "Astronomy and Archaeology: two paths towards the past"
Abstract: The objectives of astronomy and archeology are to understand and reconstruct the history of the universe and humanity through the systematic study of remains - stars (planets, stars, galaxies, etc.), artefacts (objects and infrastructure created by man) - which reflect their evolution since the Big Bang (~ -15 billion years) and the beginning of Prehistory (~ -5 million years) respectively. Longer collected at the surface of the Earth, these traces of the past are now also being observed and detected from space. Most of these astronomical and archaeological remains are invisible to the naked eye indeed, either because they are distant and not very bright or emit a non-visible radiation, either because they are buried beneath the surface of the earth, under modern cities or even in a lush vegetation. Then follows the completion of existing databases from distant stars that no longer exist or remain in another form, and artifacts damaged by time and men.
June 5, 2010: Conference on the occasion of the Second Egyptological Meeting of Kemetmaa, Sollies-Pont, Var
Title: "Astronomy and Archaeology: two paths towards the past"
Abstract: The objectives of astronomy and archeology are to understand and reconstruct the history of the universe and humanity through the systematic study of remains - stars (planets, stars, galaxies, etc.), artefacts (objects and infrastructure created by man) - which reflect their evolution since the Big Bang (~ -15 billion years) and the beginning of Prehistory (~ -5 million years) respectively. Longer collected at the surface of the Earth, these traces of the past are now also being observed and detected from space. Most of these astronomical and archaeological remains are invisible to the naked eye indeed, either because they are distant and not very bright or emit a non-visible radiation, either because they are buried beneath the surface of the earth, under modern cities or even in a lush vegetation. Then follows the completion of existing databases from distant stars that no longer exist or remain in another form, and artifacts damaged by time and men.
April 28, 2010: Conference at the Maison de la Philosophie de Toulouse
Title: "Astronomy and Archaeology: two paths towards the past"
Abstract: The objectives of astronomy and archeology are to understand and reconstruct the history of the universe and humanity through the systematic study of remains - stars (planets, stars, galaxies, etc.), artefacts (objects and infrastructure created by man) - which reflect their evolution since the Big Bang (~ -15 billion years) and the beginning of Prehistory (~ -5 million years) respectively. Longer collected at the surface of the Earth, these traces of the past are now also being observed and detected from space. Most of these astronomical and archaeological remains are invisible to the naked eye indeed, either because they are distant and not very bright or emit a non-visible radiation, either because they are buried beneath the surface of the earth, under modern cities or even in a lush vegetation. Then follows the completion of existing databases from distant stars that no longer exist or remain in another form, and artifacts damaged by time and men.
November 14, 2009: Lecture at the Université du Temps Libéré des Pays du Lot, Prayssac
Title: "Egyptian Archaeoastronomy: the stars of Pharaoh"
Abstract: These two last centuries, Egyptian archeology has uncovered many vestiges which show a specific astronomical orientation or content. These are the Old Kingdom pyramids whose faces point towards the cardinal points, starlists which decorate the interior lid of sarcophagi and the ceiling of temples and tombs, several writings telling about the heliacal rising of Sirius under the Dynastic Period. The study of these remains leads to the definition of spatial, temporal and optical constraints: place and time of the building of monuments or the design of starlists, visual acuity of the observer. These constraints are then applied to a model of visibility of stars with the naked eye, which combines astrometric and photometric parameters. Then follows the determination of the astronomical source of orientation of ancient Egyptian monuments, the mapping of the sky of ancient Egypt, the redefinition of the dates of the reign of some Pharaohs, a better understanding of cutting the night hours, etc...
October 17, 2009: Participation in a panel discussion on ancient astronomy on the occasion of the festival La Novela organized by the City of Toulouse, Cité de l'Espace
Title : "Danse e-Toile"
Abstract: La Novela presents the Dance e-Toile project: this artistic and scientific event offers a thematic exhibition (photo, video and music) and a unique choreography, Nataraja and the Cosmos, which causes the Indian classical dance Bharatha Natyam to interact, via the Web, with French contemporary dance, and takes place simultaneously at the Cité de l'Espace, Toulouse and at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore. Nataraja and the Cosmos is an original art-science collaboration between Jean-Marc Matos and Anne Holst (choreographers, K. Dance Company) and Sharada Srinivasan (Indian scientific dancer, professor at NIAS, Bangalore) on the crossed subject: mythology of the body / stellar mythology. The show was followed by a presentation and an "on line" round table which aimed at comparing the Indians and Egyptians images of the sky and associated myths. Special Guest: Karine Gadré, Ph.D. in Astronomy, University of Toulouse. Live broadcast at http://www.x-reseau.fr/e-toile/
June 12, 2009: Conference at the Musée Labit, Toulouse, on the occasion of the week "Egypt, Land of Science", organized by the City of Toulouse
Title: "Egyptian Archaeoastronomy: the stars of Pharaoh"
Abstract: These two last centuries, Egyptian archeology has uncovered many vestiges which show a specific astronomical orientation or content. These are the Old Kingdom pyramids whose faces point towards the cardinal points, starlists which decorate the interior lid of sarcophagi and the ceiling of temples and tombs, several writings telling about the heliacal rising of Sirius under the Dynastic Period. The study of these remains leads to the definition of spatial, temporal and optical constraints: place and time of the building of monuments or the design of starlists, visual acuity of the observer. These constraints are then applied to a model of visibility of stars with the naked eye, which combines astrometric and photometric parameters. Then follows the determination of the astronomical source of orientation of ancient Egyptian monuments, the mapping of the sky of ancient Egypt, the redefinition of the dates of the reign of some Pharaohs, a better understanding of cutting the night hours, etc... Further details ...
April 4, 2009: Conference at the Cité de l'Espace, Toulouse, in the framework of the International Year of Astronomy 2009
Title: "Egyptian Archaeoastronomy: the stars of Pharaoh"
Abstract: These two last centuries, Egyptian archeology has uncovered many vestiges which show a specific astronomical orientation or content. These are the Old Kingdom pyramids whose faces point towards the cardinal points, starlists which decorate the interior lid of sarcophagi and the ceiling of temples and tombs, several writings telling about the heliacal rising of Sirius under the Dynastic Period. The study of these remains leads to the definition of spatial, temporal and optical constraints: place and time of the building of monuments or the design of starlists, visual acuity of the observer. These constraints are then applied to a model of visibility of stars with the naked eye, which combines astrometric and photometric parameters. Then follows the determination of the astronomical source of orientation of ancient Egyptian monuments, the mapping of the sky of ancient Egypt, the redefinition of the dates of the reign of some Pharaohs, a better understanding of cutting the night hours, etc... Further details ...
March 11, 2009: Lecture followed by a discussion at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Toulouse-Tarbes (LATT) as part of the day of presentation of the LATT to secondary school teachers
Title: "The scientific process: birth, evolution and transmission"
Abstract: Soon available
March 6, 2009: Conference at the Musée Champollion, Figeac (Lot)
Title: "Egyptian Archaeoastronomy: the stars of Pharaoh"
Abstract: These two last centuries, Egyptian archeology has uncovered many vestiges which show a specific astronomical orientation or content. These are the Old Kingdom pyramids whose faces point towards the cardinal points, starlists which decorate the interior lid of sarcophagi and the ceiling of temples and tombs, several writings telling about the heliacal rising of Sirius under the Dynastic Period. The study of these remains leads to the definition of spatial, temporal and optical constraints: place and time of the building of monuments or the design of starlists, visual acuity of the observer. These constraints are then applied to a model of visibility of stars with the naked eye, which combines astrometric and photometric parameters. Then follows the determination of the astronomical source of orientation of ancient Egyptian monuments, the mapping of the sky of ancient Egypt, the redefinition of the dates of the reign of some Pharaohs, a better understanding of cutting the night hours, etc...
March 3, 2009: Conference in the context of the Major Seminars of the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, Toulouse
Title: "Egyptian Archaeoastronomy: the stars of Pharaoh"
Abstract: These two last centuries, Egyptian archeology has uncovered many vestiges which show a specific astronomical orientation or content. These are the Old Kingdom pyramids whose faces point towards the cardinal points, starlists which decorate the interior lid of sarcophagi and the ceiling of temples and tombs, several writings telling about the heliacal rising of Sirius under the Dynastic Period. The study of these remains leads to the definition of spatial, temporal and optical constraints: place and time of the building of monuments or the design of starlists, visual acuity of the observer. These constraints are then applied to a model of visibility of stars with the naked eye, which combines astrometric and photometric parameters. Then follows the determination of the astronomical source of orientation of ancient Egyptian monuments, the mapping of the sky of ancient Egypt, the redefinition of the dates of the reign of some Pharaohs, a better understanding of cutting the night hours, etc...
Note : The video recording of this conference is available on the YouTube channel of the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées.
February 3, 2009: Conference at the Salle du Sénéchal, Toulouse, in the context of the Scientific Evenings of the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées
Title: "Egyptian Archaeoastronomy: the stars of Pharaoh"
Abstract: These two last centuries, Egyptian archeology has uncovered many vestiges which show a specific astronomical orientation or content. These are the Old Kingdom pyramids whose faces point towards the cardinal points, starlists which decorate the interior lid of sarcophagi and the ceiling of temples and tombs, several writings telling about the heliacal rising of Sirius under the Dynastic Period. The study of these remains leads to the definition of spatial, temporal and optical constraints: place and time of the building of monuments or the design of starlists, visual acuity of the observer. These constraints are then applied to a model of visibility of stars with the naked eye, which combines astrometric and photometric parameters. Then follows the determination of the astronomical source of orientation of ancient Egyptian monuments, the mapping of the sky of ancient Egypt, the redefinition of the dates of the reign of some Pharaohs, a better understanding of cutting the night hours, etc...
January 23, 2009: Lecture at the Astronomical Society of Nantes (44)
Title: "Egyptian Archaeoastronomy: the stars of Pharaoh"
Abstract: These two last centuries, Egyptian archeology has uncovered many vestiges which show a specific astronomical orientation or content. These are the Old Kingdom pyramids whose faces point towards the cardinal points, starlists which decorate the interior lid of sarcophagi and the ceiling of temples and tombs, several writings telling about the heliacal rising of Sirius under the Dynastic Period. The study of these remains leads to the definition of spatial, temporal and optical constraints: place and time of the building of monuments or the design of starlists, visual acuity of the observer. These constraints are then applied to a model of visibility of stars with the naked eye, which combines astrometric and photometric parameters. Then follows the determination of the astronomical source of orientation of ancient Egyptian monuments, the mapping of the sky of ancient Egypt, the redefinition of the dates of the reign of some Pharaohs, a better understanding of cutting the night hours, etc...
November 21, 2008: Participation in a roundtable in the context of the fourth History of Science and Technology Show, Ivry sur Seine (94)
Title: "Pre-Copernican Representations of the Universe"
Abstract: The Fourth Book Show dedicated to the History of Science and Technology was held on 21, 22 and 23 November 2008 at Ivry-sur-Seine. It gathered researchers, publishers, journalists, scientists and the public around a single theme: "Universe Stories - from the exploration of the universe to the space age." A round table devoted to the pre-Copernican representations of the universe gathered Karine Gadré, Jean-Claude Martzloff, Bernard Vitrac and Loïc Mangin on the 21st November at 14h.
The complete program of the Congress is available here.
September 23, 2008: Conference at the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, Nice
Title: "Introduction to the methods of Archaeoastronomy. Application to Ancient Egypt"
Abstract: The recent development of models of stellar visibility in the night or twilight sky solves various problems related to Archaeoastronomy. Their use in the context of ancient Egypt has led to the revision of the dates of the beginning of the reign of several pharaohs, to the mapping of the constellations filling the southern sky of ancient Egypt, to the formulation of a new hypothesis about the orientation of the Old Kingdom pyramids and the temples of Isis and Hathor in Dendera. This presentation will provide the opportunity to detail a good way to solve these problems (through the establishment of archaeological and stellar databases, the design of models of visibility of stars with the naked eye, the applying of astronomical and egyptological criteria), as well as the results obtained.
September 17, 2008: Conference at the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), Toulouse
Title: "Introduction to the methods of Archaeoastronomy. Application to Ancient Egypt"
Abstract: The recent development of models of stellar visibility in the night or twilight sky solves various problems related to Archaeoastronomy. Their use in the context of ancient Egypt has led to the revision of the dates of the beginning of the reign of several pharaohs, to the mapping of the constellations filling the southern sky of ancient Egypt, to the formulation of a new hypothesis about the orientation of the Old Kingdom pyramids and the temples of Isis and Hathor in Dendera. This presentation will provide the opportunity to detail a good way to solve these problems (through the establishment of archaeological and stellar databases, the design of models of visibility of stars with the naked eye, the applying of astronomical and egyptological criteria), as well as the results obtained.
June 28, 2008: Conference at La Ferme des Etoiles, Fleurance (Gers)
Title: "Under the sky of ancient Egypt"
Abstract: The current work in the field of archaeoastronomy relies upon the making up of archaeological databases, the study of the astronomical orientation or content of the remains which they contain, the development of models of stellar visibility in the sky and the application, to the results provided by each model, of various astronomical and historical criteria. Applied to ancient Egypt, this approach leads to the revision of the dates of the beginning of the reign of several pharaohs, to the determination of the astronomical source of orientation of the Old Kingdom pyramids and to the mapping of the old Egyptian sky.
June 6, 2008: Conference at the Centre de Préhistoire de Pech-Merle, Cabrerets (Lot)
Title: "Under the sky of ancient Egypt"
Abstract: The current work in the field of archaeoastronomy relies upon the making up of archaeological databases, the study of the astronomical orientation or content of the remains which they contain, the development of models of stellar visibility in the sky and the application, to the results provided by each model, of various astronomical and historical criteria. Applied to ancient Egypt, this approach leads to the revision of the dates of the beginning of the reign of several pharaohs, to the determination of the astronomical source of orientation of the Old Kingdom pyramids and to the mapping of the old Egyptian sky.
May 21, 2008: Defending of my Doctoral Thesis at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Toulouse-Tarbes (LATT)
Title: "Designing a model of star visibility to the naked eye. Application to the identification of decanal stars. Author: Karine Gadré.
The defending of my thesis in front of a jury made up with six astronomers-physicists and one Egyptologist led to the award of the title Doctor in Astronomy of the University of Toulouse pass with the very honorable mention.
Every details about the topic of my thesis and this day are available here.
March 26, 2008: Discussion at the Musée Champollion, Figeac (Lot)
Title: "Astronomy in the Time of the Pharaohs"
Abstract: The discussion about Egyptian astronomy will be preceded by an introduction to the new methods of Archaeoastronomy and to their application to the determination of the astronomical source of orientation of the Old Kingdom pyramids.
This discussion, open to any public, is organized by the non-profit organization "Les Petits Débrouillards".
March 12, 2008: Lecture followed by a discussion at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Toulouse-Tarbes (LATT) as part of the day of presentation of the LATT to secondary school teachers
Title: "Astronomy in the Time of the Pharaohs"
Abstract: Introduction to the new methods of Archaeoastronomy and application to the determination of the astronomical source of orientation of the Old Kingdom pyramids. Author: Karine Gadré.
Occasion: Day of presentation of the Toulouse-Tarbes Astrophysics Laboratory to Secondary School Teachers.
February 12, 2008: Conference at the Centre François Viète d'Histoire des Sciences et des Techniques, Nantes
Title: "Introduction to the methods of Archaeoastronomy. Application to Ancient Egypt"
Abstract: The recent development of models of stellar visibility in the night or twilight sky solves various problems related to Archaeoastronomy. Their use in the context of ancient Egypt has led to the revision of the dates of the beginning of the reign of several pharaohs, to the mapping of the constellations filling the southern sky of ancient Egypt, to the formulation of a new hypothesis about the orientation of the Old Kingdom pyramids and the temples of Isis and Hathor in Dendera. This presentation will provide the opportunity to detail a good way to solve these problems (through the establishment of archaeological and stellar databases, the design of models of visibility of stars with the naked eye, the applying of astronomical and egyptological criteria), as well as the results obtained.
February 6, 2008: Conference at the Bureau des Longitudes, Paris
Title: "Introduction to the methods of Archaeoastronomy. Application to Ancient Egypt"
Abstract: The recent development of models of stellar visibility in the night or twilight sky solves various problems related to Archaeoastronomy. Their use in the context of ancient Egypt has led to the revision of the dates of the beginning of the reign of several pharaohs, to the mapping of the constellations filling the southern sky of ancient Egypt, to the formulation of a new hypothesis about the orientation of the Old Kingdom pyramids and the temples of Isis and Hathor in Dendera. This presentation will provide the opportunity to detail a good way to solve these problems (through the establishment of archaeological and stellar databases, the design of models of visibility of stars with the naked eye, the applying of astronomical and egyptological criteria), as well as the results obtained.
Note : The audio recording of this conference is available on the website of Radio Canal Académie
June 12, 2007: Lecture at the Institut de Mathématiques, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse
Title: "The decanal stars : mythical stars"
Abstract: The ancient Egyptians believed in a life after death. According to them, the time necessary for the deceased to be reborn in the afterlife was 70 days. Many funerary texts consider this rebirth to the heliacal rising of a star whose yearly period of invisibility was then close to 70 days. Ninety stars are listed on the inside lid of sarcophagi, on the ceiling of temples and tombs dating from 2200 BC to 50 AD. The archaeological, philological and astronomical study of the content of these one hundred remains leads to the definition of spatial, temporal and optical constraints of a model which combines celestial mechanics equations and visibility criteria of a star in the night or twilight sky of Ancient Egypt. This model allows us to identify everyone of the 90 stars to stars of the Hipparcos Catalogue - in other words, to draw up a map of the world beyond, as imagined by the ancient Egyptians. The applying of this model to the astronomical orientation of the pyramids of Egypt will also be discussed, as well as some ongoing research work.
May 2, 2007: Conference at the Bureau des Longitudes, Paris
Title: "The decanal stars : mythical stars"
Abstract: The ancient Egyptians believed in a life after death. According to them, the time necessary for the deceased to be reborn in the afterlife was 70 days. Many funerary texts consider this rebirth to the heliacal rising of a star whose yearly period of invisibility was then close to 70 days. Ninety stars are listed on the inside lid of sarcophagi, on the ceiling of temples and tombs dating from 2200 BC to 50 AD. The archaeological, philological and astronomical study of the content of these one hundred remains leads to the definition of spatial, temporal and optical constraints of a model which combines celestial mechanics equations and visibility criteria of a star in the night or twilight sky of Ancient Egypt. This model allows us to identify everyone of the 90 stars to stars of the Hipparcos Catalogue - in other words, to draw up a map of the world beyond, as imagined by the ancient Egyptians. The applying of this model to the astronomical orientation of the pyramids of Egypt will also be discussed, as well as some ongoing research work.
April 2007 : Presentation of a poster at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Toulouse-Tarbes (LATT)
Title: Correlation between the Hipparcos and Hieroglyphic databases.
Author : Karine Gadré. Occasion : Thesis Day.
April 2006 : Presentation of a poster at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Toulouse-Tarbes (LATT)
Title: Identification of the stars used to tell the night hours under the First Intermediate Period, the Middle and the New Kingdoms.
Author : Karine Gadré. Occasion : Thesis Day.
December 9, 2005: Show-Lecture about Egyptian Astronomy, Rieumes (31)
Behind the words are hidden a meaning ... and sounds. The sounds are the resonance of words. When listening to Claude Nougaro, it even seems that poetry is made of sounds that make sense. In this poetic evening, the voice of the viola da gamba (Nathalie Estevenin) and song (Luc Baron) will join those of science (Karine Gadré) for you to share the emotion associated with the rediscovery of four thousand years of human history. Four thousand years of evolution of thought, through the erection of stone buildings, the drafting of hieroglyphic texts ... As many remains whose astronomical orientation or content is detailed within the 2006 calendar, produced jointly by the Culture Diff 'company and the non-profit organization Les Chemins Buissonniers.
October 14, 2005: Conference about Egyptian Astronomy at Barcelona, Spain
The inauguration of the INDETEC-Aegyptus, International Institute of Egyptology for the Study of Law, Technology and Science in Ancient Egypt, was the opportunity to make a lecture entitled "Identification of the decanal stars: a research work requiring the knowledge and skills of both Astronomers and Egyptologists". This research work, made at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Toulouse-Tarbes, was presented as the result of many collaborations between astronomers and Egyptologists from around the world since last century. In this way, it illustrates the possible operating mode of the future AstroEgypto network which was introduced at the 56th Congress of ARCE, Boston, April 2005, and detailed within the seventh and eighth issues of the Cahiers Caribeens d'Egyptologie. Further details ...
Author: Karine Gadré.
September 5-8, 2005: Presentation of a poster at the International Symposium "Origins"
The holding in Toulouse of the symposium entitled "Pre and proto-dynastic Egypt. The origins of the state", was an opportunity to submit, to the Egyptologists attending the symposium, the idea of forming an international network made up with researchers into Astronomy and Egyptology, developed during the 56th Congress of ARCE in April 2005 and within the Cahiers Caribeens d'Egyptologie No. 7-8. Author: Karine Gadré. Further details ...
July 23, 2005: Show-Lecture at St Elix Le Château (31)
This show-lecture organized by the non-profit organization Les Chemins Buissonniers, gathered a scientist (Karine Gadré) and two artists (Luc Barron and Nathalie Estevenin) around the theme of the creation of the world. Here is a short presentation: "Thanks to imagination, the gateway is easy to establish between Art and Science. Three voices intertwined, the Milky Way, the singing voice and the voice of the viola da gamba to say, sing and play the world's creation. The creation by the ancient Egyptians: a myth, offset by current science. This journey through time and space will tell you the origin of life on Earth, the evolution of human thought over the millennia. It will demonstrate the ability of man to be excited, to understand and express wonder about the mysteries ... "
The scientific content of this Art & Science show is available in French here.
April 2005: Participation in the 56th Congress of ARCE, Boston, Massachusetts
Each year, the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) organizes a symposium on Egyptology. This 56th edition was the opportunity to introduce, to the worldwide Egyptologists, the details of the project of constitution of an international network of researchers in astronomy and Egyptology, published within the 7th issue of the Cahiers Caribeens d'Egyptologie. Author : Karine Gadré.
October 16, 2004: Conference about Egyptian Astronomy at Saint-Laurent de Mure (69)
On the 16th October 2004, the Bibliothèque Intercommunale Muroise, a municipal library located near Lyon, at Saint Laurent de Mure, organized a show around ancient Egypt. A few of the great myths were first exposed by Anne Marchand, a professional storyteller. Then followed a lecture by Karine Gadré entitled "The creation of the world: Egyptian myths and scientific reality". Author: Karine Gadré.
April 2004: Participation in the 55th Congress of ARCE, Tucson, Arizona
Each year, the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) organizes a symposium on Egyptology. This 55th edition was the opportunity to introduce, to the worldwide Egyptologists, the latest research work into Astro-Egyptology and to propose a new form of collaboration between researchers coming from both disciplines. This lecture was entitled "Astro-Egyptology: a new research area involving both Astronomers and Egyptologists".
April 2003: Presentation of a poster at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Toulouse-Tarbes (LATT)
Title : Identification of the old Egyptian decanal stars. Author : Karine Gadré.
Occasion: Thesis Day.
July 2000: Conference about Egyptian Astronomy, Sup'Aero, Toulouse
This lecture was designed for the participants to the summer school of the Association of Astronomy Adagio. For nearly three hours were discussed the following topics: the Egyptian calendars, the measurement of night time, the astronomical orientation of the pyramids of Egypt, the Temple of Dendera and its zodiac.
June 2000: Presentation of a poster at the 9th UN/ESA Workshop on Basic Space Sciences, Toulouse
The holding of this symposium which gathered, in Toulouse, worldwide astronomers, was an opportunity to present a poster entitled "The sky of ancient Egypt: a north-south differentiation". This was a first approach to the North-South differentiation which characterizes the stellar clocks dating from the end of the First Intermediate Period, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom astronomical ceilings as well.