Harkhebi

Harkhebi (ca. 300 BC) was an astronomer who lived in Ptolemaic Egypt during the rule of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

He may have based many of his observations on earlier Babylonian contributions to astronomy. A funereal statue [Claget, op.cit. pp.489ff.] associated with him is known with an inscription in which he describes himself as an expert on observing stars. [http://egipto.com/personajes_del_antiguo_egipto/Astronomos/Harkhebi_219.html] . He referred to the planets as "the gods who foretell the future" and claimed to know everything Sirius predicted, but apparently did not write personal horoscopes [Noegel et al., op.cit., pp.143f] .

The lunar crater Harkhebi is named after him.

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.143ff.