Arabic Star Names

• Arabic Star Names are traditional astronomical terms from pre-Islamic inscriptions that connect celestial bodies with seasonal and navigational practices.
• Epigraphic evidence from basalt panels and rock art maps these names to modern stars, providing precise celestial coordinates and seasonal markers.
• The integration of these names into calendrical and transhumance systems highlights their critical role in ancient Arabian landscape and economic structures.

Arabic star names constitute a lineage of astronomical nomenclature deeply embedded in the inscriptions and oral traditions of the pre-Islamic Arab tribes inhabiting the Al-Hara Zone. These names reference individual stars and asterisms, frequently accompanied by symbolic notations and coordinate-style markers derived from seasonal and navigational practice. Recent epigraphic surveys of black basalt panels and rock art documented in fieldwork from 2018 reveal a set of well-attested celestial names with explicit links to seasonal transition, pastoral activity, and wayfinding conventions. The terminological precision and schematic representations found in these inscriptions demonstrate both a distinct astronomical vocabulary and the integration of astrological concepts for calendrical and navigational inference (Talafha et al., 2019).

1. Primary Arabic Star Names and Their Epigraphic Forms

The inscriptions in the Al-Hara Zone provide direct attestations of named stars, commonly recorded in Arabic script or as ISO-style transliterations. Each serves as a referential anchor for astronomical phenomena:

Star/Asterism	Arabic Script	Transliteration/Translation
Suḥail (Canopus)	سهيل	wanafr Suḥail ḥasīl / "and the water was soaked by Suḥail"
al-Sāmak (Arcturus)	السامك	wa-intazara as-sāmak min Ḥūrān / "and he awaited al-Sāmak from Ḥūrān"
al-Ṭhurayya (Pleiades)	الثريا	"yad al-jarūḥ wa-yad al-khūdīb" / "the leper’s hand and the Chūdīb’s hand"
Sherātān (β Arietis)	شراطان	wa-akhadha baqratuhu ilā al-marʿā thumma ʿāda bi-dalīl an-najmah / "he drove his cattle to graze, then returned by the guidance of the star"
Majmaʿ al-Nujūm (Winter Hexagon)	مجمع النجوم	majmaʿ al-nujūm / "assembly of the stars"

This semantic mapping establishes a systematic link between linguistic form and astronomical identification, rendering the inscriptions crucial evidence of celestial nomenclature (Talafha et al., 2019).

2. Modern Astronomical Counterpart Identification

Each documented Arabic star name in these inscriptions is mapped to its contemporary astronomical designation through analysis of positional descriptors and seasonal context:

• Suḥail aligns with Canopus (α Carinae), known for its brilliance and seasonal prominence.
• al-Sāmak denotes Arcturus (α Boötis), a key reference for transition between climatological periods.
• al-Ṭhurayya corresponds to the Pleiades cluster (Messier 45), integrally linked to agricultural cycles.
• Sherātān marks β Arietis, utilized as a wayfinding beacon post-grazing.
• Majmaʿ al-Nujūm encapsulates the so-called Winter Hexagon—Capella, Pollux, Procyon, Sirius, Rigel, Aldebaran, with Betelgeuse central.

This correspondence is objectively supported by J2000 equatorial coordinates provided in the inscriptions.

3. Seasonal and Navigational Roles

The epigraphic data document direct functional relationships between star risings/settings and seasonal or navigational markers:

• Suḥail (Canopus): Heliacal rising signals the cessation of the hot “qayẓ” period and the onset of “shiṭāʾ” rains; explicitly interpreted as the harbinger of moisture.
• al-Sāmak (Arcturus): Its setting concludes “ṣaʿīf” (spring/summer), inaugurating "qayẓ" (heat).
• al-Ṭhurayya (Pleiades): Heliacal rising in late October is a cue for beginning grazing; setting in May warns of dwindling vegetation—a critical migration driver.
• Sherātān (β Arietis): Identified explicitly as a "guiding star" for safe desert return after grazing.
• Majmaʿ al-Nujūm: The asterism’s prominence in mid-winter is tied to nocturnal orientation and defines the “Ḥarq al-shāṭi” (mid-cold season).

A plausible implication is that astronomical observation was tightly interwoven with ecological and social rhythms, with celestial events acting as both chronometers and beacons.

4. Astrological Terms, Symbols, and Coordinate Notations

Arabic inscriptions exhibit formal integration of astrological terminology and schematic representation:

• Seasonal terms are consistently rendered: qayẓ (heat), shiṭāʾ (rain), ṣaʿīf (spring/summer), dalīl an-najmah (guiding star).
• Coordinate-style notations appear in precise J2000 form:
  • Suḥail: $$\mathrm{RA} = 06^h23^m57^s,\ \delta = -52^\circ42′00″$$
  • al-Sāmak: $$\mathrm{RA} = 14^h15^m39^s,\ \delta = +19^\circ10′57″$$
  • Sherātān: $$\mathrm{RA} = 02^h05^m34^s,\ \delta = +20^\circ05′12″$$
• Schematic diagrams, such as the seven-star arrangement for al-Ṭhurayya (Pleiades) and the hexagonal configuration for Majmaʿ al-Nujūm, are uniquely attested:

$\text{Pleiades schematic:} \quad \begin{tikzpicture}[scale=0.6,baseline] \foreach \x/\y in {0/0,1/0,2/0,0.5/0.8,1.5/0.8,1/1.6,2/1.6} \node at (\x,\y) {\(\star\)}; \end{tikzpicture}$

$\text{Winter hexagon:} \begin{tikzpicture}[scale=0.5,baseline] \foreach \angle in {0,60,...,300} { \node at ({cos(\angle)}, {sin(\angle)}) {\(\bullet\)}; } \node at (0,0) {\(\bullet\)}; \end{tikzpicture}$

These conventions function as a cross-disciplinary lexicon, merging practical astronomy with symbolic representation and astrological calculation.

5. Correlation with Landscape, Pastoral Economy, and Temporal Marking

Direct evidence from petroglyphs and inscriptions underscores the use of star events to regulate transhumance, camp migration, and seasonal labor. The Pleiades' connection to grazing initiation, Sherātān's designation as a return marker, and Majmaʿ al-Nujūm’s role in nocturnal orientation collectively indicate an astronomical-technological complex serving the broader landscape economy (Talafha et al., 2019). This suggests that star-based calendrical systems underpinned pre-modern patterns of mobility and resource management.

6. Scholarly Context and Research Trajectory

Key authors such as Littmann (1943), Talafha (2011, 2018), and Clark (1984–85) are continually referenced in contemporary epigraphic analysis, providing a philological and astronomical foundation for correct identifications. Fieldwork in 2018 has expanded the evidentiary base, yielding more granular data on the integration of star names with astrological and ecological phenomena. The continued documentation and numerically precise cataloguing of inscriptions allow for rigorous cross-referencing with modern celestial coordinate systems.

A plausible implication is that further research may reveal additional asterisms or calibration nodes critical for reconstructing the full scope of ancient Arabian astronomical practice. The systematic connection between script, position, and socio-economic practice represents an enduring area for both historical linguistics and archaeoastronomy.