The overlapping-circle pattern on a granite pillar in the Osireion at Abydos, Egypt, is famous in sacred geometry. The temple dates to around 1290 BCE. Many researchers think the pattern was drawn centuries later, but its exact age is unknown.
Truth label: Debated. Serious people disagree. You get both sides.
Go deeper
Drawn, not carved
The circles appear to be drawn onto the stone rather than cut into it, which makes them very hard to date.
A pattern found everywhere
Versions appear on an Assyrian palace floor, in Roman mosaics, in Chinese temples and in Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks.
Learn
- How it is built. Start with one circle. Place the next circles on its edge, each the same size. Keep going and the flower appears.
- Why people find it sacred. Many see it as a map of creation, with simpler shapes like the "Seed of Life" hidden inside it.
Test yourself
Why is the Abydos pattern hard to date?
It was drawn, not carved. Surface drawings can be added at any time.
Sources
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