Tianshe

Tianshe before Tang Dynasty

Tianshe means Celestial Altar of the Earth Deity, was an asterism representing the altar for sacrifices to the Earth god. It lies in the region of the modern constellations Vel/Pup, and was established by the Gan school about two millennia ago. Since it is located outside the system of the 28 lodges, it was classified as one of the “outer asterisms”. Some Han-dynasty scholars also referred to it as Tiangong She (天公社, “Heavenly Earth-God Altar”).

Etymology and History

The Gan asterisms, as a systematic body, emerged in the late Western Han, constructed upon the framework of the earlier Shi asterisms. At the time of the formation of Tianshe, the region already contained the Shi asterism Tianji (天稷,“Celestial Cereals”), representing the altar for sacrifices to the Grain deity. Perhaps deliberately, the Gan asterisms Tianshe and Tianmiao (天庙,“Celestial Ancestral Temple”) were set in association with Tianji, together constituting a celestial zone thematically dedicated to ritual sacrifice. This convergence reflects the ritual ideology of the Han period: as prescribed in the ritual classic Liji (礼记, Book of Rites), when a royal capital was laid out, altars to She (社, Earth deity) and Ji (稷, Grain deity) were to be built to the right of the royal palace, while the ancestral temple (庙, Miao) was to be located on the left—the left being the position of honor.

Later sources added a mythological dimension: it was said that Goulong 句龙, son of the water-controlling figure Gonggong 共工, was able to regulate water and land, and thus was worshipped together with She; his spirit was believed to become the stars.

Beyond its role in state cults, Tianshe was also thought to preside over local and village-level worships and sacrifices.

Identification of stars

Star Names or Orders(Qing)	Ho PENG YOKE	Yi Shitong Based on catalogue in 18th century	Pan Nai based on Xinyixiangfayao Star Map	SUN X. & J. Kistemaker Han Dynasty	Boshun Yang before Tang dynasty*	Boshun Yang Song Huangyou(1052)
1st/Determinative	gamma Vel	gamma Vel	nu Pup	nu Pup	zeta Pup	nu Pup
2nd	b Vel	b Vel	x Pup	pi Pup	gamma Vel	L2 Pup
3rd	omicron Vel	delta Vel	D Pup	sigma Pup	a Vel	C Pup
4th	delta Vel		E Pup	zeta Pup	c Vel	sigma Pup
5th	kappa Vel	kappa Vel	Pi Pup	gamma Vel	Lambda Vel	c Pup
6th	N Vel	N Vel	c Pup	chi Car	M vel	zeta Pup

* The "before Tang dynasty" version of Boshun Yang is revised here compared with his 2023 version in PhD thesis.

Maps (Gallery)

On the basis of Han star catalogs and descriptions of early star maps, the positions of the Shi asterism Tianji and the Gan asterisms Tianshe and Tianmiao can be approximately reconstructed. Among them, Tianji is the most securely identifiable.

Tianji lies close to the celestial horizon, with the Gan asterism Qifu (器府,“House for Musical Instruments”) immediately to its left. This spatial arrangement would allow Tianmiao to be placed only above, not directly to the left, of Tianji. Interestingly, however, the two earliest extant star maps—the Cheonsang-yeolcha-bunya-jido and the Dunhuang star map—both position Tianmiao immediately to the left of Tianji, near the horizon. This deviation was most likely influenced by ritual concepts.

historical map	same in Stellarium
Tianshe, Tianji and Tianmiao in Cheonsang-yeolcha-bunya-jido	Tianshe before Tang in Stellarium
Tianshe, Tianji and Tianmiao in Dunhuang Star Map
Tianshe, Tianji and Tianmiao in Geziyuejintu
Tianshe, Tianji and Tianmiao in Suzhou Star Map	Tianshe, Tianji and Tianmiao in Song Dynasty

Star Name Discussion (IAU)

In 202x, the name of the historical constellation "xxx" was suggested to be used for one of the stars in this constellation. ...

Decision: ...

References

References (Chinese)