September 11 marks the beginning of a new Egyptian year
The Ancient Egyptian Calendar: A Timeless Relic
On September 11, 2018, Egyptians celebrated the arrival of a new Egyptian year, marking the 6260th Pharaonic year. The Egyptian calendar, considered the oldest calendar in the world, was meticulously calculated by the ancient Egyptians back in 4241 B.C. This calendar’s historical significance is vast, offering a glimpse into the advanced knowledge and astronomical insights of this ancient civilization.
In “The House of History,” Desiree Edwards-Rees noted that the ancient Egyptians were astute astronomers who based their calendar on the Earth’s journey around the sun. They ingeniously divided the year into 365 days, subsequently organizing them into 12 months, each comprised of 30 days. To account for the five remaining days, they designated a short month, thus yielding a 13-month Egyptian year, as explained by archaeologist Ossama Alsaadawy on his official website.
The Egyptians went even further in their precision, dividing the day into 24 hours, establishing specific time measurements for the spring and autumn, and delineating days of the week. This remarkable calendar was thought to be a divine gift from Thoth, the god of knowledge, the moon, measurements, reading, and the alphabet. So integral was the calendar to their daily lives that the first month of the Egyptian year was named after Thoth.
According to Alsaadawy, the Egyptian calendar exhibited remarkable accuracy and practicality, particularly for farmers. Beyond its timekeeping function, this calendar was interconnected with meteorological patterns, astrological phenomena, and solar and lunar cycles. The timing of the annual Nile flood, a life-sustaining event for ancient Egypt, was associated with the rising of the Sirius star, occurring during every flood as it reached the vicinity of Memphis City.
Intriguingly, while Egypt no longer officially follows the Egyptian calendar, it still persists in churches and among the agricultural community. Currently, it is the 1734th Coptic year, which is based on both the Egyptian calendar and the ancient Greek Julian calendar. August serves as the bridge connecting the Julian and Egyptian calendars, providing the foundation for the Gregorian calendar. Festive celebrations marking the new Egyptian/Coptic year occur during the Nayrouz Fests.
While the months in the original Egyptian calendar lacked names, during the 26th dynasty, they became associated with gods and folk idioms. These named months are a testament to the spiritual and cultural significance that the calendar held in the hearts and minds of the ancient Egyptians, reflecting their deep connection to the celestial rhythms and agricultural cycles:
Thoth: The Egyptian god of wisdom and knowledge.
Paopi: The god of agriculture and the Nile.
Hathor: The goddess of beauty.
Koiak: The god of good.
Tobi: The god of rain.
Meshir: The god of winds and storms.
Paremhat: The god of heat, war, and high temperature.
Parmouti: The god of death.
Pashons: The god of darkness.
Paoni: The god of metal.
Epip: The month of happiness, as the Egyptians believed that Horus took revenge on Set for his father.
Mesori: The birth of the sun god Ra.
Pi Kogi Enavot: The short month.
The enduring legacy of the Egyptian calendar, with its astronomical and agricultural wisdom, continues to echo through time, reminding us of the remarkable achievements of one of the world’s most ancient civilizations.
2 Comments
thank you for this effort. there is never enough infromation available about the beginnings of human ventures into thought and fundemental science the arose on the african continent. as the much misguided science and technology of modern times despite the oohs and aahs of their produce nevertheless wane into alarm and disgust because of the wrecklessness of havock that its so called genius bears upon the life of the planet which we all owe our existance to. reeling as a thoughtful person must in these times , it has long been found something intriguing even hopefull in the effort of grasping as clear and as accurate a understanding of the civiliziation that taught humanity the first steps towards living human . one can find the finger prints of egyptian africa in all social pillars from religion of every stripe ,governance, law,science, etc etc. Again thank you for your platform and efforts to seek that special ancient knowledge for all your seeking adds to the clarity all those who seek
The astronomical ceiling from the tomb of Senenmut goes back to the 19th century and provides older versions of the names of the months.
The months were named for a festival occurring at the start of the following month, ignoring the “5 days upon the year” – heryu ronpet
Some of the ones you have listed here seem quite wrong by any measure. Paopi comes from Paen Opet, the month of the Opet festival. Khoiak comes from ka-hr-ha the soul upon soul festival… Wikipedia has a relatively accurate table:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_calendar