Ancient Egypt: Difference between revisions

dating by Sirius
(dating by Sirius)
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** [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_chronology wikipedia "Egyptian chronology"] - this page discusses the problems in establishing Egytian chronologies
** [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_chronology wikipedia "Egyptian chronology"] - this page discusses the problems in establishing Egytian chronologies
* Egyptian archaeological record:  
* Egyptian archaeological record:  
*** not always reliable: often works of state propoganda
*** not always reliable: often works of state propaganda
*** extensive gaps occur between surviving records
*** extensive gaps occur between surviving records
*** Egyptian year count based on events and pharoahs whch is difficult to translate to modern dating
*** Egyptian year count based on events and pharaohs which is difficult to translate to modern dating
* Manetho of Sebennytus
* Manetho of Sebennytus
** Egyptian high priest (of the sun god Ra) who lived under the Greek king of Egypt, Ptolomey I
** Egyptian high priest (of the sun god Ra) who lived under the Greek king of Egypt, Ptolomey I
** major work is "Aegyptiaca," the first organized historical overview of ancient Egypt, completed in 271 BC
** major work is "Aegyptiaca," the first organized historical overview of ancient Egypt, completed in 271 BC
*** Kings List: of rulers and gods who ruled before the kings
*** Kings List: of rulers and gods who ruled before the kings
**** kings list was an EGyptican tradition: see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saqqara_King_List Saqqara Tablet]
**** kings list was an Egyptian tradition: see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saqqara_King_List Saqqara Tablet]
**** the list of ruling "dynasties" comes to us from Manetho
**** the list of ruling "dynasties" comes to us from Manetho
*** includes narratives of events across Egyptican history
*** includes narratives of events across Egyptian history
*** written in Greek, most of original is lost
*** written in Greek, most of original is lost
*** historians rely on translations by others, notably Josephus, Africanus, and Eusebius, all from the Roman era
*** historians rely on translations by others, notably Josephus, Africanus, and Eusebius, all from the Roman era
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*** [http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/ifa/zpe/downloads/1999/127pdf/127093.pdf The First Egyptian Narrative History: Manetho and Greek Historiography] - Academic article
*** [http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/ifa/zpe/downloads/1999/127pdf/127093.pdf The First Egyptian Narrative History: Manetho and Greek Historiography] - Academic article
** [http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs/Manetho.html Manetho's "Aegyptiaca"] - images of surviving manuscript
** [http://www.und.edu/instruct/cjacobs/Manetho.html Manetho's "Aegyptiaca"] - images of surviving manuscript
** Greek & Romnanhistorians
* celestial dating
*** Herodotus
** using the path of the Dog Star, Sirius, Egyptologists have been able to correlate the position of the star with the ancient Egyptian calendar
*** translations of Manetho
** since the Egyptian calendar was the basis of the Roman calendar
*** (which is the basis of the modern European "Gregorian" calendar)
** knowing that July 19 is the Egyptian date for the rise of Sirius, the Dog Star
*** by matching surviving Egyptian records, astronomers and mathematicians were able to date the
**** start of the 12th dynasty at 2000 BC
**** start of the 18th dynasty at 1580 BC
***** more or less by 3 years
*** these calculations have allowed for accurate extrapolation of Egyptian records into modern dating
**** they also showed the Manetho's timeline was greatly exaggerated
* Greek, Roman and Islamic historians
** Herodotus
** Islamic histories of ancient Egypt  << to do


*** Islamic histories of ancient Egypt
== Ancient Egypt Vocabulary ==
== Ancient Egypt Vocabulary ==
* black land / red land
* black land / red land