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Akhet - The Horizon The Ancient Egyptian Calendar

The purpose of this calendar is to give an overview of how the ancient Egyptian calendar worked and how it would correspond to modern ones. Its purpose is not to state a correct calendar. The Egyptian year was divided into three seasons (Inundation/Autmn, Growing/Wint er and Harvest/Summer) Each season was divided into four months of each thirty d ays making a total of 120 days in each season. Each month was further divided in to three decans to become three weeks of ten days each. At the end of the year, five extra days were thrown in to compensate for the year being 365 days. This o curred in antiquity late June, due to the progression of the stars nowadays late July, when the inundation of the Nile began. As the inundation never ocurred on a fixed date, the rising of the Dog Star (Sirius), which had a fixed date was u sed as a sign that the inundation was near. I have used several sources when composing this calendar. The Julian times given are an estimation, but they are not correct and sources give different info. Da tes has to be calculated anew each year by the rising of the star Sirius, and th e result varies according to where on the planet you are. According to James P. Allen - 'Middle Egyptian; An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs', the names of the months go back to at least the Mid dle Kingdom and probably used primarily in the area around MenNefer (Memphis). T hey were names for festivals occurring in them or in the month after. Around the New Kingdom, the names of the months changed to reflect the festivals held in t he Waset (Thebes) area. This page gives both names and many of the later ones su rvived into Coptic. Not everyone agrees to his theory however. More research is surely needed. The names of the deities for each month are given in ancient Egyptian with a lin k to info about them and in Greek within parenthesis when applicable. MK: Middle Kingdom. NK: New Kingdom

Julian time Season Kemetic Deity Early August early Sept. 1 Akhet Inundation MK:

Coptic Greek

Major Festivals

Tekhi NK: DHhwty Tout Thoth 1st Akhet: Opening of the Year, Wag Festival of Osiris, Festival of the Departure of Osiris at Abydos, Festival of Djehuty, Festival of Intoxication (for Hathor) Djehuty (Thoth) Early September early October 2nd Akhet Inundation MK: Menkhet ('Clothing') NK: pa-en-ipet ('The one of Karnak') Paopi Phaphi 2nd Akhet: Festival of Ptah South of His Wall (MenNefer) Opet Festival (Waset) Ptah Early October early November 3rd Akhet Inundation MK: Khenet Het-Hert ('Voyage of Het-Hert') NK: Hwt-Hr(w) ('Het-Hert') Athor Athyr 3rd Akhet: Festival of Hathor (Dendera & Edfu) HetHert (Hathor) Early November early December 4th Akhet Inundation MK: Nekheb-Kau ('Apportioner of 'kas') NK: kA-Hr-kA ('Ka upon Ka') Khoiak Khoiak 4th Akhet:Festival of Wesir at Abedjou Festival of Sokar at MenNefer Festival of Sekhmet Sekhmet Early December early January 1st Peret Growing MK: Shef-bedet ('Swelling of Emmer-wheat') NK: Ta-ahbet ('The Offerings of Mut') Tobe Tybi 1st Peret: Festival of Nehebkau Festival of the Coronation of the Sacred Falcon (Edfu) Festival of Min

Festival of the Departure of Mut Mut, Min Early January - early February 2nd Peret Growing MK: Rekeh-Aa ('Big Burning') NK: Pa-en-pa-mekhru ('The one of the censor') Mechir Mekheir Festival of Victory (Edfu) Great Brand Festival Aset (Isis) Early February - early March 3rd Peret Growing MK: Rekeh-nedjes ('Little Burning') NK: Pa-en-Amen-hotep ('The one of Amenhotep') Parmhotp Small Brand Festival Festival of Amenhotep Amun, Amenhotep I Early March - early April 4th Peret Growing MK: Renen-wetet (Harvest deity) PaenRenenutet ('The one of Renenutet') Parmoute Festival of Renenutet Renenutet Early April early May 1st Shomu Harvest MK: Khonsu (Moon deity) NK: Pa-en-Khonsu ('The one of Khonsu') Pakhons Pachn Festival of Khonsu Festival of the Departure of Min Khonsu Early May - early June 2nd Shomu Harvest MK: Khenet-KhetyPerti ('Khentekhtai-perti') A deity. NK: Pa-en-inet ('The one on the wadi') Paone Payni Beautiful Feast of the Valley (Waset) Heru (Horus) Early June early July 3rd Shomu Harvest MK: Ipet Hemet ('She whose incarnation is select') NK:

2nd Peret:

Phamenth

3rd Peret:

Pharmouthi

4th Peret:

1st Shomu:

2nd Shomu:

Ipi-ipi (derived from Ipet hemet?) Epep Epiphi 3rd Shomu: Festival of the Beautiful Reunion; (Hathor & Horus at Dendera & Edfu) Wadjet Middle July 4th Shomu Harvest MK: Wepet Ronpet ('Opening of the year') NK: Mesut-Ra ('Birth of Ra') Mesori Mesore 4th Shomu: Festival of Re-Horakhty; Festival of the Opening of the Year (Wep Renpet) Ra-Horakti 5 Epagomenal Days (Days Upon the Year) Day 1: Birthday of Osiris Day 2: Birthday of Horus Day 3: Birthday of Set Day 4: Birthday of Isis Day 5: Birthday of Nephtys Due to the quarter-day discrepancy in a year, some years an extra 6th day was added.

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