Historical chronology and radiocarbon dating Dating II science

Historical chronology and radiocarbon dating Dating II: science King lists, celestial events, and wine dockets Turin Canon Sirius Wine docket

Manetho’s Aegyptiaca, a history of Egypt (Ptolemaic Period) only preserved in excerpts of later authors

Turin King-list/Royal Canon of Turin acquired by Bernadino Kim Ryholt Drovetti in the 1820 s

Palermo Stone (Old Kingdom) Fragments of the Royal Annals

Abydos king-list in the temple of Seti I and Ramses II (19 th dynasty)

Early Dynastic Period (3100 -2686 BC) Dynasties 1 -2 Old Kingdom (2686 -2181 BC) Dynasties 3 -8 First Intermediate Period (2181 -2055 BC) Middle Kingdom (2055 -1650 BC) Second Intermediate Period Hyksos Period (1650 -1550 BC) Dynasties 9 -10 Dynasties 11 -13 > Absolute chronology: calendrical and atronomical records (textual sources) Dynasties 18 -20 > Relative chronology: stratigraphy, seriation and sequence dating (excavations) Third Intermediate Period (1069 -664 BC) Dynasties 21 -25 > Radiometric chronology: scientific analysis (radiocarbon dating and thermoluminescence) Late Period (664 -332 BC) Dynasties 26 -31 New Kingdom (1550 -1069 BC) Greco-Roman Period (330 BC) Dynasties 14 -17

Ancient Egyptian calendars Civil calendar (solar cycle) 365 days 12 months a 30 days 5 -6 days added no leap year Second calendar (moon cycle)

Sirius (Sothis/Sopdet)

The Turin king-list The historical kings X IX Nswt-bitj King of Upper and Lower Egypt VIII VII Menj Cartouche of king Menes VI V Ankh! Wedja! Seneb! Life! Health! Prosperity! Column I IV III II I

Synchronisms Egyptian – Mesopotamian – Anatolian chronologies New Kingdom Assyrian king list Second Intermediate Period Middle Kingdom Egypt Mesopotamia Anatolia

Amenhotep III Tuthmose III New Kingdom pharaohs of dynasties 18 to 20 Ramses II

Ancient Egyptian wine dockets/jar labels

Dendera Zodiac

Rising of Sirius – Sothic cycle Every 1460 (365 x 4) years Recorded for 139 AD Must have also happened in 1321 and 2781 BC

Lunar month

Stratigraphy principle that through time archaeological remains are deposited in layers or strata of soil Tell structure

Sequence dating placing ceramics or other types of artifacts in a relative sequence from early to late Predynastic ceramic wares

Recap: Egyptian historical chronology How ancient Egyptians measured time: Ø two calendars: a civil one based on the solar cycle and a second one based on the moon cycle Ø dates were recorded by year, month, season, day of each new king Ø king lists How Egyptologist determine dates: Textual records Ø king lists Ø celestial events Ø wine dockets Excavation Ø stratigraphy and sequence dating Ø synchronisms Difficulties: Ø lack of king name in textual records Ø co-regencies Ø conditions for the observation of celestial events Ø potential calendar reforms Ø lack of textual records and finds All dates before 664 BC (well dated Assyrian attack on Thebes) are established by dead -reckoning (counting back)!