Ancient Egyptian Calendar

The Beginning of Time and the End of Eternity

In the Presence of the nb r Dr – Lord of the End

Found in books in the pr anx- House of Life

The ascending and descending of the psDt wr– Great Ennead

Three houses, one each, ra – Tomorrow, Asir – Yesterday, Hr – Today

Papyrus Cairo 86637 c. 1271 – 1163 BCE

The Ancient Egyptian Calendar project is dedicated to reconstructing, understanding, and demonstrating one of the oldest and most influential systems of timekeeping in human history. This project explores how the ancient Egyptians organized their year, tracked celestial and agricultural cycles, and integrated time into religious, cultural, and daily life.

Project Overview

The ancient Egyptian calendar was a solar-based system consisting of 12 months of 30 days, supplemented by five additional epagomenal days. It was closely tied to the annual inundation of the Nile and the heliacal rising of the star Sirius (spdt), which marked the beginning of the new year.

This project seeks not only to study the calendar academically, but to reconstruct it as a living system that can be experienced and applied today.

Key Areas of Focus

• Calendar Structure
  • Reconstruction of the three seasons: Akhet (Inundation), Peret (Emergence), and Shemu (Harvest)
  • Month and day naming systems using historically attested sources and your Amarna-period vocalization approach
• Astronomical Alignment
  • Study of Sirius (Sopdet) and its role in the New Year (wpt rnpt)
  • Solar cycles and their influence on the civil calendar
• Religious and Festival Calendar
  • Documentation and recreation of major festivals, feast days, and temple observances
  • Integration with ritual practices and reconstructed ceremonies
• Daily Life and Timekeeping
  • Investigation of how time was divided (hours, decans, shadow clocks, water clocks)
  • Practical application of the calendar to modern daily routines

Reconstruction and Outputs

This project produces both scholarly and creative outputs, including:

• Illustrated calendar systems and printable papyrus-style charts
• Educational ebooks and research publications
• Audio and video presentations explaining calendar function and meaning
• Interactive or digital calendar tools for modern use
• Reenactments of seasonal and festival cycles

Experiential Application

A central goal of this project is to bring the calendar to life. By aligning modern activities with reconstructed ancient time cycles, participants can experience:

• Seasonal transitions as understood by the ancient Egyptians
• Ritual observances tied to celestial and agricultural changes
• A deeper cultural and psychological connection to cyclical time

Long-Term Goals

• Develop a fully functional, annually updated Egyptian calendar synchronized with modern dates
• Create teaching materials for workshops, courses, and cultural programs
• Integrate the calendar into your broader reconstruction ecosystem (rituals, crafts, scent production, storytelling, and performance)

The calendar of ancient Egypt is reconstructed using the latest research from calendars found inscribed in temples or written on papyrus.  Its festival days, good and combative, are documented in several archaeological and literary sources. The calendar is calibrated with the Heliacal rising of spdt (Sirius) that establishes the opening of the year (wpt rnpt) over the ancient Capital of mn nfr (Memphis) as it was traditionally established in the Early Dynastic period, c. 2773 BCE.

Archaeological Sources

Solar Temple of Nyuserre Ini, Abusir, c. 2500 BCE

Valley Temple of Sahure, Abusir c. 2465 – c. 2325 BCE

Contracts of Hapdjefa, Nomarch of Asyut, reign of Senusret I, 1971 BCE to 1926 BCE, or 1920 BCE to 1875 BCE

El-Lahun (Kahun) Papyrus, 12th Dynasty, c. 1991 – 1782 BCE

Sesostris III Papyrus, 1828 BCE

Sixth Pylon built by Thutmose III, Precinct of Amun-Ra, Karnak, c. 1479 – 1425 BCE

Temple of Thutmose III to Osiris, Abydos, c. 1479 – 1425 BCE

Temple of Thutmose III to his mother (goddess Satis or Anuket c. 1479 – 1425 BCE

Temple of Thutmose III to Mut, Karnak, c. 1479 – 1425 BCE

Papyrus Sallier no. IV, 19th Dynasty, c. 1293 – 1185 BCE

Papyrus Cairo 86637 c. 1271 – 1163 BCE

Temple of Ramesses II in Abydos c. 1303 – 1213 BCE

Temple of Ramesses III at Medinet Habu, c. 1150 BCE

Thutmosis IV wall around Hatshepsut’s south Obelisk, Karnak c. 1401 – 1391 BCE or 1397 – 1388 BCE

British Museum Papyrus EA10474 verso – Calendar of Lucky and Unlucky Days, Third Intermediate Period, c. 1,080 – 525 BCE

Granite trough for seedlings, Dynasty 22 king at Koptos, c. 850 BCE

Papyrus Louvre N 3176, c. 332 – 30 BCE

Temple to Hathor, Dandara c. 305 – 100 CE

Temple to Horus of Behdet, Edfu c. 142 – 57 BCE

Temple to Sobek and Horus the Elder, Kom Ombo c. 180–47 BCE

Papyrus Jumilhac, c. 100 BCE

Literary Sources

Dawson, W. (1926). Some Observations on the Egyptian Calendars of Lucky and Unlucky Days. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 12(3/4), 260-264. doi:10.2307/3854395

El-Sabban, S. (1770). Temple Festival Calendars of Ancient Egypt. Liverpool University Press.

Gautschy, R. (2011). Der Stern Sirius im Alten Ägypten. Zeitschrift Für Ägyptische Sprache Und Altertumskunde, 138(2), 116–131. https://edoc.unibas.ch/21752/

Helck, W. (1961). Urkunden der 18. Dynastie: übersetzung zu den Heften 17-22. Akademie-Verlag.

Sethe, K. H. (1908). Die altaegyptischen Pyramidentexte. Nach den Papierabdrücken und Photographien des Berliner Museums neu herausgegeben und erläutert von Kurt Sethe. J. C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung.