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Cited by 14Ancient Egypt and ArchaeologyHistorical Astronomy and Related StudiesClassical Antiquity Studies

The present status of Egyptian chronology

Ward, William A.·1992·Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
DOI 10.2307/1357231
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Abstract

The current debate on Egyptian chronology is characterized by divergent opinions on the value of the Manethonian tradition, the lengths of reigns of individual Egyptian kings, the existence of coregencies, and the astronomical evidence. In each of these categories, there is little concensus and a wide range of possible solutions; a precise Egyptian chronology is therefore not possible. The present survey of this evidence and the theories derived therefrom emphasizes that modern scholarship wrongly assumes a precision the Egyptians could not achieve, that it is incorrect to speak of astronomical observations made for other than purely local purposes, and that feast days, including the New Year, began on different days at different latitudes along the Nile Valley.

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Crossref · 10.2307/1357231

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  • The correctness of the High and Low chronologies has been actively debated for more than a century.

    “The correctness of these two alternatives, High and Low, has been actively debated for more than a century [1,26,29,30,34,35].”

    From Resolution of the High versus Low debate for Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt (2025) · cites this paper as [1]

  • Sothic records describe the heliacal rising of Sirius, which marked the first day of the ancient Egyptian civil calendar.

    “Amongst these, the most important are the so-called Sothic records, which describe the heliacal rising of the star Sirius (Egyptian Sopdet; Greek Sothis). This event marked the first day of the ancient Egyptian civil calendar [1,28].”

    From Resolution of the High versus Low debate for Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt (2025) · cites this paper as [1]

  • One of the earliest Sothic records comes from the Illahun Papyrus assigned to Year 7 of king Senusret III of the Middle Kingdom.

    “One of the earliest Sothic records comes from the Illahun Papyrus assigned to Year 7 of king Senusret III of the MK, a ruler known for military expeditions to Nubia and the Levant [1,25,27–32].”

    From Resolution of the High versus Low debate for Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt (2025) · cites this paper as [1]

  • The date of the beginning of the XVIIIth Dynasty in the floating Egyptian chronology has shifted from ca. 1580 BC (Breasted 1906), used by Kenyon, to the current low chronology of 1539 BC (Kitchen 1987; Ward 1992).

    “This date in the floating Egyptian chro- nology has gradually shifted from ca. 1580 BC (Breasted 1906), used by Kenyon, to the current low chronology of 1539 BC (Kitchen 1987; Ward 1992).”

    From Tell Es-Sultan (Jericho): Radiocarbon Results of Short-Lived Cereal and Multiyear Charcoal Samples from the End of the Middle Bronze Age (1995) · cites this paper as Ward 1992

Cites

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Authors
Ward, W. A.
Affiliations
Brown University (US)
Corresponding author
Ward, William A.
Venue
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Published
1992-11
Volume
288
Pages
53-66
ISSN
  • 0003-097X (ISSN-L)
  • 2161-8062
DOI
10.2307/1357231
OpenAlex
W2083863580
Cited by
14
References
13
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2
FWCI
10.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Archeology › Ancient Egypt and Archaeology
  • Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Historical Astronomy and Related Studies
  • Social Sciences › Anthropology › Classical Antiquity Studies
Keywords
Egyptian chronology, Egyptian calendar, feast days, New Year, Nile Valley, ancient Egyptian kingship

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