Improved Chronology of Old Kingdom Egypt

Journal of advanced research, 2015

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Journal of Egyptian History, 2017

A recently discovered inscription on an ancient Egyptian ointment jar mentions the heliacal rising of Sirius. In the time of the early Pharaohs, this specific astronomical event marked the beginning of the Egyptian New Year and originally the annual return of the Nile flood, making it of great ritual importance. Since the Egyptian civil calendar of 365 days permanently shifted one day in four years in comparison to the stars due to the lack of intercalation, the connection of a date from the Egyptian civil calendar with the heliacal rising of Sothis is vitally important for the reconstruction of chronology. The new Sothis date from the Old Kingdom (3rd–6th Dynasties) in combination with other astronomical data and radiocarbon dating re-calibrates the chronology of ancient Egypt and consequently the dating of the Pyramids. A chronological model for Dynasties 3 to 6 constructed on the basis of calculated astronomical data and contemporaneously documented year dates of Pharaohs is pres...

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Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections, 2017

We review evidence for near-absolute calendar date estimates for the Waršama Palace at Kültepe and the Sarıkaya Palace at Acemhöyük (Turkey) in light of a forensic examination of the radiocarbon calibration curve. Both palaces can be linked indirectly (but closely) to the Assyrian Revised Eponym List (REL) and can thus be connected with the Mesopotamian historical chronology. The possible relevance of some apparent features of detail in the radiocarbon calibration dataset is noted. In particular, we explore a wiggle-match of the dendro-14C sequences from the palaces employing the IntCal98 calibration curve, which better represents what we argue seems to be a pronounced “wiggle” in contemporary atmospheric 14C ages around 1835 BCE. This “wiggle” is missing in the more smoothed IntCal13 curve (the current standard northern hemisphere radiocarbon calibration curve). Using IntCal98, we find a best fit 8 years later than previously suggested. We suggest that this issue of “detail” requires further investigation in order to achieve a precise solution for Mesopotamian chronology. If this wiggle is relevant, we find that the dendro-14C-derived dates are more in agreement with the Low Middle Chronology, thus refining previous conclusions. This result is also discussed in the framework of the radiocarbon-backed high Middle Bronze Age chronology for the southern Levant and a recently published radiocarbon date for Illahun Papyrus 10012B, reporting the anticipated rise of Sothis, one of the key-anchors of Egyptian historical chronology.

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Science, 2010

The historical chronologies for dynastic Egypt are based on reign lengths inferred from written and archaeological evidence. These floating chronologies are linked to the absolute calendar by a few ancient astronomical observations, which remain a source of debate. We used 211 radiocarbon measurements made on samples from short-lived plants, together with a Bayesian model incorporating historical information on reign lengths, to produce a chronology for dynastic Egypt. A small offset (19 radiocarbon years older) in radiocarbon levels in the Nile Valley is probably a growing-season effect. Our radiocarbon data indicate that the New Kingdom started between 1570 and 1544 B.C.E., and the reign of Djoser in the Old Kingdom started between 2691 and 2625 B.C.E.; both cases are earlier than some previous historical estimates.

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…, 2006

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Journal of Egyptian History, 2017

Authors: Rita Gautschy; Michael E. Habicht; Francesco M. Galassi; Daniela Rutica; Frank J. Rühli and Rainer Hannig Source: Journal of Egyptian History, Volume 10, Issue 2, pages 69 – 108 Publication Year : 2017 DOI: 10.1163/18741665-12340035 ISSN: 1874-1657 E-ISSN: 1874-1665 Document Type: Research Article Subjects: Ancient Near East and Egypt Keywords: Egyptian Old Kingdom; lunar dates; heliacal rising of Sirius; regnal year count; chronology From the accepted manuscript: Abstract A recently discovered inscription on an ancient Egyptian ointment jar mentions the heliacal rising of Sirius. In the time of the early Pharaohs, this specific astronomical event marked the beginning of the Egyptian New Year and originally the annual return of the Nile flood, making it of great ritual importance. Since the Egyptian civil calendar of 365 days permanently shifted one day in four years in comparison to the stars due to the lack of intercalation, the connection of a date from the Egyptian civil calendar with the heliacal rising of Sothis is vitally important for the reconstruction of chronology. The new date from the Old Kingdom (3-6th Dynasty) in combination with other astronomical data and radiocarbon dating re-calibrates the chronology of Ancient Egypt and consequently the dating of the Pyramids. A chronological model for Dynasties 3 to 6 constructed on the basis of calculated astronomical data and contemporaneously documented year dates of Pharaohs is presented.

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J. Kamrin, M. Barta, S. Ikram, M. Lehner,& M. Megahed: Guardian of Ancient Egypt Studies in Honor of Zahi Hawass, 2020

The compatibility between radiocarbon-based and Egyptian historical chronologies, as demonstrated by the Oxford Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit (ORAU) lab under Christopher Bronk Ramsey, is used repeatedly to prove the accuracy of science- based dating, despite serious radiocarbon offsets from stratified settlement data. In the latter case, it is claimed that the excavators have misunderstood their contexts. Such argumentation ignores historical-chronology pegs such as dates from stelae, scarabs or ceramics—distorting or discounting hard data. Little thought has been given to this divergence. The following reasons, inter alia, may be suggested for the divergence of scientific and archaeological dating: in stratified settlements, the excavation of pits, particularly the construction of deep intramural tombs, and foundation ditches, may transport older material upward including charcoal, seeds and sherd material. In such cases, the median or mean value of a series of carbon dates would also incorporate residual seed and bone material, producing higher dates than contemporary samples taken from royal and non-royal funerary contexts, which are not subject to such upward shifting of material. As the mechanics of redistribution of materials are similar in most of the settlements, similar results are produced in contemporary settlements. In archaeology, one dates the context not by mean estimates, but by the youngest coherent find group. In the meantime another factor extending the carbon dates has been found. Thus far, the calibration curve was edited from decadal and semi-decadal measurements of tree-rings. Now the University of Arizona’s Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research has produced a new calibration curve based on annual tree-ring measurements for the time span between 1700–1500 B.C. which lowers f.e. the date of the Thera eruption from the mid to late 17th century and even beyond, as far as 1510 B.C. This would be much more compatible with the archaeological/historical chronology.

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