"Festivals somehow differing from the ancient traditions and general usage are unknown in the calendar of Medînet-Habû, and it is just such festivals which have enabled us to trace fixed years in the calendars of Edfû and Esne.

"We are as little justified in considering the mythologico-astronomical representations and inscriptions on the graves of the time of the Ramessids as founded on a fixed year, as we can do this in the case of the Medînet-Habû calendar. In this the astronomical element of the calendar is quite overgrown by the mythological. Not only was the daily and yearly course of the sun a most important event for the Egyptian astronomer, but the priest also had in his sacred books many mythological records concerning the god Rā, which had to be taken into account in these representations. The mythological ideas dated from the oldest periods of Egyptian history; we shall therefore be obliged, for their explanation, not to remain in the thirteenth or fourteenth century before Christ, but to ascend into previous centuries. I should think about the middle of the fourth millennium before Christ, that is the time at which the true original of the Medînet-Habû calendar was framed. Further, we must in these mythological and astronomical representations not overlook the fact that we cannot expect them to show mathematical accuracy—that, on the contrary, if that is a consideration, we must proceed with the greatest caution. We know now how inexact were the representations and texts of tombs, especially where the Egyptian artist could suppose that no human eye would inspect his work; we also know how often representations stop short for want of room, and how much the contents were mutilated for the sake of symmetry."

Pre-Sirian
Teχi		Sirian,
3192 B.C.
Thoth
Phaophi
Athyr
Choiach
TybiThoth
MenchirPhaophi
Phamenoth Athyr
Pharmuthi Choiach
Pachons Tybi
PayniMenchir
EpiphiPhamenoth
MesoriPharmuthi
Pachons
Payni
Epiphi
Mesori

SYRIAN AND PRE-SYRIAN TETRAMENE-SIGNS.

There is also, as I have indicated, temple evidence that Sirius was not the first star utilised as a herald of sunrise. We have, then, this possibility to explain the variation from the true meaning of the signs in Ramessid times. And it may be gathered from this that the calendar was reorganised[80] when the Sirius worship came in, and that the change effected in 619 B.C. brought the hieroglyphic signs back to their natural meaning and first use.

The whole story of calendar revision may, therefore, possibly have been as follows:—

Pre-Syrian
Teχi		ThothTybiPachons
Phaophi Menchir Payni
AthyrPhamenothEpiphi
Choiach Pharmuthi Mesori
Sirian,
3192 B.C.
1st. Cycle		 ThothTybiPachons
Phaophi Menchir Payni
AthyrPhamenothEpiphi
Choiach Pharmuthi Mesori
2nd. Cycle.
1728 B.C.		 ThothTybiPachons
Phaophi Menchir Payni
AthyrPhamenothEpiphi
Choiach Pharmuthi Mesori
B.C.
618		 ThothTybiPachons
Phaophi Menchir Payni
AthyrPhamenothEpiphi
Choiach Pharmuthi Mesori
B.C.
238		 Pachons Thoth
PayniPhaophi
EpiphiAthyr
MesoriChoiach &c.

The revision of 618 B.C. was not universally accepted, so from that time onward there was an old and a new style in force.

Before I pass on, it may be convenient, in connection with the above month-tables, to refer in the briefest way to the mythology relating to the yearly movement of the sun, in order to show that when this question is considered at all, if it helps us with regard to the mythology connected with the rising and setting of stars, it will as assuredly help us with regard to the mythology of the various changes which occur throughout the year.

We have, as we have seen, in the Egyptian year really the prototype of our own. The Egyptians, thousands of years ago, had an almost perfect year containing twelve months; but, instead of four seasons, they had three—the time of the sowing, the time of the harvest, and the time of the inundation. Unfortunately, at various times in Egyptian history, the symbols for the tetramenes seem to have got changed.