'^'»^^ 



used by the Ancient Egyptians. . 191 



be the 1227th year. The 1225th would begin two years earlier, coinciding with 

 the consulship of Antonius and Posthumius. 



This might be considered as decisive in favour of Tacitus having assigned 

 the correct year of the arrival of the phoenix ; but a confirmation from another 

 source is certainly desirable. I find this confirmation in the chronological system 

 of the Persians, who had also a wandering year of 365 days, and who had also 

 periods of 600 years, of which one commenced in 1 767 B. C, the very year that 

 I have assigned for the commencement of the Egyptian cycles. That the Per- 

 sian cycle began in 1767 B. C. I establish in the following manner. The era 

 used by the later Persians was that of Yezdegird, which dates from 16th June, 

 632 A. D. Yezdegird appears to have reformed the Persian calendar by add- 

 ing an intercalary month at the end of every 120 years ; before his time the year 

 was a wandering one, like that of the Egyptians, Now it is said that the first 

 year of Yezdegird was the 2401st year of the old era, supposed to be that of 

 Jamshid ; and, if we count back 2400 years of 365 days from l6th June, 632 



A. D., they will lead us to 6th February, 1767 B. C. It is, however, incon- 

 sistent with what is expressly stated on the subject, that this old Persian era 

 should be the era of Jamshid. His era, we are told, began at the vernal equinox. 

 We must therefore go back about 240 years to 2007 B. C, when the equinox 

 and the Persian new year coincided on the proleptic 7th April, in order to reach 

 the era of Jamshid. Of what then did the epoch take place in 1767 ? To this 

 question I can only give one answer ; and, when we couple it with the fact that 

 the Egyptian cycles began in the same year, it must be admitted to be highly 

 probable that the answer is a correct one. The answer is this. In the year 1767 



B. C. the old lunisolar cycle of 600 years came to an end. The Egyptians, 

 who were desirous of substituting the wandering year of 365 days for their 

 ancient year, of the inconveniences of which they were long sensible, thought 

 the arrival of this epoch a good opportunity for making the change ; and the 

 first year of the new cycle of 600 years was their first wandering year, and con- 

 sequently the first year of their cycle of 1500 years. The Persians had adopted 

 the year of 365 days 240 years before ; but, on the arrival of this epoch, they 

 counted their years from it, rather than from the introduction of the wandering 

 year by Jamshid ; and, what is very remarkable, they appeared to have retained 

 the use of cycles, or rather systems, of 600 years, after they had totally abandoned 

 the use of the tropical year, and when these periods had consequently lost, or at 



