used by the Ancient Egyptians. 197 



B. c. 



527. Jan. 2. Egyptian year 12il, Thoth 1st ; the first year of Cambyses com- 

 menced. 



332. Nov. 14. Egyptian year 1437, Thoth 1st; the first year of Alexander 

 commenced. 



267. Oct. 29. Egyptian year 1502, Thoth 1st; the cycle of the Seasons was 

 renewed. The phoenix of Ptolemy appeared. 

 30. Aug. 31. Egyptian year 1739, Thoth 1st; the first year of Augustus 



commenced. 

 20. Aug. 30. Egyptian year 1743, Thoth 1st; the first day of the first fixed 

 year ; first used in Alexandria, and by degrees in all Egypt. 

 Their 1st Thoth coincided with the 30th August in the years 

 26, 22, 18, &c. B, C. ; but with the 29th in every other year. 



34. Oct. 27. Egyptian year 1802, Athur 14th; the lunisolar cycle was re- 

 newed. The phoenix of Tiberius appeared. 



P. S. — I think it right to mention that, since the foregoing sheets were 

 written, my views respecting the primary division of the Egyptian year have 

 undergone a slight modification. I offered it as a not improbable conjecture, 

 that a division of the year into three nearly equal seasons preceded the division 

 into twelve months of thirty days each, with epagomence at the end. I am now 

 quite satisfied, not only that this was the case, but that these seasons were sub- 

 divided into months containing alternately thirty and thirty-one days ; the thirty- 

 first day of the last month being dropped in the ordinary years ; and that it was 

 while this division subsisted, that the hieroglyphical notation of the months was 

 adopted, and that the mythological connexion between them and the different 

 deities was established. I was led to see this by considering the positions which 

 the equinoxes and solstices would have in a year commencing on the first day 

 that the Sun's south declination exceeded 12;|°. About the time of the reforma- 

 tion of the calendar in 1767 B. C. the vernal equinox would occur sometimes on 

 the 150th and sometimes on the 151st days of such a year ; while the summer 

 solstice would fall sometimes on the 244th and sometimes on the 245th. But, 

 if we go back a few centuries to the time when we may naturally suppose that 



