76 CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT 



Merenra himself ascended the Nile, and an inscription at Asouan records his passage and return 

 — (Birch). * 



The quarries of granite and breccia-verde at Hamamat, worked under this dynasty ; to which be- 

 long " nineteen rock tombs " at Zauiet-el-meitin ; and a few days farther South, groups of tombs at 

 Schech-Said, El-Harib, Wadi-Selin ; and farther on at Qasr-e-Saiat, these being the last in this direc- 

 tion of the "interesting tombs of the Old Monarchy " (Lepsius eg. and sin. p. 16, 22, and 116). 



" 2577 B. C. = beginning of the Second cycle " (Chinese chron. table, further referred to the 

 " 21st year of Chao-hao " • but reducing the reigns anterior to 2255 to the limit of possibility, makes 

 the date too early for the commencement of Chinese history). 



Fifty-second generation. May 1st, 2567, mostly beyond youth : 



9 Merenra succeeded by his brother Neferkara — (Leps. k. pi. 6, and Birch). 

 2555 B. C. (= 2608 — " 53 " = 2496 calendar years + "7+53" of the Afr.-Maneth. table). 

 The " nitfikris " (= Seventh dynasty of seventy days) is placed "before Neferkara "in the 

 Turin papyrus (Birch). 

 2554 B. C. = " second year of Neferkara," arrival of a commission to continue the works at 

 Wady Maghara. — (Birch). 



Accession of the Eighth dynasty, a Memphite dynasty. The name of king " Snofreka- 

 annu," not found on contemporaneous monuments, — occurs in about this place in the tablet 

 at Abydos. 



Alorus, a Chaldean, and regarded by the Chaldeans as their first king (Abyden., Beros. in 

 Alex. Polyhist., Euseb. i. p. 5, and Syncell. p. 39), born in Babylon as early possibly as this 

 date. — Down to the time of the Assyrians, " 9 + 49 + 1 1 + 8 + 10 " = 87 kings of Babylon are 

 enumerated by Berosus ; the alleged additional " 86 " may therefore be compared. 

 The Shemitic or Chaldean language and nationality, as early therefore as the time of Alorus. 

 2548 B. C. (= 2555 — "7 years "' of the Afr.-Maneth. table), accession of Phidps. The 

 name of king " NoTreka-pepi seneb," not found on contemporaneous monuments, — is next in 

 order in the tablet at Abydos. 



Fifty-third generation. Sept. 1st, 2534, mostly beyond youth : 



Alaparus son of Alorus, reigning at Babylon (Beros. in Alex. Polyhist., Euseb., and Syncell.). 

 The name of king " Nofreka * * * ," not found on contemporaneous monuments, — is next 

 in order in the tablet at Abydos. 



" 2517 B. C. = beginning of the Third cycle " (Chinese chron. table, further referred to the 

 " 8 1st year of Chao-hao" ; but reducing the reigns anterior to 2255 to the limit of possibility 

 makes the date too early for his accession). 



The name of king " Nofrekara-rerele," not found on contemporaneous monuments, — is next 

 in order in the tablet at Abydos. 



Fifty-fourth generation. Jan. 1st, 2500, mostly beyond youth : 



2497 B. C. (= 1413 + " 348 + 103 + 190 + 443 years" of the Egyptian Chronicle, = 249S 

 calendar years = "34S + 103 + 190 + 16 + 43 + 185 + 100 + 100" of the Euseb.-Maneth. 

 table, the Afr.-Maneth. table giving 2609 — ■■ 100 — t — 12 " = 2496), a date possibly markino- 

 the accession of Ahthoes or Ahth6es head of the Ninth dynasty, a Heracleopolite dynasty. 

 Ahthoes proved "more cruel than any of his predecessors," and "wrought evil throughout all 

 Egypt" until becoming insane he was killed by a crocodile (Maneth.). The name of Nofrekarakhentu, 

 not found on contemporaneous monuments, — occurs in about this place in the tablet at Abydos. 



A Chaldean named Almelon or Amelon, of the city of Pantibiblis, reigning at Babylon — (Bero- 

 sus in Alex. Polyhist., Euseb , and Syncell.). 



The name of Tatkarama . ., not found on contemporaneous monuments, — is next in 

 order n the tablet at Abydos. 



Fifty-fifth generation. May 1st, 2467, mostly beyond youth : 



Ammenon, a Chaldean of Pantibiblis, reigning at Babylon — (Berosus in Alex. Polyhist., 

 Euseb., and Syncell.). 



The name of Nofrekaranebi, not found on contemporaneous monuments, — is next in order 

 in the tablet at Abydos. 



"2457 B.C. = beginning of the Fourth cycle" (Chinese chron. table, further referred to 

 the "47th year of Tchoiun-hiu ; " but clearly too early for his accession). Fou-hi, founder of 

 the Chinese empire, may have been at this time living. 

 Hardly earlier than this date the Sixty-year period established in China, possibly, as alleged, by 

 Fou-hi (Pauth. p. . ), but clearly derived from Babylonia, Sexagesimal arithmetic and knowledge 



of the Egyptian Division of time being implied. From the time of adoption — the Chinese chrono- 

 logical reckoning has continued uninterrupted ; a circumstance without parallel, most nations having 

 yielded to the seductive innovation of counting by centuries. 



