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The Gods' Birthdays

The Gods' Birthdays

The Egyptian Religious Year (12/12).

The History of Egypt Podcast

December 4, 201725m 11s

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Show Notes

The Egyptian Religious Year (12/12): Birthdays of the Gods.


The end of the year in ancient Egypt was a surprisingly unlucky time. With summer heat at unbearable levels, the Nile at its lowest ebb, and people suffering from physical or spiritual malaise, the final days of the religious year were not so happy. Fortunately, the ancients had some tools to ward off disaster.


Select Bibliography:

  • Tamas A. Bacs, “Two Calendars of Lucky and Unlucky Days,” Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur, 1990.
  • J.F. Borghouts, Ancient Egyptian Magical Texts, 1978.
  • Peter Der Manuelian, “An Essay in Document Transmission: Nj-k-anx and the Earliest hriw-rnpt,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1986.
  • Richard A. Parker, The Calendars of Ancient Egypt, 1950.
  • Anthony Spalinger, “Some Remarks on the Epagomenal Days in Ancient Egypt,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1995.

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