Canopus Decree

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Canopus Decree (Egypt)
Canopus
Canopus
Bubastis
Bubastis
Tanis
Tanis
Memphis
Memphis
Elephantine
Elephantine
Map of Egypt

The Canopus Decree is the name of a resolution of a synod of priests in the year 238 BC , written in Greek and Demotic . BC, the 9th year of the reign of Pharaoh Ptolemy III. who for the purpose of honoring in 237 BC By Ptolemy III. and his wife Berenike II on the day of the heliacal rising of Sirius .

The Canopus Decree was also related to the New Year celebrations regarding the goddess Bastet and the addition of a sixth day for the season Heriu-renpet every four years . With this addition as a leap day , the shift of the seasons in the Egyptian administrative calendar should also be prevented.

Find history

As early as April 15, 1866, Leo Reinisch and Richard Lepsius found the execution of the decree on a completely preserved limestone stele in Tanis (in addition to the scientific value, this find was linked to a tangible scientific-historical dispute over the authorship of the discovery). In 1881 a first copy was discovered by Gaston Maspero in Kom el-Hisn . In the period that followed, only small or poorly preserved fragments from further excavations in various places were added.

During the 18th excavation campaign of the German-Egyptian Tell Basta project in Bubastis , on March 16, 2004, another copy of the Canopus Decree was found in the 1st courtyard of the Great Temple of the goddess Bastet. The decree was placed directly at the entrance of the Bastet temple, clearly visible to the population. It was only a short distance from the statues of Osorkon II and his wife Karoama . The new find is the largest new find of a copy in over 100 years and is an important third source of supply alongside the copies found by Lepsius and Maspero.

From the explanations of the text, the importance of the city of Bubastis becomes visible, in which the cult celebrations of the goddess Bastet were held, which are named as the most important events on Egyptian New Year's Day alongside the Min festival , the Opet festival and the Nile flood .

The Canopus Decree

content

In the 8th year of the reign of King Ptolemy III. Euergetes met a synod of priests in Canopus , a port city in the western Nile Delta. Ptolemy and his wife Berenike had already done several benefits to the country. For example , images of gods carried off by the Persians were brought back or tax revenues were waived due to a drought and additional grain was imported from neighboring countries for the population. The Synod therefore made the following resolution:

  1. Expansion of the existing worship of the royal couple in the sanctuaries of the country.
  2. In addition to the four existing priestly phyls , an additional fifth phyle was to be set up, which was called “Beneficent Gods” (nickname of the royal couple).
  3. Public gathering for Ptolemy and Berenice on the day of the rising of Sirius (Egyptian New Year's Day).
  4. Introduction of a leap year. Every four years, an additional day should be added to the Egyptian calendar as a feast day in honor of the royal couple.
  5. Special funeral rites for the daughter who died during the synod and who also bore the name Berenike . Establishment of a cult of the Berenike in all important national temples.
  6. Manufacture of steles on which the order should be written in hieroglyphics , demotic and Greek. Installation in a clearly visible place in all important shrines in the country.

Insertion of a leap year

Controversial discussions sparked a passage in the Canopus Decree, according to which “Sothis is shifted by one day in the calendar every four years”. Ludwig Borchardt adopted an “imprecise form of expression” that does not mention a seldom postponement after three years. Eduard Meyer, however, assessed the statements in the decree as evidence of an existing schematized Sothis calendar . Recalculations after the Censorinus determination that a Sothis cycle would be a constant 1,460 years seemed to support Meyer's statement.

The priestly meeting met in the 8th year of Ptolemy's reign on his birthday (October 28th), while the date of the proclamation fell into the 9th year of his reign. The resolution could therefore be applied to the year 237 BC at the earliest. After the heliacal rising of Sirius. The leap day mentioned in the decree and inserted every four years had the express purpose of fixing the "Sothis day" on the 1st Payni. The 1st Thoth fell in 238 BC. On October 18th. If there had been a schematized Sothis calendar, Sirius would have been in 237 BC. Nevertheless migrated to the 2nd Payni. A possible postponement of the decree date to 239 BC BC can be ruled out, as all Egyptian calendars only date back to 237 BC Chr. Exhibited the described constellation .

Richard-Anthony Parker , among others, spoke out against the existence of a schematized Sothis calendar, referring to the astronomical records that were only made for 236 BC. Signal an advance of Sothis. Parker interpreted this fact as evidence that Sothis rises were recorded by observation and therefore an astronomical Sothis calendar was in use.

Schematized lunar calendar

For the calculation of lunar cycles, the Ptolemies were already based on a schematic data cycle, which showed that in 237 BC. A special calendar situation would occur and allow the festivities to be merged. For this reason, the introduction of an additional sixth epagomal day in 237 BC should be introduced . Block the usual postponement of the cult festivals. The next common agreement of the holidays would not have occurred until the next Sothis cycle .

Excerpts from the Canopus Decree

The decree

Gold octadrachm in honor of the deified Ptolemy III.

"7 years 9  Apellaios what as" the the Peret season 17th day of the first month of Ptolemy III. "Son of Ptolemy II. And Arsinoe I. designates. The decree of the Lenonis priesthood as well as the other priests and prophets, who met and said from the 5th  Dios , on which the Pharaoh's birthday is celebrated, to the 25th Dios, on which he was transferred from his father to rule, applies : The images of gods that were carried away from Egypt by the Persians , Ptolemy III. brought back from their countries and given to the temples. When only a low flood of the Nile set in in the first years of his reign, he waived taxes and had grain brought from Assyria , Phenicia , Alassija and other countries so that the people in Egypt would not suffer from hunger. Ptolemy III and Berenike II. a special and divine day of honor is to be given. "

- Extract from the Canopus Decree

Daughter Berenike dies

“And after the King Ptolemy III. and a daughter was born to the mistress of both countries, Berenike II. , who was also given the name Berenike and was to succeed her as future ruler, it happened that this goddess suddenly and unexpectedly returned to heaven in her virgin state. The priests who came from the king's land stayed in His Majesty's house for a year and ordered great mourning right on this event. They came to worship the king and queen, to reflect seriously and to allow this goddess to be placed in the temple of Phaqota with the god Osiris . This is an important sanctuary among the temples of the first order as it is the most important temple and honored by the king and residents of the whole country alike. The entering of the interior of the sacred boat in this temple by Osiris takes place here annually on the 29th Choiak ; On this day the inhabitants continuously offer burnt offerings on the altars of the temples of the first order, left and right in the dromos of the sanctuary. "

- Extract from the Canopus Decree

Celebration day for the deceased daughter Berenike

“And because little Berenike died, just during the meeting of the priests in Canopus, a statue of this new goddess should be put up in the sanctuary of Canopus next to the picture of Osiris. And since she died on the same day that Hathor , the daughter of Re , died, which is celebrated with processions in most of the country's temples, Berenike should be treated with processions on the 17th of Peret I just like this goddess to honor."

- Extract from the Canopus Decree

The calendar of Ptolemy

Accession to the throne and year of decree

The priests related the 17th Tybi in the Canopus decree to “the 17th Tybi of Ptolemy”, which is why March 3rd can be excluded from the main Egyptian calendar. The coronation date is “25. Dios ”refers to the Macedonian calendar , whereby the month Dios marks the first month of the lunar year and mostly falls on October / November.

In 238 BC The 25th Dios fell on November 17th and the 7th Apellaios on November 30th

The Egyptian calendar compared to the Ptolemy III calendar
Ptolemy calendar Civil lunar calendar Egyptian calendar Macedonian calendar date
17. Tybi 28. Thoth 29. Thoth 25. Dios November 16, 246 BC Chr.
4. Tybi 27. Thoth 1. Paophi 25. Dios November 17, 238 BC Chr.
17. Tybi 10. Paophi 14. Paophi 7. Apellaios November 30, 238 BC Chr.

After the calendar reform

After the calendar reform in 238 BC In 237 BC, the priesthood initiated The usual insertion of the leap month Mesori II in the civil lunar calendar , since otherwise the 1st Thoth would have fallen before the Egyptian New Year in the main calendar .

The Egyptian calendar and that of Ptolemy III. calendar reform from 238 BC. Chr.
Sothis lunar calendar Civil lunar calendar Egyptian calendar date
1. Chenti-chet 1. Pharmouthi 3. Pharmouthi May 18, 237 BC Chr.
1. Ipet-hemet 1. Pachon 2. Pachon June 16, 237 BC Chr.
1. Wepet-renpet 1. Payni 1. Payni July 15, 237 BC Chr.
1. Techi 1. Epiphi 1. Epiphi August 14, 237 BC Chr.
1. Menchet 1. Mesori 30. Epiphi September 12, 237 BC Chr.
1. Hat-up 1. Mesori II 30. Mesori October 12, 237 BC Chr.
1. Schef-bedet 1. Thoth 23. Thoth November 10, 237 BC Chr.
1. Ka-her-ka 1. Phaophi 23. Phaophi December 10, 237 BC Chr.
1. Rekeh-who 1. Hathyr 22. Hathyr January 8, 236 BC Chr.
1. Rekeh-nedjes 1. Choiak 22. Choiak February 7, 236 BC Chr.
1. Renutet 1. Tybi 21. Tybi March 8, 236 BC Chr.
1. Chonsu 1. Mechir 21. Mechir April 7, 236 BC Chr.
1. Chenti-chet 1. Phamenoth 20. Phamenoth May 6, 236 BC Chr.
1. Ipet-hemet 1. Pharmouthi 20. Pharmouthi June 5, 236 BC Chr.

literature

  • Adolf Erman : The religion of the Egyptians. Their becoming and passing away in four millennia. 2nd edition, supplemented new edition of the 1978 edition with an afterword by Eberhard Otto . With a foreword by Jan Assmann . de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2001, ISBN 3-11-017040-X .
  • Wolfgang Helck , Eberhard Otto: Lexicon of Egyptology. Volume 3: Horhekenu - Megeb. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1980, ISBN 3-447-02100-4 , p. 321.
  • Friedhelm Hoffmann : Egypt - culture and life in Greco-Roman times. A representation based on the demotic sources. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-05-003308-8 .
  • Rolf Krauss : Sothis and moon dates. Studies on the astronomical and technical chronology of ancient Egypt (= Hildesheimer Egyptological contributions. Volume 20). Gerstenberg, Hildesheim 1985, ISBN 3-8067-8086-X .
  • Jean Meeus : Astronomical Algorithms. Applications for Ephemeris Tool 4.5. 2nd revised edition. Barth, Leipzig et al. 2000, ISBN 3-335-00400-0 , calculation program Ephemeris Tool 4.5.
  • Jean Meeus: More Mathematical Astronomy Morsels. Willmann-Bell, Richmond VA 2002, ISBN 0-943396-74-3 .
  • Richard A. Parker : The calendars of ancient Egypt (= Studies in ancient Oriental Civilization. Volume 26, ISSN  0081-7554 ). University of Chicago Press, Chicago IL 1950.
  • Stefan Pfeiffer : The decree of Kanopos. (238 BC). Commentary and historical evaluation of a trilingual synodal decree of the Egyptian priests in honor of Ptolemy III. and his family (= archive for papyrus research and related areas. Supplement 18). Saur, Munich / Leipzig 2004, ISBN 3-598-77593-8 .
  • Christian Tietze, Mohamed Maksoud, Eva Lange: A leap year for the royal couple. University of Potsdam , Potsdam, published May 4, 2004, online here .

Web links

Remarks

  1. ^ Journal for Egyptian Language and Antiquity , Volume 4: 1866, June / July 1866, page 50. Leipzig (no year) , requested on April 14, 2010
  2. ↑ Dr. Christian Tietze from the Historical Institute and Classical Philology; Dr. Mohamed Maksoud, General Director of the Cairo Antiquities Administration; Eva Lange, University of Leipzig .
  3. ↑ C. Tietze, M. Maksoud, E. Lange: The Canopus Decree of Tell Basta. In: Kemet issue 3/2004 , Kemet-Verlag, Berlin 2004, ISSN  0943-5972 , p. 65.
  4. ↑ The 17th Tybi corresponds to November 30, 238 BC. BC (Gregorian calendar) or December 4th (proleptic calendar) and does not refer to the main Egyptian calendar. The calendar of Ptolemy III. ran in sync with the Sothis lunar calendar.
  5. ^ Friedhelm Hoffmann: Egypt - culture and living environment in Greco-Roman times. Berlin 2000, pp. 154-157.
  6. ↑ Adolf Erman: The religion of the Egyptians. Berlin 2001, p. 365.
  7. ^ March 7th in the proleptic calendar.
  8. ↑ Mentioned in the Gregorian calendar. In the proleptic calendar, four days must be added.