Recovering the Lost World --Jno Cook
The Canopus Decree.
[Table of Contents]
$Revision: 19.11 $
Contents of this chapter:
[The Canopus Decree]
[Sothic Dating]
[Venus Rising]
[Sirius Rising]
[Implications]
[Further notes]
[Endnotes]
The Canopus Decree is an engraved block of stone, in three languages (and in three scripts), found at Tanis in the delta of Egypt, dating to the year 239 BC. The Canopus Decree was introduced by the Greek pharaoh Ptolemy III, even though it reads as if mandated by the priests. It records an order to add one day every four years to the civil calendar, but the decree was never implemented.
The Egyptians at that time used a civil calendar of 365 days -- composed of 12 months of 30 days with 5 days added at the end. In addition an observational lunar calendar was kept, alternating 29 and 30 days (averaging 29.5 days, the synodic period of the Moon), which was intercalated periodically, since it ran 11 days short of the solar year. A third seasonal calendar was also kept, starting some time in July or August with the inundation, or expected inundation, of the Nile.
The Canopus Decree
The Canopus Decree of 239 BC first introduces a new feast day honoring the pharaoh, then states when the New Year is celebrated, and that the rising of "Sothis" moves one day every four years.
"At present it occurs in this 9th year [of the reign of the pharaoh Ptolemy III] on the first day of Payni, in which month is celebrated the festival of New Year.... But as the case will occur, that the rise of Sothis advances to another day in every 4 years, the day of the celebration of this feast, shall not pass along but it shall be celebrated on first day of Payni and the feast shall be celebrated as in the ninth year."
The decree then states that one day will be added to the civil calendar every four years...
" But that these feast days shall be celebrated in definite seasons for them to keep for ever, and after the plan of the heaven established on this day and that the case shall not occur, that all the Egyptian festivals, now celebrated in winter, shall not be celebrated some time or other in summer, on account of the precession of the rising of the Divine Sothis by one day in the course of 4 years, and other festivals celebrated in the summer, in this country, shall not be celebrated in winter, as has occasionally occurred in past times, therefore it shall be, that the year of 360 days and the 5 days added to their end, so one day as feast of Benevolent Gods [the pharaoh and family] be from this day after every 4 years added to the 5 epagomenae before the new year, whereby all men shall learn, that what was a little defective in the order as regards the seasons and the year, as also the opinions which are contained in the rules of the learned on the heavenly orbits, are now corrected and improved by the Benevolent Gods."
[note 1]
"Sothis" in this translation (from the Egyptian text) is used both for the planet Venus as well as the star Sirius. "Sothis" means "brilliant" or "blazing," and could be applied to Sirius as well as Venus. The Greek text clearly reads "the star of Isis" for "Sothis." It has been suggested that this use of "Sothis" refers to Venus. The Greek text was primary, since the decree was composed by the pharaoh, who was Greek. But I doubt if Venus was meant.
Velikovsky states that Pliny identifies "the star of Sothis" as Venus. The identification of the star Sirius as "the star of Isis" is an equation found already in the Persian Zend-Avista of the seventh century BC. References to Sothis occur in the earliest Egyptian funeral texts, dating back to 2345 BC. What relationship does Sirius, a star, have with Venus, a planet?
The misidentification of "Sothis" with the star Sirius, which many archaeologists and historians have made, when it could equally refer to Venus, should be apparent from the text of the decree. Venus moves one day in its heliacal rising every four years. Sirius does not move "one day every four years." Sirius is a fixed star and does not move.
On the other hand, seen from the vantage point of the 365 day calendar, Venus did not move in the calendar. Sirius moved a day every four years, as did all the other stars, and even the solstices and the equinoxes.
Sothic Dating
In AD 1904 the Eduard Meyer of the Berlin School of Egyptology devised a theory of Egyptian chronology based on the 360-plus-5 day Egyptian calendar and the star Sirius. Meyers proposed that the Canopus Decree spoke solely to Sirius, the Dog Star, and proposed that the Canopus Decree directed the use the heliacal rising of Sirius as a New Year day, abandoning the practice of a short 365 day year which slipped backwards against the seasons.
Meyer proposed that in the past the Egyptian had used a 365 day civil calendar which moved a quarter of a day every year with respect to the previous year, so that after 1460 years it would be back in the season and on the day (and seen against the same background of stars) that it started to drift from. This became the "great year" of the Sothic cycle. Meyer's theory of Sothis dating additionally depended on comments written 500 and 600 years later.
"... a veritable linch-pin of his Sothic theory was the combined classical evidence of Theon of Alexandria (fourth century AD), and the Roman author, Censorinus (3rd century AD)."Sirius Rising
"Meyer believed that the development of a significant relationship between the heliacal rising of Sirius, and the historical dates, had become possible due to a statement made by Censorinus (in AD 238) that New Year's Day for the Egyptians in c.139 AD had fallen on the 21st of July. It was on that day that the bright star Sothis was supposed to have made its annual appearance."
-- Damien F. Mackey "The Sothic Star Theory of the Egyptian Calendar" (1995) at [http://www.specialtyinterests.net/sothic_star.html]
The "evidence" of Theon of Alexandria is a remark that a "great year" ends in AD 27. The date does not match any other information, but it was the mention of a "great year" which interested Meyer. Other researchers have claimed that the "great year" was simply a lunar calendar year of 13 months -- the observational lunar calendar with one additional intercalated month. But for Meyers this suggested that any mention in Egyptian records of the remote past of "Sothis Rising" could be used to accurately date events.
Some have identified the date in question in 239 BC as 17-19 July. Others are certain that Sirius should have risen heliacally on July 21. I think neither is correct. July 21, Julian, is for a latitude of 42 degrees, like Rome. I have July 8th (Julian) for the heliacal rising of Sirius in 239 BC at Cairo. Today (AD 2000) Sirius rises on July 25 at Cairo. [note 5]
Sirius is one of the brightest star in the sky, but it is unlikely that the helical rising of Sirius, or, for that matter, any other star, could be used as a clear marker of the start of a calendar. During heliacal rising Sirius only achieves a magnitude of 4.5 at the horizon -- a dim star at best. It is much brighter a few days (and degrees of elevation) later. Once it is some ten degrees away from the horizon, it reaches its magnitude of 1.9 -- shining then as the second brightest object in the sky.
The Egyptians were also hindered from seeing the east horizon from the Nile valley by the high lands bordering the river. "Heliacal rising" is not well defined as a result, and not easily detected. The Egyptians, in fact, never took much interest in rising stars, although they charted three dozen groups of stars for the purpose of time keeping during the night.
The Sothic Dating theory has been abandoned in practice, for it simply makes no sense as a calendar for a people, but not before finding its way into many textbooks where it has become solidly ensconced as indisputable fact. Meyers attitude in 1904 is a remnant of the medieval European confidence in 'the wisdom of the ancients,' as if the ancients could keep track of 1460 year time spans. Meanwhile, it has made a mess of Egyptian dating.
I would suggest that it never existed. The Egyptian 365 day calendar, used at a time when the year was 365.24 days long, was only in effect since 747 BC, or perhaps since 685 BC, or some other date. It was designed to keep the risings and settings of Venus perfectly in tune with the religious calendar, even though all other celestial events would slip into the future. The 365 day calendar included 12 "months" of 30 days, which had nothing to do with the cycles of the moon, and five days which were not in any month. The basis of its use was in the previous calendar, in effect before 747 BC, when the year was 360 days, the month was 30 days long, and the rising of Venus, or Sirius, or any other star, or even the equinox or solstice date, kept perfectly in sync with the 360 day calendar.
Venus rising
The Egyptians, and apparently other people of the eastern Mediterranean, had long ago developed a concept that every God and every being was represented by a star. The star of Venus was Sirius. Both Venus and Sirius were the most brilliant objects in the sky. Sirius was also important because it traveled in an arc across the southern skies, framing the Nile which flows from the center of the arc. Since Sirius rises late in July, its appearance in the mornings before sunrise signalled the flood of the Nile, which started some time in late July or early August. Considering that the start of the inundation of the Nile was the major event of the Egyptian agricultural calendar, the rising of Sirius in late July would be a significant marker date for a calendar -- at least, for an agricultural calendar.
Each year Sirius was first seen above the southeastern horizon in mid to late July. Sirius would rise about July 17 (Gregorian), first seen along the eastern horizon, and rise earlier each night thereafter. By December 11 Sirius would rise in the east a few hours after sunset and reach the western horizon just as the Sun was rising in the east. Over the next five months Sirius would be seen progressively further west in the sky at nightfall and set in the west sooner. [note 1c]
Venus is seen above the eastern horizon before sunrise as the brightest object in the sky for a period of about 8 to 9 months, five times out of every eight Earth years (and five times in the west). At first Venus becomes visible just before sunrise. Over the following weeks it is seen earlier and higher up in the sky, but never more than about 40 degrees from the horizon. After climbing in the sky for 4 months, it will start to appear lower, to eventually disappear behind the rising Sun, and then (after 50 days) appear in the west for about 9 months, following the same sequence of initially appearing at the horizon, and then appearing higher in the sky every night. It will reappear in the east again after about 8 days. The five periods of eastern visibility rotate through the years, only to repeat exactly at the end of 8 years, but displaced by two days. [note 1b]
Venus had looked much brighter on its heliacal rising in remote antiquity (although no longer in 239 BC) than Sirius ever would, because of the spreading plasma tail which was directed towards Earth as Venus was passing in front of the Sun. It would have been much more brilliant than any star at the horizon. Using a Venus calendar (which a number of other nations also used) made sense. Every 8 years Venus would rise in the east against a backdrop of the same stars as 8 years earlier, without loosing a single days in the solar year.
![[Image: Heliacal rising
of Venus in antiquity]](bin/goingup.jpg)
Image: Heliacal rising of Venus in antiquity
As it moved past the Sun, the brilliant flaring tail would swing from being parallel to the horizon to point directly up -- the "going up of Sothis," as Egyptian texts describe a phenomenon which we tend to interpret as 'heliacal rising,' and using the feminine ending for Sothis ("spd.t") to signify Isis, that is, Venus. Over the following days the tail would grow in length and become visible earlier before sunrise while Venus rose higher in the sky. If the ancients needed a spectacular periodic sign for the regulation of the year, which would they select? It is true that at the time of the Canopus Decree the tail had possibly not been seen since 685 BC and certainly Venus was much reduced in brilliance from the remote past.
Velikovsky offered the suggestion (I think correctly so) that the first reading of "Sothis" is indeed "Venus," but that later references are to Sirius, and suggested that the 'priests' were attempting to nail the calendar to the rising of Sirius.
The earlier 360 day calendar was most likely related to the Venus cycles, for the synodic period of Venus had been 600 days before 747 BC. Throughout the year the helical rising and setting of Venus would fall on the same days of the seasons, and, although the rising and setting dates would vary, every 8 years the same cycle would repeat. This was probably true even though Venus may still have been on an elliptical orbit, as was the Earth. Before 747 BC, the new year day of the 360 day calendar might have been initiated, not by observation of the equinox, but by the helical rising of Venus -- on an 8 year cycle.
Implications
It should also be obvious also that it really does not matter. It makes no difference if the original calendar was timed to the helical rising of Venus or not. In either case the Egyptians were burdened with a shifting administrative (civil and religious) calendar -- a calendar which did not account for leap years. The Toltecs, Inca, and Maya used the same Venus calendar, but the Toltecs and Incas added a leap day every four years. The Maya, like the Egyptians, did not. Julius Caesar added a leap day to the Roman calendar in 40 BC.
In later years the pharaohs were required, before accession, to swear not to change the calendar or add a day, in a ceremony performed, significantly, in the temple of Isis (Venus). This makes it look as if the calendar reform was rejected by the caucus of priests and perhaps especially those outside of the delta. It was not a matter of calendars; it was about disturbing the sacred feastdays. Historians seem to forget the importance of religious celebrations -- the very heart of calendars.
The imposition of the Julian calendar by Augustus in 23 BC resolved the issue, in effect implemented the Canopus Decree. With the Julian calendar the year in Egypt started on August 29 (Augustus' birthday). This date was close enough to the start of the less formal agricultural calendar to satisfy nearly everyone. Upper Egypt, outside of the control of the Romans of the delta, retained the Venus calendar for an additional six hundred years.
The Roman calendar had ran into the same slippage because it was also based on an exact count of days. Ceasar resolved that in 40 BC by moving the starting date back two months, and introducing a leap day to be added every four years. When Rome took over Egypt, Augustus was faced in 23 BC with the same problem with the Egyptian calendar, which had slipped an additional 52 days since the Canopus Decree had been rejected (starting the year at the beginning of May). The selection of August 29 as the starting date, lobbed a full four months off the Egyptian calendar. What Ceasar had done, Augustus could do also.
Further notes
If we can use the year 239 BC with an ephemeris, rather than adjust it for the error of eastern Mediterranean chronology, then in the same year of 239 BC, at the vernal equinox, Venus rose with the Sun. Indeed, the year 239 BC would have completed a "Great Sothic Year" as devised by Eduard Meyer -- if only Venus were to be understood as representing Sothis, and a "Great Year" as representing 1460 solar years. It was an auspicious year to request a change in the calendar. The phrase (not included above) "after the plan of the heaven established on this day," says as much. Velikovsky read that phrase in the Canopus Decree as meaning, "the change in the skies since 747 BC," but I think it is much more likely that it is a reference to the rising of Venus at the spring equinox in 239 BC.
The suggestion, from the text of the Canopus Decree, that New Year had previously fallen in winter in the past needs also to be considered. This could only have happened if after 747 BC, the Egyptians had failed to add 5 days to the civil calendar, and had remained with a 360 day calendar. That would mean that the calendar fell behind 5.24 days every year, so that the calendar would rotate through a complete year every 70 years. Although that may have happened in the past (or the statement in the Canopus Decree could be hyperbole), by 239 BC the Egyptians were using a 365 day calendar, which only fell 1/4 day behind every year.
At some time in the past the five days were added, but not the last quarter day. It may have been the Assyrians who brought the extra five days during their occupation in ca 685 BC, or the Persians in 525 BC. The Egyptians, whose civil and religious calendar assigned significant feast days to every one of the 360 days, were stuck, and made the decision to honor the birthdays of the five primary Gods on the extra five days.
The month "Payni" is the 10th month of the year, part of our June and July. That places the end of the 12th month (and the end of the calendar year) in mid September. This suggests that in the past the autumnal equinox was used as the start of the year. That is not unusual, for nearly every nation on Earth celebrated the new year at the autumnal equinox since 2349 BC. [note 4a]
The Canopus Decree suggests celebrating the extra day on the first day of Payni (or after the five days which follow the end of the year). The first day of Payni would likely be the summer solstice -- and thus about 90 days had slipped since the fall equinox. The slipped days to 239 BC, counting from 685 BC, adjusted for the change in the autumnal equinox in 685 BC (in the opposite direction), is (685 - 239) * .24 - 15 = 92.04.
The fact that the new-year day was celebrated at the solstice, and could continue to be if the leap day was added, may also be what was meant by "after the plan of the heaven established on this day." But, as I have pointed out, we know virtually nothing about the operation of the Egyptian calendars.
Endnotes
S. Birch "Records of the Past", Series 1, Vol.VIII, (1876) (text at
http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/texts/canopus_decree.htm), translated from
the hieroglyphic version.
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Since 685 BC, and until AD 400 or 600, Sirius had appeared red, since
it fell behind the last band of the Absu at a culmination of 43 degrees.
Before that 685 BC it traveled above the Absu, just below the equatorial.
At that time it would have been the brightest star in the sky.
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For example, in the period after the year 2000, the following sequence of eastern rising will happen. After 8 years Venus rises in the east 2 days earlier in the calendar.
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The Israelites move the celebration of new year to the spring
equinox, or rather to the first full moon after, after 1492 BC. The
Babylonians followed suit after 747 or 685 BC.
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----
Special thanks to Carlo Vitale for questioning the earlier text.
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