When speaking about human knowledge and practical matters, the Egyptian priests gave accounts that were clear and agreed upon by all of them. According to their traditions, the Egyptians were the first people to discover the true length of the solar year. They observed the movement of the stars and learned how long the year really was. From this knowledge, they divided the year into twelve parts, which later became the twelve months.
They explained that their method of measuring the year was more accurate than that used by the Greeks. The Greeks, they said, added an extra month every other year to correct their calendar. The Egyptians, however, divided the year into twelve months of thirty days each and then added five extra days at the end of every year. This system kept the seasons returning at the same time each year without confusion Private Tour Sofia.
The Origins of the Gods and Religious Practices
The priests also claimed that the Egyptians were the first people to use the names of the twelve gods. These names, they said, were later adopted by the Greeks. In addition, they believed that Egypt was the first land to build altars, set up statues, and construct temples in honor of the gods. They also stated that the Egyptians were the first to carve images of animals and sacred symbols into stone.
In many of these claims, the priests were able to show evidence that supported their words. Ancient temples, carvings, and monuments stood as proof of their long history and early achievements.
The First King of Egypt and the Ancient Landscape
According to the priests, the first man to rule over Egypt was a king named Min. During his reign, they said, almost all of Egypt was covered with water and marshland. Only the region known as the Thebaic district was dry land at that time. All the land below Lake Moeris was underwater and had not yet appeared above the surface.
They explained that Lake Moeris lay about seven days’ journey by river from the sea. This description helped show how much the land had changed over time due to the river’s influence The Egyptians and Their Belief in Ancient Origins.
Egypt as a Gift of the River
To the writer, the priests’ explanation seemed reasonable. Anyone visiting Egypt for the first time, even without knowing its history, would notice that much of the land appears to have been formed by the river. The Egypt known to Greek sailors, where their ships traveled, was clearly land built up over time by the river’s mud and soil.
The same could be said for the land above Lake Moeris, extending three days’ journey farther south. Although the Egyptians did not speak much about this region, it shared the same physical features and appeared to have been formed in the same way.
Evidence from the Sea and the Soil
There was further proof of this idea. When approaching Egypt by sea, even while still a full day’s sail away from land, sailors could lower a measuring line into the water. Instead of sand or rock, they would pull up mud from the bottom, even at a depth of eleven fathoms. This showed that the river’s soil had spread far out into the sea.
The Size of Egypt and Its Measurements
The priests also described the length of Egypt’s coastline. From the Plinthinetic Gulf to Lake Serbonis near Mount Casius, the distance was said to be sixty schoenes. Different nations, they explained, used different measurements depending on the size of their land. Small lands were measured in fathoms, larger ones in furlongs, and very large lands in parasangs or schoenes.
A parasang equaled thirty furlongs, while a schoene, an Egyptian measure, equaled sixty furlongs. By this calculation, the total length of Egypt’s coastline measured three thousand six hundred furlongs.
