Historical studies

20 Tin: LENGTH OF EGYPTIAN HISTORV
These numbers show a steady chanf;e ; and, as
they decrease, they must be the depth below a mark
from which measurements were taken down to the
high Nile. On plotting all the results in a diagram it
appears that there was a total change of 24 ± 4 cubits,
or r25 ± "2 metres in level down to the 13th year of
Sncferu. The interval is cither j or the whole of the
time from Mcnes to the 13th year of Sneferu,
according as the fragment was to the left-hand or
right-hand side of the whole table. That gives then
between r55 and r25 metres ± 20 as the rise of the
Nile from Menes to the 13th year of Sneferu. The
rate of rise has been variously estimated as being from
r25 to ri metres in a thousand years. This gives then
about 1200 years, ± about 400 jears, as the length
of the first three dynasties. It is but a very rough
datum, but it shews that Manetho's 769 years is
not likely to be shortened, and it is of interest as a
purely physical dating. The more general appeal lies
to the actual remains of the kings of the ist and
2nd dynasties, which agree as closely with iManetho's
list as our information at present goes. Of the
eight kings of the ist dynasty, all are now identified
with those of Manetho. This accuracy in the most
remote period should make us have confidence in the
statements about the nearer ages.
39. Now we can review the statements of Manetho,
and compare them with the periods of time as
ascertained from purely external sources, without
any dead-reckonings from monuments.
By Manetho. Externally.
Alexander (starting at 332 B.C.) 332 B.C.
xxvii dynasty begins 526 525
xxvi „ „ 656 664
xviii „ „ 1603 1587
xiii „ „ 3293 3246 or 3366
iv „ „ 4651-4822 4717 or earlier
i „ „ 5420-5591 5500 to 6300
Now these are by no means the exact figures to
be accepted as the most probable truth, as many
small corrections can be made from monumental
sources ; but such would not make altogether more
than a century or two of shift. The point in
question here is to shew that, from sources entirely
outside of Manetho, the long periods can be checked ;
and that the discrepancies are immaterial as regards
the general length of the periods.
No doubt it would be possible to choose in some
cases the worst readings rather than the better readings
of Manetho ; any ancient author can be made
absurd by choosing out readings which are obviously
discordant with facts otherwise known.
Thus we see that the condition of the abstracts of
Manetho agrees with what we should expect, were
they copied from a true history. The different
readings of the abstracts shew them to have many
small corruptions ; but such errors nearly balance on
the average, and the net result is in very close
agreement with the dating as derived from external
sources.
The Attempt to shorten tlu History.
40. In recent years an assumption has grown up
that the time shewn by the Egyptian lists of the
Turin papyrus and Manetho is to be arbitrarily
retrenched. Various shortenings of the history have
been proposed, one of which, I confess, may be seen
in the Student's History.
The whole position was rendered acute by the
discovery of a Sothic rising in two papyri from
Kahun, which proved that the xiith dynasty ended
either at 1786, or a Sothis cycle earlier at 3246 B.C.
That there was no large error in the statement was
confirmed by the months of quarrying in Sinai during
the xiith dynasty, which at either of these two dates
just extended over the suitable season, and also by
the date of the flax harvest in Egypt.
Unfortunately the habit of arbitrary shortening of
the history had become so strong, that the later date
was adopted by many writers, in spite of the insuper-
able historical difficulties, and without even looking
at the probability of the earlier date, which accords
with the Egyptian histories.
The historic difficulties in the published view of
compressing the xiiith-xviith dynasties into 1786-
1580, or 206 years, oblige those who adopt this
position to throw over the Turin papyrus and
Manetho ; and to assume that the reigns recorded
were overlapping eight deep, since 1666 years of
reigns have to be compressed into 206 years. The
prospect of eight contemporary rulers during all this
time, and of their being all recorded by one historian,
is quite improbable.
Moreover to as late as Sebekhotep III, who held
all Egypt from the sea to far up in Nubia, we have
certainly no right to imagine a division of the country.
The 23 reigns, thus vouched for, amount to over a
century on the average length of reign in the dynasty.
Hence for the remaining century we must suppose
sixteen contemporary rulers at once in the country in
order to account for the names.