Egyptian calendars!✨ Flashcards
What did they measure time by and what was its result?
Egyptians probably first measured the time by cycles of the moon.The result was a lunar-based calendar with 354 days.
Why would the seasons run ahead of such calendar over the years?
Over the years, the seasons would run ahead of such a calendar, since the seasons follow a solar-based calendar year of around 365 days.
Why did they want to keep the calendar linked with the seasons?
The ancient Egyptian’s wanted to keep the calendar linked with the seasons to help farmers decide when to plant and harvest drops.
What did they notice each year
They noticed that each year, a bright star called Sirius first appeared above the horizon before sunrise at a similar time of year as the Nile flood.
What did they do with the Sirius?
Mindful of this, they carefully watched for the appearance of the Sirius.
What did they change with the Sirius?
Sometimes, the first appearance of the Sirius came too close to the end of the lunar year, so they added an extra month to that year so that the year could catch up to the seasons.
What did this mean?
However, this meant that each year had a different number of days, which made record keeping and planning difficult.
What did they later develop?
They developed a solar calendar with exactly 365 days.
What did they use this calendar for?
They used this calendar for official record keeping.
What did the Greeks later add?
The seasons slowly shifted through this solar calendar, too, so the Greeks added the leap years when they ruled Egypt.
