Season of the Harvest

Schemu designated in the Egyptian calendar the season of heat, usually in early February and in the Nile Delta, began in Elephantine caused by the flood of the Nile, in mid-February. The term " Schemu " is derived from the root "shem " ( "heat" ) and " schemet " ("The Heated " ) from.

In the Ebers papyrus referring to the ancient Egyptian tripartite year, so there " Schemu " is written as " shame" and translated " time of heat, time of heating "; in the Coptic calendar but with "heat" because the Coptic calendar has only two seasons.

History

Closely associated with the onset of Akhet season was originally the goddess Sopdet, represented by the star Sothis. After Peret period that began after the fourth month of Akhet, the Schemu period followed in direct connection to the fourth Peret month.

From the predynastic period until the end of the Middle Kingdom represented Schemu the months Renutet, Khonsu, Chenti - chet and Ipet - hemet and covered the period from early February to early June; with the beginning of the New Kingdom about 28 April to 25 August.

Development

Alan Gardiner as well as Richard Anthony Parker suggests that the months during the calendar year history changed the shape and shifted by about 30 days back. This was due to the coupling of Sopdet to the heliacal rising of Sirius, which slowly wandered from early June until the end of the second millennium BC to the beginning of July and was ultimately responsible for the relocation of months. For this reason advanced for example, the month Wepet - renpet to the twelfth place while Renutet moved to the position of Rekech - nedjes.

Original layout and month lunar calendar

  • Renutet: early February to early March, the earliest start Moon Calendar: At the earliest 26 Peret IV; later than 26 Schemu I
  • Moon Calendar: Earliest 25th Schemu I; later than 26 Schemu II
  • Moon Calendar: Earliest 25th Schemu II; no later than 25 Schemu III
  • Moon Calendar: Earliest 24th Schemu III; no later than 25 Schemu IV

Datings

Due to the lunar calendar data in the Battle of Megiddo, the following datings for the first day of the month result (from Sunrise ) of Schemu - months:

Season of the Inundation Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC) Senusret III Decree of Canopus
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