There were three seasons in the Egyptian calendar:
- Akhet. Also called the Season of the Inundation. Heavy summer rain in the highlands of Ethiopia each year would cause the Nile to flood as it flowed through Egypt. …
- Peret. Also called the Season of the Emergence. …
- Shemu. Also called the Season of the Harvest.
Experts of Observation
The Nile is at the heart of most things Egyptian, and this calendar is no exception. The ancients monitored Nile water activity from its flooding to its retreat; observing that the Nile began its routine flooding every 365 days, Egyptians put together what is now known as the 12-month calendar, similar to that in circulation.
Three Seasons
The civil calendar was divided into three seasons based on Nile observations: the season of inundation ( Akhet ), the season of growth ( Peret ), and the season of harvest ( Shemu ).
How many seasons does Egypt have?
Egypt experiences three seasons that dictates large parts of their culture. Explore the flood season of Akhet, the season of agricultural growth Peret, and the harvest season of Shemu to see the climate and significance of each to Egyptians. Updated: 11/12/2021
What was the second season of the Egyptian calendar?
The second season in the ancient Egyptian calendar was called Peret, the Season of Emergence. In agricultural terms, this was the growing season and ran from about Mid-November to the end of March in our calendar. It began when the Nile receded, leaving the floodplain full of new, fertile soil. Once the ground was firm enough to walk on, the farmers knew it was time to plant their crops. Farmers would be very busy in this time, maintaining the land and their crops. Even in winter the weather was generally warm and dry, but with the Nile nearby, there was never a lack of water. The Egyptians grew wheat and other grains for bread and beer, fruits like melons and pomegranates, flax for linen, and several kinds of vegetables.
What is the season of harvest in Egypt?
Finally, we get to Shemu, which is the Season of the Harvest. This was the third and final season of the Egyptian calendar, when the crops were ripe and ready. It fell over the period that's roughly late spring to mid-summer in our calendar, which means that Egyptian agriculture was very unique in the ancient world. Most early agricultural societies planted their crops in late spring and harvested in autumn, but not the Egyptians. With a climate that's pretty consistent the entire year, the main factor impacting agriculture was the flooding of the Nile, so the Egyptians were on a different agricultural cycle than other civilizations. Shemu ended as the Nile started flooding and Akhet began again.
How many months were there in the Egyptian calendar?
The ancient Egyptian calendar was divided into 12 months of 30 days each, covering 3 seasons that corresponded to parts of the agricultural growing cycle. Each of these three seasons had within it 4 months, or about 120 days. The first season, the Season of Flooding, was called Akhet, which roughly means inundation. This was the time of the year when the Nile River would flood. The Nile did this every single year at the exact same time, which was really important because the flooding of the Nile replenished the nutrients in the soil. The Nile floodplain - the valley of land near the Nile that actually flooded - was very large and covered most of settled Egypt, so people in this time would rely heavily on fishing and used boats to get around. The annual flooding of the Nile, which falls roughly from mid-July to mid-November in our calendar, was one of the most important and sacred events for the ancient Egyptians, who recognized that this is what made the land fertile for crops. In fact, the start of Akhet, the flooding season, was the beginning of the Egyptian new year.
What are the four seasons of Colorado?
Many people live in Colorado where, about this time every year, many of them tell the same joke, of which they never seem to tire: What are the four seasons of Colorado? Winter, winter, winter, and construction! Hilarious, right? You can also be pretty sure that they stole that joke from Wyoming. Regardless, having predictable seasons is pretty important to Coloradans, and it was even more important to pre-industrial agricultural societies for whom deviations from the norm could quickly spell famine, drought, disease, and other unpleasantries. So, it's no surprise that most of the first major sedentary, or non-mobile, civilizations in the world developed in areas with reliable seasonal changes. Of this, perhaps none was more successful than ancient Egypt, a society that thrived from roughly 3100-300 BCE. Thanks to the constant supply of fresh water from the ever-important Nile River and three very reliable seasons, ancient Egyptians developed some of the most sustainable agricultural practices in the ancient world.
What is the first season of the Egyptian calendar?
Depiction of an Egyptian hieroglyphic calendar. The first season- was called Akhet, which means flood or inundation. It included the months of Tekh, Menhet, Hwt-Hrw, and Ka-Hr-Ka. The second season- was called Proyet, which means emergence. Its months were Sf-Bdt, Redh Wer, Redh Neds, and Renwet.
How many days did the Egyptians have in a year?
The lunar calendar was then used for their religious festivals and rituals, but for their daily lives, the ancient Egyptians used a solar calendar which contained 365 days per year. Each year was comprised of three, four-month seasons, which were named after significant events related to their agrarian lifestyle.
Why did the Egyptians use the intercalary month?
The five intercalary days were used to celebrate the gods' birthdays and the Egyptians weren't expected to work during this time.
How long was a month in Egypt?
The last two days of each decade were considered holidays and the Egyptians didn't work. A month was 30 days long on the Egyptian solar calendar. Since this didn't account for all the days in the year, the Egyptians added an intercalary month that occurred outside of the regular calendar year.
What did the Egyptians use to tell time?
A day for the Egyptians started at sunrise, while many surrounding cultures started their day at sunset. Egyptians initially used sundials, hourglasses, and obelisks to tell time during the day and the stars to tell time at night.
How many decans are there in the Egyptian astronomy?
The rising of each group indicated a new sidereal day. There were 36 groups, or decans, of stars. Each decan consisted of ten days, which yielded a 360-day year.
Why was the lunar year added to the Egyptian calendar?
A civil lunar year, not tied to Sirius, was added every four years to account for the extra day needed to balance the solar calendar to the Egyptian calendar. This was known as the wandering year, or annus vagus. July 19th was the Egyptian new year.
