Calendar Basis of Early Regnal Year Notations

Determine whether the regnal year notations attested from the beginning of the First Dynasty were structured according to a lunar calendar or the Egyptian civil calendar, to establish the calendrical framework underlying early Egyptian administrative records.

Background

The paper discusses the emergence of regnal year notations on early labels and inscriptions, while emphasizing the lack of direct evidence that would assign these notations to either a lunar or civil calendrical system. Clarifying this would refine our understanding of early administrative timekeeping and its evolution toward the well-attested civil calendar.

This issue affects chronological reconstructions and interpretations of economic and ceremonial events dated by regnal years in the formative phases of the Egyptian state.