. de Rouge has reconstructed, in an almost
conclusive manner, the pages containing the first six
dynasties, and Lauth, with less certainty, those which deal
with the eight following dynasties.

Extracts from it were inscribed in the temples, or even in the tombs
of private persons; and three of these abridged catalogues are still
extant, two coming from the temples of Seti I. and Ramses II. at
Abydos,[*] while the other was discovered in the tomb of a person
of rank named Tunari, at Saqqara.[**] They divided this interminable
succession of often problematical personages into dynasties, following
in this division, rules of which we are ignorant, and which varied in
the course of ages. In the time of the Ramessides, names in the list
which subsequently under the Lagides formed five groups were made to
constitute one single dynasty.[***]

* The first table of Abydos, unfortunately incomplete, was
discovered in the temple of Ramses II. by Banks, in 1818;
the copy published by Caillaud and by Salt served as a
foundation for Champollion's first investigations on the
history of Egypt. The original, brought to France by Mimaut,
was acquired by England, and is now in the British Museum.
The second table, which is complete, all but a few signs,
was brought to light by Mariette in 1864, in the excavations
at Abydos, and was immediately noticed and published by
Dumichen. The text of it is to be found in Mariette, _La
Nouvelle Table d'Abydos (Revue Archeologique_, 2nd series,
vol. xiii.), and _Abydos_, vol. i. pl. 43.

** The table of Saqqara, discovered in 1863, has been
published by Mariette, _La Table de Saqqara (Revue
Archeologique_, 2nd series, vol. x. p. 169, et seq.), and
reproduced in the _Monuments Divers_, pl. 58.

*** The Royal Canon of Turin, which dates from the
Ramesside period, gives, indeed, the names of these early
kings without a break, until the list reaches Unas; at this
point it sums up the number of Pharaohs and the aggregate
years of their reigns, thus indicating the end of a dynasty.
In the intervals between the dynasties rubrics are placed,
pointing out the changes which took place in the order of
direct succession. The division of the same group of
sovereigns into five dynasties has been preserved to us by
Manetho.

Manetho of Sebennytos, who wrote a his