he dates of certain
operations which are likely to have taken place at particular seasons
of the year so that they can be roughly calculated on the Sothic basis,
others on Manetho's figures, average lengths of reigns, evidence of the
Turin Papyrus, &c.

Table I. page 79 shows the chronology of the first nineteen dynasties,
according to recent authorities, before and after the discovery of the
Kahun Sothic date.

The dates of the earlier dynasties in this table are always intended to
be only approximate; for instance, Meyer in 1904 allowed an error of 100
years either of excess or deficiency in the dates he assigned to the
dynasties from the Xth upwards.

The other dynasties are dated as in Table II. by different authorities.

See Ed. Meyer, _Geschichte des Altertums_, Bd. i. (Stuttgart, 1884),
_Geschichte des alten Agyptens_ (1887), _Agyptische Chronologie_
(_Abhandl._ of Prussian Academy) (Berlin, 1904, with the supplement
_Nachtrage zur agypt. Chronologie_, ib. 1907); K. Sethe, "Beitrage zur
altesten Geschichte Agyptens" (in his _Untersuchungen_, Bd. iii.)
(Leipzig, 1905); J. H. Breasted, _Ancient Records of Egypt_,
"Historical Documents," vol. i. (Chicago, 1906); W. M. F. Petrie, _A
History of Egypt_, vol. i. (London, 1884), vol. iii. (1905),
_Researches in Sinai_ (London, 1906); G. Maspero, _Histoire ancienne
des peuples de l'orient_ (Paris, 1904); A. Wiedemann, _Agyptische
Geschichte_ (Gotha, 1884); articles by Mahler and others in the
_Zeitschrift fur agyptische Sprache and Orientalistische
Literaturzeitung_ (recent years). (F. Ll. G.)

III. HISTORY

1. _From the Earliest Times to the Moslem Conquest._

In the absence of a strict chronology, the epochs of Pharaonic history
are conveniently reckoned in dynasties according to Manetho's scheme,
and these dynasties are grouped into longer periods:--the Old Kingdom
(Dynasties I. to VIII.), including the Earliest Dynasties (I. to III.)
and the Pyramid Period (Dynasties IV. to VI.); the Middle Kingdom
(Dynasties IX. to XVII.), including the Heracleopolite Dynasties (IX. to
X.) and the Hyksos Period (Dynasties XV. to XVII.); the New Empire
(Dynasties XVIII. to XX.); the Deltaic Dynasties (Dynasties XXI. to
XXXI.), including the Saite and Persian Periods (Dynasties XXVI. to
XXXI.). The conquest by Alexander ushers in the Hellenistic age,
comprising the periods of Ptolemaic and Roman rule.

_The Prehistoric Age._--One of the most st