Fragment of the Turin papyrus.
One of the significant historical sources on which modern Egyptology relies originates from Manetho, an Egyptian priest from Lower Egypt. The few remaining historical records about his life state that he was a priest who lived in Heliopolis around the 3rd century BC, during the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
Manetho’s importance stems from the fact that in his seminal work Aegyptiaca (History of Egypt), which he wrote in the Greek language, he described Egyptian history from mythical times to the Ptolemaic dynasty. He was also the first to introduce the division of Egyptian pharaohs into thirty dynasties, giving them Greek names that have remained in use to this day (Cheops, Chephren, Mycerinus, etc.).
In addition to establishing the chronology of ruling dynasties, which he claimed were descended from the gods, he attributed a much greater antiquity to Egyptian history than that adopted by the official chronology. In his work, he describes periods of Egyptian civilization dating back much earlier in time. The history of Egypt goes back much further than Menes, who is considered the founder of the first dynasty. However, the periods mentioned by Manetho are difficult to determine accurately because it is known that the Egyptians simultaneously used three different calendars.
The Palermo Stone contains a list of kings from mythical times to the Fifth Dynasty.
When writing the history of Egypt, Manetho undoubtedly used numerous sources, from mythological texts to official documents of the kingdoms and existing lists of rulers that were accessible to him as a priest. It is also important not to overlook the still thriving oral tradition at that time.
Manetho’s original work has not been preserved and everything we know about it comes from transcriptions, commentaries, and brief summaries by historians in later centuries, among whom the most significant are Josephus, Julius Africanus, and Eusebius. Unfortunately, their accounts are often contradictory, which further complicates the reconstruction of Manetho’s Aegyptiaca.
Fragments of the Turin Papyrus.
The Turin Papyrus, stored in Egypt The Royal List from Abidos, engraved on the walls of the temple of Seti I (1309-1291 BC) in Abidos, actually depicts King Seti and his son Ramesses II offering sacrifices to the seventy-six previous rulers, who are represented by closed cartouches containing their names. Queen Hatshepsut and the kings from the heretic period have been omitted, so the list after Amenhotep III includes Horemheb, excluding the infamous son of Amenhotep, Akhenaten.
Manet’s Aegyptiaca is especially important for Egyptologists because it was created at the end of the long Egyptian civilization. , therefore it surely contained its most comprehensive history. If it had been preserved, since it was based on first-hand sources, it would have represented the most valuable source for studying ancient Egypt.