Sothic Dating of the Egyptian Old Kingdom

The Sothic chronology of the Old Kingdom has not yet been securely established because of the small number of suitable dates from this period. An analysis of the Old Kingdom dates associated with seasonal events (wAgj feasts, expeditionary activity, the Nile cycles) reveals that seasonal activity was shifted about a month and a half earlier than would be expected given the actual seasons. This observation suggests that, in conventional chronological reconstructions, the age of the Old Kingdom is underestimated by about two centuries. A comparison of the dates of expeditions to Wadi Hammamat during the Old and Middle Kingdoms indicates that the discrepancy is due to incorrect assumptions about the length of the First Intermediate Period. This conclusion is consistent with the results of a large-scale radiocarbon dating project by G. Bonani et al., which revealed an extensive anomaly in the age of most Old Kingdom monuments, while for the Middle Kingdom the results coincided well with expectations. The significant increase in the length of the First Intermediate Period calls for a new look at this epoch, traditionally viewed as a period of struggle for power between two royal houses and the rapid succession of one Herakleopolitan to another.