Hi Morph,


In northern Egypt, the heliacal rising of Sirius (spdt), took place around June 26th +- 2 days during the OK, and roughly coincided with when the ancient Egyptians expected the beginning of the annual flooding of the Nile at Abu (Aswan) in southern Egypt. The exact timing of the flooding varied, as it depended on when the monsoon rains fell on the Abyssinian plateau, but it normally began around the time of the summer solstice at the end of June. (summer solstice c.2570 BC, around the 26th of June; heliacal rising of Sirius, also around 26-27 June)


Sah (sAH, 'Orion') and Sopdet (spdt, 'Sirius') were closely associated with the important ancient Egyptian calendar and the beginning of the year already in the OK:


This Pepi has come to you, lord of the sky. This Pepi has come to you, Osiris. This Pepi will wipe your face and clothe you with a god's clothing, having become clean for you in Djedit (Ddt, necropolis of Iunu). Sothis (spdt, 'Sirius'), your daughter whom you have desired, [who makes] your [fresh vegetables (rnpwt) in] her identity of the year (rnpt), is the one who led this Pepi when this Pepi came to you. P 327 (PT 477 §964-5 P; Sethe Vol 2: 39) ('year' = D21 (r) N35 (n) Q3 (p) X1 (t) + ideo. M4 (rnpt))

(note: a possible play on words between 'fresh vegetables' (rnpwt.k) and 'year' (rnpt))


RECITATION: Ho, Pepi! You are the big star that is Orion's companion, who travels the sky with Sah and rows the Duat with Osiris. You shall emerge in the eastern side of the sky, renewed at your proper season and rejuvenated in your time, Nut having given you birth with Sah, the year having put your headband on you with Osiris. P 317 (T 213; M 290; N 464); PT 466 §882


MK reference linking spdt to the year and the beginning of the year:

Sah (sAH,'Orion') speaks: 'He is my son, older than I (sic)' - so says Sah '....N, who is pure and young, and Sopdet (spdt, 'Sirius') bore him, (even) she the young (rnpii), she of the year (rnpt), a goddess from her birth who is at the start of the year... CT 689

(note: a possible play on words between 'young' (rnpii), and 'year' (rnpt))

Sirius may have been associated with the inundation as far back as the first dynasty. An ivory plate from the reign of king Djer shows a cow with a feather (H6) between the horns, and above the 'feather', a dark disk. Below the cow are three plants on a horizontal base similar to M8, ideogram for the Akhet season (Axt. 'inundation (season)').

CT