Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-12-30
An Almanac Three Thousand Years
Old.

THERE is in the British Museum an
almanac which wants but little of being
5000 years old. An account of it is given
by writer in the Dublin Uatgers5tq Mno-
-dzG1ae of 1916. 1t was doubtless used by
some old Egyptian as monitor, and was
buried with him when he was wrapped in
cerements and mummifed. Some ambi-
tious explorer dug it up, unroIled it,
copied it fac s5naale and displayed it to the
public. 1t was written on papyrus, and
originally covered thirty eight columns.
twenty-five columns are preserved in toll
cradle legibility. The days are written in
red ink, and the figure terminating the
name is followed by three characters pro-
phetic Of the nature of the morning, the
day itself and the evening Thus, under
Ihoth" -January-we read what can be
equiYalently expressed: ''Thoth %, G.
g., NJ" the letters being authorizations
good, good and middling," and imply
ing that the morning and daytime would
be favorable to enterprises of one kind
and another, but that a body had best
general predictions follow particular OBJ
servatiOns. Some of them relate TO re-
1iglous ceremonies thatare to be performed
on given days or to mystic events that
happened on those days, after the manner
OF the church calendars of later times.
Other observations are cautions against
doing certain things on the given days,
and others still are predictions of the
fates OF children that may be born on
those days. These observations resemble
closely the astrological observations that
used to make up a large part of the al
manacs OF the middle ages, and were
common even to the early part of the
present century. But they were not astro-
logical predictions, it is agreed among in
vestlgators, but were perhaps made on as
slight grounds as the beliefs in the influence
of planetary motions on individual beings
or courses of events. The Egyptian al
MANAGES were intended to last for quar-
terniOn, or period Of four years. The
differentiation of a three hundred and sixty
sixth day had been declared an intoerabe
nuisance, and law had been passed abol-
IshIng it. AS consequence the first day
OF the year began to swing round at a
most discouraging rate, and an almanac
was absolutely necessary to instruct the
Egyptian upon what days his feasts and
other ceremonies would fall. The alma
nae in question was made in the time of
Rameses the Great, who lived, as nearly
as can be known, 1900 years before the
birth OF Christ. As examples of the en-
tries made in the almanac we quote the
23d of Thoth, which is marked as a for
tunate day throughout; yet no incense
was to be burned and no hunting or fowl
ing to be carried on; and it was foretold
that any child born that day would not
i've. The 25th was the day of the exit
of the lioness of the Eastern Mountain,
and was to be day of eating and feast
ing. The Goth of Thoth was very bad
day. Do nothing at all this day. is the
entry this is the day of the combat of
Horus and Typhon." The entry for the
28th is & If thou seest anything at all
this day, it will be fortunate" A person
born on the 23d of Paopli would be killed
by crocodile, and on the 9th by a serv
ant, while one born or the 2Sth would
have happy end. On the 18th of Tybi
persons were cautioned not to look at a
rat. On the 18th no person should wash
with water. On the 14th Of Machi the
grateful command was given: Do not
go out before daylight" This Egyptian
almanac is the oldest almanac liz preser-
vatiOn, and of the almanacs that were
written between it and those of the Ro-
man Church there are no specimens ex-
tant.