| The Season of the Harvest – Smw in hieroglyphs |
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The Egyptian term Season of the Harvest (the Egyptian or Shemu is transliterated as Smw – and occasionally written as Shomu). The word Shemu literally translates as "low-water" and corresponded roughly from mid-March to mid-July when the crops of the grain harvest were collected.[1] Shemu was the third and final season of the Ancient Egyptian calendar (the other two were akhet and peret).
It received its name because this was the period when the Egyptian Farmers would harvest their crops -- in clear variance to the practice of their contemporaries in the ancient world, who had just begun to plant their crops at this time. It is also known as the summer or 'dry' season[2] and is occasionally written as Shomu.[3]
The ancient Egyptians used this name in both their lunar and their civil calendars. The months of the lunar calendar are roughly equivalent to the period from the middle of March to the heliacal rising of Sirius, which during the time of the Egyptians occurred on July 17-19 (Julian). According to Richard A. Parker, to keep their lunar calendar in harmony with the rising of this star, an intercalary month (named Thoth, after the god, which meant the year often had two months with the same name) would be added to the end of the season, usually every 4 years, but sometimes every second year.
Since the civil calendar moved through the seasons over time, losing about one day every four years, this season does not continuously match any part of the modern calendar.
Months
The Season of Harvest consists of four 30-day months plus one little month of 5 or 6 days. This little month was considered to be an intercalary period, which brought the season of 365 days. These months can be either referred to by number (months 9 through 13) or by names as follows:
- Month 9 = Pashons
- Month 10 = Paoni
- Month 11 = Epip
- Month 12 = Mesori
- Month 13 = Pi Kogi Enavot (the little month)
The Season of Harvest is followed by the Season of the Inundation.[4]
See also
References
- ^ David P. Silverman, Ancient Egypt, Duncan Baird Publishers, London 1997. p.93
- ^ Leiden University
- ^ Britannica: shomu
- ^ Marshall Clagett, Ancient Egyptian Science: A Source Book, Diane 1989, ISBN 0871692147, p.5
| Preceded by Season of the Emergence Proyet |
Egyptian Seasons Season of the Harvest |
Succeeded by Season of the Inundation Akhet |
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