Counting Years in the III Millenium Egypt: Evidence and Interpretations

The reconstruction of the Egyptian chronology and the counting of years in the III millennium BC is still problematic today due to many reasons. Despite the number of sources of different nature (inscribed tablets, fragments of royal annals, rock inscriptions, etc.) it is difficult to assess with certainty the exact length of reigns of the rulers of several dynasties. Despite the help of new technologies and methods, the chronology of III millennium wavers considerably between various hypotheses of scholars. In this contribution, the typology of data concerning the counting of years and their interpretation is briefly presented: from the Early Dynastic tablets, with the names of the years recorded, to the use of census years and post-census years to mark the pharaohs’ reigns.