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By around 2500 BC, and probably earlier, the ancient Egyptians kept a calendar of 365 days: twelve months of 30 days each, followed by five extra days.

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The twelve months were grouped into three seasons named after the Nile's yearly cycle: Akhet, the flood; Peret, when the fields emerged from the water; and Shemu, the harvest and low water. Each month had three ten-day weeks. The five extra days, called epagomenal (“added on”) days, stood outside the months and were celebrated as the birthdays of the gods Osiris, Horus, Set, Isis and Nephthys. The true solar year is about a quarter of a day longer, and with no leap day the calendar slipped a day every four years, so its seasons slowly wandered through the real ones. In 238 BC King Ptolemy III ordered a sixth extra day every fourth year, but priests and people resisted. The fix came under the Roman emperor Augustus around 25 BC. That reformed version lives on as the Coptic calendar, still used by Egypt's Coptic Church and by many farmers.

Türkçe oku
Eski Mısırlılar MÖ 2500 dolaylarında, büyük olasılıkla daha da önce, 365 günlük bir takvim kullanıyordu: otuzar günlük on iki ay, ardından da beş ek gün.

On iki ay, Nil'in yıllık döngüsünden adını alan üç mevsime ayrılıyordu: taşkın mevsimi Ahet, suların çekilip tarlaların ortaya çıktığı Peret ve hasadın yapıldığı, suların en çok çekildiği Şemu. Her ay onar günlük üç haftaya bölünürdü. Aylara dâhil olmayan beş ek gün, tanrılar Osiris, Horus, Set, İsis ve Neftis'in doğum günleri olarak kutlanırdı. Gerçek güneş yılı ise 365 günden çeyrek gün kadar uzundur. Artık gün olmadığı için takvim her dört yılda bir gün kayıyor, takvimdeki mevsimler de yavaş yavaş gerçek mevsimlerle örtüşmez oluyordu. MÖ 238'de Kral III. Ptolemaios dört yılda bir takvime altıncı bir ek gün konmasını emretti, ama rahipler de halk da buna karşı çıktı. Sorun, MÖ 25 dolaylarında Roma İmparatoru Augustus döneminde giderildi. Bu düzeltilmiş takvim bugün Kıpti takvimi olarak yaşıyor; Mısır'daki Kıpti Kilisesi de pek çok çiftçi de onu hâlâ kullanıyor.

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Background reading: Ancient Egyptian calendar
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