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Each month was divided uniformly into 30 days. Each day was named and associated with a deity, as in Table 9.11. |
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Each hour of the day was associated with a deity. The same deities were associated with the 12 hours of the night in the same order as shown in Table 9.12. |
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The theology of this calendar is still more complex. Deities watch both before and behind OsirisSerapis on each hour of the day and do likewise on each hour of the night. |
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Furthermore, an entirely separate set of deities for the 12 hours of the day are distinguished by their appearance in godgoddess pairs and a similar set for the night. |
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Nor does the matter end there. An entirely different set of deities are associated with the appearance of the moon. Certain hours of certain days of the moon were distinguished the first hour of the first day, the second hour of the second day, and so on. The moon was considered to wax for 14 days and wane for 14 days. Each day of the waxing moon is associated with a deity, as is each day of the waning moon. |
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The various decans of the sky likewise were associated with deities, as were the planets, stars, etc. The Zodiac and its 12 signs appear, but contrary to persistent popular belief, the Zodiac is not an Egyptian invention. It was borrowed from the Babylonians by the Greeks, who introduced it into Egypt at a very late date, relatively speaking, during the Ptolemaic period. |
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9.2.1.3.4
Days of Observance |
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There are many extant sources for Egyptian literature. Some of them discuss specific dates in the calendar, typically associated with religious celebrations. For example, Budge in The Book of the Dead (Introduction, pp. xlix1) notes that Plutarch's version of the legend of Osiris refers to the 17th day of the month of Hathor as the day when Typhon captured Osiris in a chest. Budge further notes that Plutarch's version is supported by documentary evidence from the fourth Sallier papyrus, which contains a calendar in which this day is marked as triply unlucky. |
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| Table 9.12 Egyptian dieties associated with hours. | | Hour | Deity | Hour | Deity |  |
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1 |
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| Amseth | 7 | Maa-tef-f | |
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2 |
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| Hap | 8 | Ar-ren-f-tchesef | |
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3 |
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| Tua-mat-f | 9 | Hentch-hentch | |
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4 |
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| Quebh-sennu-f | 10 | Qet | |
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5 |
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| Heq | 11 | An-erta-nef-nebat | |
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6 |
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| Armai | 12 | Matchet |
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