The Number of Nouns
There are three numbers in Classical Egyptian: singular, plural and dual. The dual occurs mainly with concepts that imply a pair, like obelisks, eyes, legs, the two parts of the country (i.e. Upper and Lower Egypt). The table below indicates which suffixes are used for the different numbers for both male and female nouns.
When applying this scheme to the Egyptian word for brother, we get the following:
The plural can be rendered in a number of different ways:
a first way is to make use of the plural determinative. This is the most common way to indicate a plural number. The three strokes indicating the plural are always written at the end of the word, after any eventual determinative signs:
a second way is the threefold repetition of an ideogram:
a third way is the threefold repetition of all phonograms in the word, or one thereof:
a last way is the threefold repetition of the determinative sign:
Many female words appear as a plural, but should nevertheless be considered to be of singular number. This is mainly the case for abstract words, and words that denote a category of things. We call this an apparent plural. Some examples are:
The dual can also be rendered in a number of ways:
twofold repetition of the ideogram:
twofold repetition of the determinative sign:
a combination of the dual-suffix and repetition of the determinative sign:
Vocabulary
Lesson 6 The egyptian numerals The cardinal numbers
The Egyptians count according to the decimal system. As an indication of the cardinal numbers, the following signs were used:
When writing a number, higher-valued signs are placed before lower-valued signs. The number signs are repeated as often as necessary to reach the intended value. Each signs is thus repeated maximally nine times.
The cardinal numbers are written behind the noun, the latter usually being written as a singular. In transcription, the numbers 1 and 2 are written behind the noun, all other numbers are written before it. Some examples:
The dating formula The Egyptian time system
The Egyptians used several calendar systems, all based on observation of a number of heavenly bodies: the solar calendar, the moon calendar and the Sothis or Sirius calendar.
The Egyptian year was divided into 12 months of thirty days each. Added to these at the end of the year were five socalled epagomenal days (extra days). Because the Egyptian year counted only 365 days, and there was no concept of a leap year, the year shifted every 4 years with one day.
The Egyptian year had three seasons, whose names clearly referred to agriculteral activity. We thus have the inundation season (Achet), the summer (Sjemoe) and the winter (Peret). Each season counted four months.
The Egyptian dating formula
From the Middle Kingdom on it became a habit to start the year with the regnal period of the king. At the beginning of a new reign the counting of years was thus started again from year one. The indication of a regnal year within texts starts with the symbols:
Following the above there usually follows the specification of month, season and day. A typical dating formula thus looks as follows:
