Brugsch, Heinrich: Egypt under the pharaohs: a history derived entirely from the monuments (London, 1891)

12 PREHISTORIC AGE OF EGYPT oh. i.

tion supposed three ages which followed one another,
till Mena placed the double crown upon his head.
During the first a dynasty of the gods reigned in the
land, followed by the age of the demi-gods, while the
dynasty of the mysterious Manes closed the prehistoric
time.

The theology of their priests filled up these ages
with heavenly persons and names. The calculations
of the courses of the stars, based on the cycle of the
risings of Sothis (the Dog Star), gave the numbers
which were added as regnal years to the names of
these imaginary sovereigns. As the priests of various
cities differed in their doctrines concerning the nature
of the gods and their connection with earthly things it
is not surprising that the lists of the prehistoric dynas-
ties contained different names and numbers, according
to the respective origin of each.

Subjoined are the names of the divine kings of the
first age, first in the Theban order and then according
to the Memphite.

The Dynasty of the Gods.
I. According to the Theban Doctrine.

1. Amen-Ra, ' the King of the Gods ' . Zeus

2. Mentu, his son .... Mars

3. Shu, son of Ra

4. Seb, son of Shu

5. Osiris, son of Seb

6. Horus, son of Osiris

Agathochemon
Saturn
Dionysos
Hermes

II. According to the Memphite Doctrine.

1. Ptah, 'the Father of the Gods' (the

Architect of the World) . . . Hephaistos

2. Ra, son of Ptah (Fire—Existent Being

—the Present)..... Sol (the Sun)

3. Shu, his son (the Air) .... Agathodxmon

4. Seb, his son (the Earth) .... Saturn