Poole, Reginald S.: The cities of Egypt (London, 1882)

CHRONOLOGICAL SKETCH.

The chronology of ancient Egypt is as yet undeter-
mined, the best authorities differing by many centuries
as to the whole duration of the monarchy. The basis
of reckoning is still the list of Thirty Dynasties under
which the native historian Manetho arranged the kings.
A comparison with the evidence of the monuments and
papyri has shown that this list was drawn up from
good sources, but is, in its present condition, hopelessly
corrupt. All that we can as yet do is to group the
Dynasties under great periods, of more or less uncertain
duration, until we reach the age of the Empire, the
reckonings of the rise of which do not greatly differ.
From that time the dates are more and more exact,
though but one of the Thirty Dynasties, the Twenty-
seventh, can be absolutely fixed in its beginning to a
particular year.