Original Documents

The `Repetition-of-Births' in Oriental History

The Conventional Account of things We all know that every month we have a new moon but for the cycle of the sun we know that it reaches its zenith each year on June the 21st and its azimuth on December 21st. The latter date has always been more significant for the peoples living in the northern hemisphere because it signals the return to a warmer period ahead. In this sense many cultures celebrated these celestial events with festivities. So we have references from the Middle Kingdom's Ammenemes I where we find the phrase `Weham-meswe', `Repeater of Births' thought to refer to the monthly rebirth of the moon. In the days of Seti I. (conventionally dated from 1309-1291 BC), Seti the Great, he used the phrase `Repetition of Births' and appended it in his inscription from his first and second regnal years. Some have taken this phrase as referring to the start of a new Sothic period since shortly before Seti I. became king there started according to them a Sothic period in 1317 BC. If 8 years could be regarded as short may be open to discussion. However, for ancient cultures in the region under discussion the spring equinox at the end of March may have been a more important event. [J. Cerny, `A Note on the Repition of Births', Journal of Egyptian Archaeology Vol. 15, p, 194] Next we come into the time of Herihor of the 21st Dynasty. We shall quote now Alan Gardiner's comments. Now, "instead of dates continuing to be expressed, as normally, in terms of regnal years of the monarch, a mysterious new era named the Repetition-of-Births makes its appearance. When we recall that the usurper Ammenemes I had adopted the expression `weham meswe' as his Horus name and that Seti I, very nearly the founder of the 19th Dynasty, had appended the same words as here to datings of his first and second years, it is obvious that some sort of Renaissance was signified thereby. Fortunately we are able to determine the exact regnal date of this. Papyrus Mayer A in the Liverpool Museum is headed `Year 1 in the Repetition-of-Births' and enumerates precisely the same thieves as are listed on the verso of the already much discussed Papyrus Abbott, which bears the date `Year 1, first month of the Inundation season, day 2, corresponding to Year 19' After much hesitation and discussion it has been realized that this year 19 could only belong to the reign of Ramses XI who, however, was known from a stela found at Abydos to have survived until his 27th year. Now it could hardly be doubted that the Renaissance in question referred to some momentous occurrence or decision in Herihor's career, so that this must have fallen at a time when the suzerainty of the last Ramesses had run only two thirds of its course. The question has been clinched by a relatively recent discovery. A scene and inscription carved upon a wall of the temple of Karnak illustrates one of those oracles which became more and more frequent about this period. A scribe of the storehouse at Karnak had to be appointed, and the name of one Nesamun had been put forward. The god's approval was indicated by a `great nod' or downward inclination of the bark of Amon-Re as it was carried in procession on the shoulders of the priests. The importance of this incident lies in the personality of the high priest who put the question and in the date at the beginning of the inscription. The date is given as `Year 7 of the Repetition-of-Births .... under Ramses XI', accordingly in the 25th year of that king's reign. The figure of the high priest is accompanied by the words `The fan-bearer to the right of the King, the King's Son of Cush, the First Prophet of Amon-Re, King of the Gods, the Commander of the Army, the Prince of Pay-onkh (Paiankh)'. Now Pay-onkh was Herihor's eldest son, and since it is inconceivable that Herihor should have relinquished the high priesthood during his lifetime we cannot but conclude that he died before the 7th year of the Renaissance and at any rate more than a year before his suzerain. [Alan Gardiner `Egypt of the Pharaohs', p. 304-305] The Revised Account of things In the revised model things come out this way. We notice that the `Renaissance' deduced from the usage of the phrase `Repetition-of-Births' occurred during the time of the 21st Dynasty, in particular in the days of Herihor whom we date from shortly after 420 to about 406 BC or for several years after that. Pay-onkh or Paiankh we date from sometime after 405 to about 370 BC. The travels of Wenamon took place about 417 BC. Click on Charts from 560-260 BC, for a more graphic representation of the time lines and interconnections of this important time period.

What is important to realize is that this renewal or `Renaissance' came about because the Persian King Xerxes had made the annual gatherings in his palace at Susa a repeating, annual event in Persia when all the princes and lords of his kingdom came to pay obeisance to him, an event also of consequences to the princes and lords in Egypt. In that he followed in the footsteps of the Assyrian kings who also expected `presents' from the princes and rulers in their realm.

These gatherings were obviously occasions for grand displays of oriental pleasures being told and retold from tent to tent, city to city, royal court to royal court at infinitum. They were something similar to those events we find described in the Bible in the story of Belshazar, king of Babylon and later in the Book of Esther. "Belshazar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and drank wine before the thousand, Belshazar, while he tasted the wine, commanded to bring the golden and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem; that the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, might drink therein...." Daniel 6:1-2.

"Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus ... that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan (Susa) the palace, in the 3rd year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him: When he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honour of his excellent majesty many days, even 180 days. When these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan the palace, both unto great and small, 7 days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace; where were white, green, and blue, hangings, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings and pillars of marble: the beds were of gold and silver, upon a pavement of red, and blue, and white, and black, marble. And they gave them to drink in vessels of fine gold and royal wine in abundance, according to the state of the king."Esther 1:1-7. Next we read about Queen Vashti and how the King became angry and then we read a short comment about his wise men which might direct our attention back to the `Repetition-of-Birth' issue in that these wise men were the astronomers and `scientists' at his court. "Then said the king to the wise men, which knew the times..."Esther 1:13 From these Bible quotations we get an idea how these festivities were held and that the `wise men' were never very far away from the side of the king. These wise men were the experts on solar and lunar periods and kept track of time for the king. The important point to realize for our discussion is, that it was in the Persian period when these annual events came to prominence in Persia as well as in the Egypt of the time of Ramses XI and Herihor. We have already mentioned that Ramses XI and also Ramses IX cannot be connected as descendents of Ramses III. We find reason to place these two kings into the 5th century, before the time of Ramses III. The event alluded to in the Egyptian sources and mentioned by Alan Gardiner above could be the year 525 BC when Cambyses first entered Egypt, they could make reference to the rebellion of Iannaros (463-454 BC)1) who we believe was Ramses XI. Year 7 could be counted from 424 BC when Darius II became king over Persia or 425 BC when Artaxerxes I (465-425 BC) died. But we do not recognize a relevant connection to Sothic dating here. In the days of Herihor the Persian overlordship was heavy on his mind. We may not be far off in deducing that Arsames himself and perhaps an Egyptian of the stature of Herihor, was invited to such a `Repetion of Births' events at Susa. No doubt whoever the Egyptian guest was, all eyes were on him, the representative of one of the richest nations during that time, to see what his present for the `Great King' might be. Should we venture a guess and assume that perhaps some of the jewels taken from the mummies of the kings of Egypt found their way to the palace at Susa? Even though the 21st Dynasty times were hard times for all those in Egypt whose tax burdens caused them to resent the foreign occupiers, there were always a few rich people who loved splendor and the alluring events of a Persian feast. 1) Even though we date Innaros from 463-454 BC, year 454 does not necessarily signify the death of Innaros/Ramses XI but may just indicate a change in his functions. The Evidence from Persia itself We just need to look at the remaining ruins of the ancient Persian capital at Persepolis and the grandiose palaces which stood there once to understand that the Great Persian Kings loved extravagant displays of richness and power. We are told when Alexander the Great arrived he destroyed Persepolis because behind the city walls, in a dusty and dirty place, the Persians kept Greek prisoners of war in abject squalor, for this misdeed the city was destroyed. But in the days of Persian might and power, the princes and subjects of the Great King came once every year to show their submission to the reigning monarch by bringing rich presents. At the rebirth of the sun their allegiance was reaffirmed in a year to year, repetitive festival of spectacular splendor with wine, women and song. Individual Persian citizens would "celebrate their birthday with a dinner of special magnificance..."[Herodotus, Book I, Sec. 133] just like the king would celebrate the rebirth of the sun. That is why, we are told by Herodotus, "the erection of statues, temples, and altars is not an accepted practice amongst them...because in their system the whole circle of the heavens is the temple...and they worship the sun, moon, and earth, fire, water and winds..."[Ibid., Sec. 131] That is why the pillars and columns we see in Persepolis are not those of temples like they would be in Egypt, but they are the remains of their palaces as also confirmed by inspection. The `Repetition of Births' has to do with an old Persian custom and is the root cause for celebrating birthdays today. It is aptly described in these words: "Persepolis ... begun by Darius in 518 BC, it was completed by Xerxes ... In it each New Year's Day the Achaemenid kingship was renewed and men from every part of the empire came to offer their tokens of obeisance." [W. Culican, `The Medes and Persians', (London, 1965)] A truly worthy to notice, historical repetition of births is here described attended by the leading personalities in the country; a sun honoring oriented ceremony, no doubt, interpreted and celebrated by Egyptians in their own way.

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