Computing the year 1450 BCE as the death date for Thutmosis III
by koot van wyk (Dlitt et Phil, ThD)
Sliding factors:
A. The diagram below indicates the years between the start of Thutmosis III and Ramses II. Some scholars feel comfortable with 200 year difference (Kitchen, Hornung and Krauss). Other scholars need 225 years (Wente, Van Siclen).
B. The observation point for the Sothis calculation will be slightly different, depending from which city the observation was made: 1545/41 BCE from
C. The Egyptian calendar is a sliding calendar since it took 1460 years for Sirius to be observed at the same spot and time. Their calendar had only 360 days plus 5 epagomenal days added each year but it fell short of the one quarter day each year. The result was wandering or shifting seasons.
D. Above we gave two dates for the Sothis calculation: 1545/41 BCE. The reason is that some scholars feel the cycle is 1460 years and others that it is 1456 years (Hornung, Ingham). The 9th year of Amenhotep I was 1545 BCE and 1877 BCE as the 7th year of Sesotris III.
Application:
1. Because of sliding factor A supra, there are six starting dates for Thutmosis III:
1304 + 225
1304 + 200
1290 + 225
1290 + 200
1279 + 225
1279 + 200
2. Since Thutmosis III reigned 54/55 years one can calculate his death as follows: subtract from the above (1) 54/55 years.
3. Two dates are important for us, bringing his death to the year 1450 BCE.