The ''Book of Sothis'' is a document known mainly by transmission by
George Syncellus
George Syncellus (, ''Georgios Synkellos''; died after 810) was a Byzantine chronicler and ecclesiastical official. He lived many years in Palestine (probably in the Old Lavra of Saint Chariton or Souka, near Tekoa) as a monk, before coming to Cons ...
(died after 810 CE), purporting to have been written by the historian
Manetho
Manetho (; ''Manéthōn'', ''gen''.: Μανέθωνος, ''fl''. 290–260 BCE) was an Egyptian priest of the Ptolemaic Kingdom who lived in the early third century BCE, at the very beginning of the Hellenistic period. Little is certain about his ...
(who lived during the early 3rd century BCE).
Modern scholars are nearly unanimous that the book was in fact written by someone other than Manetho, considering it a forgery written before the fifth century CE. Its contents are consequently regarded as being of little value to
Egyptology
Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Ancient Greek, Greek , ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia''; ) is the scientific study of ancient Egypt. The topics studied include ancient Egyptian History of Egypt, history, Egyptian language, language, Ancient Egypt ...
, although a classic of
pseudepigraphy
A pseudepigraph (also anglicized as "pseudepigraphon") is a falsely attributed work, a text whose claimed author is not the true author, or a work whose real author attributed it to a figure of the past. The name of the author to whom the wor ...
.
Adler, W., Berossus, Manetho, and 1 Enoch in the World Chronicle of Panodorus, The Harvard Theological Review, 1983 - Cambridge Univ Press.
/ref>
While the unknown author is considered to have displayed a thorough knowledge of Manetho, the best indication of forgery is the introductory dedication to Ptolemy II Philadelphus
Ptolemy II Philadelphus (, ''Ptolemaîos Philádelphos'', "Ptolemy, sibling-lover"; 309 – 28 January 246 BC) was the pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt from 284 to 246 BC. He was the son of Ptolemy I, the Macedonian Greek general of Alexander the G ...
, referring to him as "σεβαστῷ" (''sebastōi'') — i.e. "august" or ''Augustus
Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...
'', a Roman title that was not used until centuries after Manetho's death.
However, since the original text has not been found, all claims of pseudepigraphy rely on the assumption that Syncellus' transcription of the text was equal to the original text, ruling out that he might have gotten an adapted version or that he might have paraphrased himself. Indeed, the main argument against it seems to be its controversial content, with the purported inconsistencies being merely auxiliary to the argument.Assyria
Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...
, Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula (, , or , , ) or Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia, situated north-east of Africa on the Arabian plate. At , comparable in size to India, the Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world.
Geographically, the ...
or Egypt), that had been engraved before the Deluge
A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood.
The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the biblical book of Genesis.
Deluge or Le Déluge may also refer to:
History
*Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-L ...
, but afterward had been translated and stored in hieroglyphic books in Egyptian temples.
References
Pseudoarchaeology
Pseudepigraphy
{{AncientEgypt-stub