How Does Ancient Egypt’s Calendar Work?

Ancient Egypt had a calendar that helped them know when to plant crops and celebrate festivals, kind of like how your mom uses a calendar to remember when you have soccer practice.

The Egyptians watched the sky, especially a bright star called Sirius, which they called Sothis. When Sirius appeared in the sky just before sunrise, that was a sign that the Nile River would soon flood, super important for farming! They used this as the start of their year.

Each month had 30 days, and there were 12 months in a year, just like we have now. But they also added 5 extra days at the end of the year for special celebrations, kind of like having 5 bonus days to play video games or go to the park!

They used sundials and shadow clocks, which are like giant versions of the clock you might use to know when it's time for dinner. When the sun moved across the sky, these tools helped them count hours, just like how your shadow moves on the ground as the day goes by!