Thebes versus Hattusha: two different ways of understanding time at the end of the Bronze Age

At the end of the Bronze Age, two ancient civilizations—the Hittite Empire centered at Hattusha and the Ramesside monarchy of Egypt—employed distinct time-keeping systems that reflected their climatic and sociological contexts. While Egypt's civil calendar aligned with seasonal rhythms after centuries of adaptation, evidence suggests the Hittites used a lunar-based system with potential intercalary months to synchronize with seasons, though its exact pattern remains unclear. This study contrasts these calendars, proposing that the Hittite system may have collapsed with the abandonment of Hattusha in the early 12th century BC, whereas Egypt's endured, evolving into the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The research synthesizes scarce Hittite data alongside Egyptian sources to highlight divergent approaches to time, offering insights into their cultural and environmental influences.

Belmonte Avilés, J. A. (2025). Thebes versus Hattusha: two different ways of understanding time at the end of the Bronze Age. Revista D Arqueologia de Ponent, (35), 101. https://doi.org/10.21001/rap.2025.35.6