Link Between Fourth Dynasty Civil Reckoning and the Sun Cult

Ascertain whether the emergence of civil reckoning chronicles during the Fourth Dynasty was causally connected to the rise of the sun cult, specifically the pharaohs’ relationship to the sun god Re and the sky goddess Nut, thereby clarifying religious influences on administrative calendrical practices.

Background

The article notes that civil reckoning appears prominently from the Fourth Dynasty onward and references Spalinger’s observation that its rise may be temporally associated with growing solar cultic practices. Establishing a causal link would illuminate how religious developments influenced administrative chronology and state record-keeping.

Such clarification would impact interpretations of regnal dating, tax assessments (e.g., cattle counts), and broader state logistics documented in sources like the Palermo Stone and papyri.