Old Egyptian years were Sidereal. That is a solar year also taking into account the heliacal rising of a fixed star [the moment it becomes visible above the horizon at or just before sunrise]. The star used by the old Egyptians was Sirius, the brightest star of the constellation Canis Major, the Great Dog. Sirius is sometimes called Canicula, Little Dog, or the Dog Star.
The Romans called the days around the heliacal rising of Sirius "dies caniculares" [from Latin "canis", dog]. From that the English word "canicular" is derived. It is an adjective, referring either to the dog-star (Sirius) or the dog-days of summer.
Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, so ancient peoples thought it added to the sun's heat when it was in conjunction with the sun. This most evidently was the case with the Romans. Also the Egyptians considered Sirius as a second sun. Today we know that is wrong, but the concept of dog days still remains in most western countries (although there are some exceptions), and it is reflected in several modern languages. Originally, the dog days seem to have been counted as 20 days before and 20 days after the conjunction, the Romans said 3 July to 11 August. The exact time would change with location and also with passing years, since the precession of the equinoxes gradually moves the conjunction forward.
Roman calendric concepts were mainly based on Egyptian originals, or were even designed by Egyptians. That is the case here as well.
In old Egypt, the heliacal rising of Sirius was connected with a hot period, and it was just before the flooding of the Nile. The association of Sirius with a dog began here, since the earliest known tradition named it after Sihor, another name of Anubis. Another (perhaps later, even if that is questionable) Egyptian tradition associated it with Isis and the Osiris myth. Sirius is the star of Isis.
Some sources claim that Sirius was Osiris, but that does not properly fit into the pattern. Orion must have been Osiris, while Sirius was Isis. That is an interpretation better satisfying the parallelism between myth and astronomy.
Actually Sirius disappears for 70 days, between "setting" and "rising" again. In Egyptian mythology this was expressed in the legend about Isis (Sirius), who went into seclusion waiting for the birth of Horus. These 70 days are reflected in the fact that the burial of a king took place 70 days after his death, although mummification didn't take that long. A symbol of death and resurrection; Pharaoh is reborn to the afterlife, and on the stellar plane.
Before Roman times, the Dog Star was a good force. For the Egyptians it heralded the flood of the Nile, essential for the existence of Egypt, and it was a symbol of rebirth and resurrection. The Romans, however, came to see it as a bad force; something associated with disease, lethargy, spoiled food, mad dogs, etc. This is the modern view still shared by millions, who have the concept of “dog days” in their respective languages: the dog days are a time of hot weather and rotting food!
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Wow, now I know where the phrase 'Dog Days' comes from!!!
Thank you,