Manetho

Manetho (/ˈmænɪθoʊ/; Koinē Greek: Μανέθων Manéthōn, gen.: Μανέθωνος, fl. 290–260 BCE^[1]) 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 life. He is known today as the author of a history of Egypt in Greek called the Aegyptiaca, likely commissioned by Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246 BCE). None of Manetho’s texts have survived; they are lost literary works, it is known primarily from later references in Josephus’s treatise Against Apion (c. 95 CE) and works by the Christian historians Julius Africanus (c.160–c.240), Eusebius (c. 260 – 339), and George Syncellus (d. 810).^[2][3]

The surviving text of the Aegyptiaca continues to be a crucial resource for understanding ancient Egyptian history more than two millennia since its composition. Until the decipherment of Ancient Egyptian scripts in the early 19th century CE, Manetho's work, surviving as fragments cited or quoted by later authors, was a primary source on those scripts. The text remains important in Egyptology.^[4]

Eight works have been attributed to Manetho: (1) Aegyptiaca; (2) The Book of Sothis; (3) The Sacred Book; (4) An Epitome of Physical Doctrines; (5) On Festivals; (6) On Ancient Ritual and Religion; (7) On the Making of Kyphi [a kind of incense]; and (8) Criticisms of Herodotus. Some of these have been considered "ghost" titles.^[4][5]

Of these eight, modern scholars agree that: the historical Manetho is the author of Aegyptia; that Manetho cannot be the author of Sothis; and that the Criticisms is likely a part of the larger Aegypticia and not written as a separate work.^[4]