The pronunciation of theAncient Egyptian name for the Season of the Emergence is uncertain as the hieroglyphs do not record its vowels. It is conventionally transliterated asPeret[6][2] orProyet.[citation needed] The name refers to the emergence of the fertile land beside theNile fromits annual flood and the growth of vegetation and crops over the following season.
In the lunar calendar, theintercalary month was added as needed to maintain theheliacal rising ofSirius in thefourth month of theSeason of the Harvest. This meant that the Season of the Emergence usually lasted from January to May.[7] Because the precise timing of the flood varied, the months of "Emergence" no longer precisely reflected the state of the river but the season was usually the time for the planting and growth of Egyptian grain.
In the civil calendar, the lack of leap years into thePtolemaic andRoman periods meant the season lost about one day every four years and was not stable relative to thesolar year orGregorian calendar.
The Season of the Emergence was divided into four months. In the lunar calendar, each began on a dawn when the waning crescent moon was no longer visible. In the civil calendar, each consisted of exactly 30 days[8] divided into three 10-day weeks known asdecans.
In ancient Egypt, these months were usually recorded by their number within the season: I, II, III, and IVPrt. They were also known by the names of their principal festivals, which came to be increasingly used after thePersian occupation. These then became the basis for the names of the months of theCoptic calendar.
