Astronomical Data and their Potential for Chronological Purposes

To derive absolute dates of pharaohs and Mesopotamian kings records of astronomical observations have been frequently used. For the utilization of astronomical data and their reliability different rules of thumb hold in Egypt and Mesopotamia due to the varying nature of the solar Egyptian and the lunisolar Mesopotamian calendar. I will address the possibili- ties and limits of astronomical data for chronological purposes in Egypt and discuss the agreements and disagreements with C14 determinations.