Ramsey CB, Dee MW, Rowland JM, Higham TFG, Harris SA, Brock F, et al. Radiocarbon-based chronology for dynastic Egypt. Science 2010;328:1554

We have read with great attention Ramsey et al. article that was published in Science in 2010 [1] regarding the Carbon dating of Dynastic Egypt using short lived plants. The article raised some concerns that we would like to point them out; first: Ref and note 30 jointly merge the acknowledgment and specimens collection; the description which is vague and needs more justification. Second the chronological parts: on P.1554. The authors described the ancient Egyptian chronologies by the word ''floating'' negating that many of these chronologies are based on true evidences registered in most, adding – on the same page ''the New Kingdom started between 1570 and 1544 B.C. and the reign of Djoser in the Old Kingdom started between 2691 and 2625 B.C., giving – although referring to the accuracy of timing – a difference of 26 and 36 years, ''Building on the surviving evidence from Manetho's and the king lists dating from the pharaonic era'', ''undocumented years at the ends of some reigns and overlaps between successive monarchs create uncertainties of the order of a few years'' actually the ancient Egyptian history was stable and these undocumented years or overlaps happened only a few well known times noting that the intermediate periods were not ever the base of determining the length of ancient Egyptian kings reigns, and concerning the last two phrases we would like to mention the following: ''Unlike the other cultures which surrounded the Nile Valley and remained, pharaonic civilization developed writing in Early Dynastic times and so was able to systematize its complex society around key historical and chronological events. Our present historical schema of dividing the history of Egypt into periods called ''Kingdoms'' (Old, Middle, and New) is a modern one; it is based on the Egyptian eras of political unity. Developed by Egyptologists, this division depended on a wealth of textual and pictorial data (since many inscriptions deal with chronological matters) that emanated from economically and politically viable epochs [2]. Manetho, an Egyptian priest, wrote in Greek his king lists formed the basis of the classical era's understanding of Nile Valley history. It can be shown that many of his divisions were not based on sources contemporary with those dynasties. For Egyptologists, the major outline of Early Dynastic history remains the fifth dynasty Palermo Stone that covers, in a very schematic fashion, the reigning years of the pharaohs [2]. The years of reign …