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Lower Egypt ⲧⲥⲁϧⲏⲧ, ⲡⲥⲁⲙⲉⲛϩⲓⲧ مصر السفلى | |||||||||
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c. 3500 BC–c. 3100 BC | |||||||||
Capital | Memphis | ||||||||
Common languages | Ancient Egyptian | ||||||||
Religion | Ancient Egyptian religion | ||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
King | |||||||||
• Unknown | Unknown (first) | ||||||||
• c. 3150 BC | Unknown (last) | ||||||||
History | |||||||||
• Established | c. 3500 BC | ||||||||
• Disestablished | c. 3100 BC | ||||||||
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Today part of | Egypt |
Lower Egypt (Arabic : مصر السفلىMiṣr as-Suflā; Coptic : ⲧⲥⲁϧⲏⲧ, romanized: Tsakhet) is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically, the Nile River split into seven branches of the delta in Lower Egypt.
Lower Egypt was divided into nomes and began to advance as a civilization after 3600 BC. [1] Today, it contains two major channels that flow through the delta of the Nile River – Mahmoudiyah Canal (ancient Agathos Daimon) and Muways Canal (Arabic : بحر موَيس, "waterway of Moses").
In Ancient Egyptian, Lower Egypt was known as mḥw which means "north". [2] Later on, during Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Greeks and Romans called it Κάτω Αἴγυπτος or Aegyptus Inferior both meaning "Lower Egypt", but Copts carried on using the old name related to the north – Tsakhet (Coptic : ⲧⲥⲁϧⲏⲧ) or Psanemhit (Coptic : ⲡⲥⲁⲛⲉⲙϩⲓⲧ) meaning the "Northern part". It was further divided into number of regions or nomes (Coptic : ⲡⲧⲟϣ, romanized: ptosh) – Niphaiat (Coptic : ⲛⲓⲫⲁⲓⲁⲧ, lit. 'Lybian (nome)', Ancient Greek : Μαρεωτης) in the west, Tiarabia (Coptic : ϯⲁⲣⲁⲃⲓⲁ, lit. 'Arabia') in the east, Nimeshshoti (Coptic : ⲛⲓⲙⲉϣϣⲟϯ, lit. 'fields') in the north-east and Bashmur (Bashmuric Coptic : ⲡⲥⲁⲙⲏⲣ, lit. 'sand shore') in the north. Champollion adds another region in the middle of the Delta which he calls Petmour (Coptic : ⲡⲉⲧⲙⲟⲩⲣ, lit. 'the one which bounds, girds') [3] based on Ancient Greek : Πτιμυρις mentioned by Stephanus of Byzantium, but it is unclear if this is a separate region or just a Greek rendering of the name Bashmur. [4]
After the Muslim conquest, the middle part of the Delta was called al-Rif (Arabic : الريف) which means "countryside, rural area" and which is derived from Ancient Egyptian
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r-pr, "temple", because the rural areas were administered by them. [5] The eastern part roughly comprising the ancient Tiarabia was called al-Hawf (Arabic : الهوف) meaning "edge, fringe". [6]
Today, there are two principal channels that the Nile takes through the river delta: one in the west at Rashid and one in the east at Damietta.
The delta region is well watered, crisscrossed by channels and canals.
Owing primarily to its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the climate in Lower Egypt is milder than that of Upper Egypt, the southern portion of the country. Temperatures are less extreme and rainfall is more abundant in Lower Egypt.
It was divided into twenty districts called nomes, the first of which was at el-Lisht. Because Lower Egypt was mostly undeveloped scrubland, filled with all types of plant life such as grasses and herbs, the organization of the nomes underwent several changes.
The capital of Lower Egypt was Memphis. Its patron goddess was the goddess Wadjet, depicted as a cobra. Lower Egypt was represented by the Red Crown Deshret , and its symbols were the papyrus and the bee. After unification, the patron deities of both Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt were represented together as the Two Ladies , Wadjet and Nekhbet (depicted as a vulture), to protect all of the ancient Egyptians.
By approximately 3600 BC, Neolithic Egyptian societies along the Nile River had based their culture on the raising of crops and the domestication of animals. [7] Shortly after 3600 BC, Egyptian society began to grow and advance rapidly toward refined civilization. [1] A new and distinctive pottery, which was related to the pottery in the Southern Levant, appeared during this time. Extensive use of copper became common during this time. [1] The Mesopotamian process of sun-dried bricks, and architectural building principles—including the use of the arch and recessed walls for decorative effect—became popular during this time. [1]
Concurrent with these cultural advances, a process of unification of the societies and towns of the upper Nile River, or Upper Egypt, occurred. At the same time, the societies of the Nile Delta, or Lower Egypt also underwent a unification process. [1] Warfare between Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt occurred often. [1] During his reign in Upper Egypt, King Narmer defeated his enemies in the Delta and merged the kingdoms of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt under his single rule. [8]
Periods and dynasties of ancient Egypt |
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All years are BC |
The Palermo stone, a royal annal written in the mid Fifth Dynasty (c. 2490 BC – c. 2350 BC) records a number of kings reigning over Lower Egypt before Narmer. These are completely unattested outside these inscriptions:
Name |
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Hsekiu [9] |
Khayu [9] |
Tiu [9] |
Thesh [9] |
Neheb [9] |
Wazner [9] |
Mekh [9] |
(destroyed) [9] |
In contrast, the following kings are attested through archeological finds from Sinai and Lower Egypt: Double Falcon, Crocodile.
History of Egypt |
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Number | Egyptian Name | Capital | Modern name of capital site | English Translation | God |
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1 | Inebu-hedj | Ineb Hedj / Men-nefer / Menfe (Memphis) | Mit Rahina | White Walls | Ptah |
2 | Khensu | Khem (Letopolis) | Ausim | Cow's thigh | Horus |
3 | Ahment | Imu (Apis) | Kom el-Hisn | West | Hathor |
4 | Sapi-Res | Ptkheka | Tanta | Southern shield | Sobek, Isis, Amun |
5 | Sap-Meh | Zau (Sais) | Sa el-Hagar | Northern shield | Neith |
6 | Khaset | Khasu (Xois) | Sakha | Mountain bull | Amun-Ra |
7 | A-ment | (Hermopolis Parva, Metelis) | Damanhur | West harpoon | Hu |
8 | A-bt | Tjeku / Per-Atum (Heroonpolis, Pithom) | Tell el-Maskhuta | East harpoon | Atum |
9 | Ati | Djed (Busiris) | Abu Sir Bara | Andjeti | Osiris |
10 | Ka-khem | Hut-hery-ib (Athribis) | Banha (Tell Atrib) | Black bull | Horus |
11 | Ka-heseb | Taremu (Leontopolis) | Tell el-Urydam | Heseb bull | Isis |
12 | Theb-ka | Tjebnutjer (Sebennytos) | Samanud | Calf and Cow | Onuris |
13 | Heq-At | Iunu (Heliopolis) | Materiya (suburb of Cairo) | Prospering Sceptre | Ra |
14 | Khent-abt | Tjaru (Sile, Tanis) | Tell Abu Sefa | Eastmost | Horus |
15 | Tehut | Ba'h / Weprehwy (Hermopolis Parva) | Baqliya | Ibis | Thoth |
16 | Kha | Djedet (Mendes) | Tell el-Rubˁ | Fish | Banebdjedet, or Hatmehyt |
17 | Semabehdet | Semabehdet (Diospolis Inferior) | Tell el-Balamun | The throne | Amun-Ra |
18 | Am-Khent | Per-Bastet (Bubastis) | Tell Bastah (near Zagazig) | Prince of the South | Bastet |
19 | Am-Pehu | Dja'net (Leontopolis Tanis) | Tell Nebesha or San el-Hagar | Prince of the North | Uatchet |
20 | Sopdu | Per-Sopdu | Saft el-Hinna | Plumed Falcon | Sopdet |
In Egyptian history, the Upper and Lower Egypt period was the final stage of prehistoric Egypt and directly preceded the unification of the realm. The conception of Egypt as the Two Lands was an example of the dualism in ancient Egyptian culture and frequently appeared in texts and imagery, including in the titles of Egyptian pharaohs.
Memphis or Men-nefer was the ancient capital of Inebu-hedj, the first nome of Lower Egypt that was known as mḥw ("north"). Its ruins are located in the vicinity of the present-day village of Mit Rahina, in markaz (county) Badrashin, Giza, Egypt. This modern name is probably derived from the late Ancient Egyptian name for Memphis mjt-rhnt meaning "Road of the Ram-Headed Sphinxes".
Buto, Bouto, Butus or Butosus was a city that the Ancient Egyptians called Per-Wadjet. It was located 95 km east of Alexandria in the Nile Delta of Egypt. What in classical times the Greeks called Buto, stood about midway between the Taly (Bolbitine) and Thermuthiac (Sebennytic) branches of the Nile, a few kilometers north of the east-west Butic River and on the southern shore of the Butic Lake.
Upper Egypt is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel N. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake Nasser.
Menes was a pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt credited by classical tradition with having united Upper and Lower Egypt and as the founder of the First Dynasty.
Leontopolis was an ancient Egyptian city located in the Nile Delta, Lower Egypt. It served as a provincial capital and Metropolitan Archbishopric. The archaeological site and settlement are known today as Kafr Al Muqdam.
A nome was a territorial division in ancient Egypt.
The Early Dynastic Period, also known as Archaic Period or the Thinite Period, is the era of ancient Egypt that immediately follows the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt in c. 3150 BC. It is generally taken to include the First Dynasty and the Second Dynasty, lasting from the end of the archaeological culture of Naqada III until c. 2686 BC, or the beginning of the Old Kingdom. With the First Dynasty, the Egyptian capital moved from Thinis to Memphis, with the unified land being ruled by an Egyptian god-king. In the south, Abydos remained the major centre of ancient Egyptian religion; the hallmarks of ancient Egyptian civilization, such as Egyptian art, Egyptian architecture, and many aspects of Egyptian religion, took shape during the Early Dynastic Period.
Hu or Huw is the modern name of an Egyptian town on the Nile, which in more ancient times was the capital of the 7th Nome of Upper Egypt.
Deshret was the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. When combined with the Hedjet of Upper Egypt, it forms the Pschent, in ancient Egyptian called the sekhemti.
Hedjet is the White Crown of pharaonic Upper Egypt. After the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, it was combined with the Deshret, the Red Crown of Lower Egypt, to form the Pschent, the double crown of Egypt. The symbol sometimes used for the White Crown was the vulture goddess Nekhbet shown next to the head of the cobra goddess Wadjet, the uraeus on the Pschent.
Samannud is a city (markaz) located in Gharbia Governorate, Egypt. Known in classical antiquity as Sebennytos, Samannud is a historic city that has been inhabited since the Ancient Egyptian period. As of 2019, the population of the markaz of Samannud was estimated to be 410,388, with 83,417 people living in urban areas and 326,971 in rural areas.
Asyut is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at 27°11′00″N31°10′00″E, while the ancient city is located at 27°10′00″N31°08′00″E. The city is home to one of the largest Coptic Catholic churches in the country.
Girga, alternatively Digirga or Digurga is a city in the Sohag Governorate of Upper Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the Nile River. It is the metropolitan see of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Sakha, also known by the ancient name of Xois is a town in Kafr El Sheikh Governorate of Egypt. Located near the center of the Nile Delta, it is a city of great antiquity, identified with the ancient Egyptian city of Ḫꜣsww(t).
Akoris ; Egyptian: Mer-nefer(et), Per-Imen-mat-khent(j), or Dehenet is the Greek name for the modern Egyptian village of Ṭihnā al-Ǧabal, located about 12 km north of Al Minya. The ancient site is situated in the southeast of the modern village.
Minya is the capital of the Minya Governorate in Upper Egypt. It is located approximately 245 km (152 mi) south of Cairo on the western bank of the Nile River, which flows north through the city.
Bashmur was a region in the Nile Delta in Egypt. In the early Middle Ages, it was inhabited by Christian Copts and was the scene of a series of revolts against Arab rule in the 8th and 9th centuries.