The Two Lands and the Nomes

Egyptians did not usually call their country "Egypt" (that name came later, from Greek). They called it Kemet, the black land, or the Two Lands. The phrase shows how they thought about the country: one kingdom made of two halves, the long valley and the wide Delta, joined under one king.

Key idea

Upper Egypt is the south, the valley upstream from Memphis to Aswan. Lower Egypt is the north, the Delta. The country was divided into provinces called nomes, each with its capital, its gods and, at times, a powerful governor.

Why it works

"Upper" and "lower" follow the river, not the map. The Nile flows from south to north, so the south is upriver, "upper", and the north is downriver, "lower". Modern maps put north at the top, which makes this feel backward.

Upper Egypt runs from the First Cataract north to near Memphis; Lower Egypt is the Delta. Nekhen (Hierakonpolis) and Buto were early centers of the south and the north.

Signs of the Two Lands

The king wore both crowns together as the Double Crown, and was called nsw-bjt, "King of Upper and Lower Egypt".
	Upper Egypt (south)	Lower Egypt (north)
Crown	the White Crown, tall and rounded	the Red Crown, with a curl in front
Plant	the sedge (or the lotus)	the papyrus
Protecting goddess	Nekhbet, a vulture	Wadjet, a cobra
Royal title	nsw, "king of Upper Egypt"	bjt, "king of Lower Egypt"

nsw-bjt, "King of Upper and Lower Egypt": the sedge for the south and the bee for the north.

The nomes

Egypt was divided into about 42 nomes: about 22 in Upper Egypt and about 20 in Lower Egypt (the number changed over time). Each nome had a capital town, a local god and a standard, a sign on a pole that served as its emblem. Under a strong king, the nomes were run by officials sent out by the court. When the center was weak, nome governors (nomarchs) acted like local princes. You will see this pattern again in the 6th Dynasty and the First Intermediate Period.

Worked example: Which way is up?

A traveler sails from Memphis to Thebes. Is she going into Upper Egypt or Lower Egypt?

Thebes is south of Memphis.
South is upstream on the Nile, and upstream is "Upper".
So she is sailing into Upper Egypt, against the current.

Answer: Upper Egypt.

Common mistake

Putting Upper Egypt in the north because it is at the top of the map. Upper and Lower follow the river: Upper Egypt is the south. A check: the Delta, at the top of a modern map, is Lower Egypt, because it is where the river ends.

The Two Lands and the Nomes

Signs of the Two Lands

The nomes

Practice

Builds on

Leads to

Sources and further reading