Upper Egypt

Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt; ⲙⲁⲣⲏⲥ (Coptic); ta shemaw (Egyptian); Άνω Αίγυπτος (Greek); صعيد مصر (Arabic); الصعيد (Egyptian Arabic); Aegyptus superior (Latin);
	c. 3400 BC–c. 3150 BC
	Hedjet
	Thinis Nekhen Thebes Naqada Map of Upper Egypt showing important sites that were occupied during Naqada III (clickable map)
Capital	Thinis
Common languages	Ancient Egyptian
Religion	Ancient Egyptian religion
Government	Monarchy
King
• c. 3400 BC	Scorpion I (first)
• c. 3150 BC	Narmer (last)
History
• Established	c. 3400 BC
• Disestablished	c. 3150 BC
	Succeeded by
Early Dynastic Period (Egypt)
Today part of	Egypt

Upper Egypt (Arabic: صعيد مصر‎ Ṣaʿīd Miṣr, shortened to الصعيد Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [es.sˤe.ˈʕiːd], locally: [es.sˤɑ.ˈʕiːd], Coptic: ⲙⲁⲣⲏⲥ) is the southern portion of Ancient Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend downriver between Nubia and Lower Egypt in the north.

In ancient Egypt, Upper Egypt was known as tꜣ šmꜣw,^[2] literally "the Land of Reeds" or "the Sedgeland"^[3] It is believed to have been united by the rulers of the supposed Thinite Confederacy who absorbed their rival city states during Naqada III and its unification with Lower Egypt ushered in the Early Dynastic period.^[4] Both Upper and Lower Egypt became imbedded within the symbolism of the sovereignty in Ancient Egypt such as the Pschent double crown.^[5] Upper Egypt remained as a historical distinction even after the classical period.

Geography[edit]

Upper Egypt is between the Cataracts of the Nile beyond modern-day Aswan, downriver (northward) to the area of El-Ayait,^[6] which places modern-day Cairo in Lower Egypt. The northern (downriver) part of Upper Egypt, between Sohag and El-Ayait, is also known as Middle Egypt.

In Arabic, inhabitants of Upper Egypt are known as Sa'idis and they generally speak Sai'idi Egyptian Arabic.

History[edit]

Hedjet, the White Crown of Upper Egypt

Predynastic Egypt[edit]

The main city of prehistoric Upper Egypt was Nekhen.^[7] The patron deity was the goddess Nekhbet, who is depicted as a vulture.^[8]

By approximately 3600 BC, Neolithic Egyptian societies along the Nile had based their culture on the raising of crops and the domestication of animals.^[9] Shortly after 3600 BC, Egyptian society began to grow and increase in complexity.^[10] A new and distinctive pottery, which was related to the Levantine ceramics, appeared during this time. Extensive use of copper became common during this time.^[10] The Mesopotamian process of sun-drying adobe and architectural principles—including the use of the arch and recessed walls for decorative effect—became popular during this time.^[10]

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.^[10] Warfare between Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt occurred often.^[10] During his reign in Upper Egypt, King Narmer defeated his enemies on the delta and united both of the kingdoms of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt under his single rule,^[11] which endured throughout Dynastic Egypt.

Dynastic Egypt[edit]

For most of Egypt's ancient history, Thebes was the administrative center of Upper Egypt. Upper Egypt was represented by the tall White Crown Hedjet, and its symbols were the flowering lotus and the sedge. Its patron deity, Nekhbet, was depicted by the vulture. After unification of the two kingdoms, the patron deities of both Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt were represented together as the Two Ladies, to protect all of the ancient Egyptians, just as the two crowns became united throughout the dynasties that followed.

After its devastation by the Assyrians, the importance of Egypt declined. Under the Ptolemies, Ptolemais Hermiou took over the role of the capital city of Upper Egypt.^[12]

Medieval Egypt[edit]

In the eleventh century, large numbers of pastoralists, known as Hilalians, fled Upper Egypt and moved westward into Libya and as far as Tunis.^[13] It is believed that degraded grazing conditions in Upper Egypt, associated with the beginning of the Medieval Warm Period, were the root cause of the migration.^[14]

20th-century Egypt[edit]

In the twentieth-century Egypt, the title Prince of the Sa'id (meaning Prince of Upper Egypt) was used by the heir apparent to the Egyptian throne.^{[Note 1]}

Although the Kingdom of Egypt was abolished after the Egyptian revolution of 1952, the title continues to be used by Muhammad Ali, Prince of the Sa'id.

List of rulers of prehistoric Upper Egypt[edit]

The following list may not be complete (there are many more of uncertain existence):

Name	Comments	Dates
Elephant		End of 4th millennium BC
Bull		4th millennium BC
Scorpion I	Oldest tomb at Umm el-Qa'ab had scorpion insignia	c. 3200 BC?
Iry-Hor	Possibly the immediate predecessor of Ka.	c. 3150 BC?
Ka^[16]^[17]	May be read Sekhen rather than Ka. Possibly the immediate predecessor of Narmer.	c. 3100 BC
Scorpion II	Potentially read Serqet; possibly the same person as Narmer.	c. 3150 BC
Narmer	The king who combined Upper and Lower Egypt.^[18]	c. 3150 BC

List of nomes[edit]

Map of Ancient Egypt with its historical nomes, "Upper Egypt" is in the lower portion of the map

Number	Ancient Name	Capital	Modern Capital	Translation
1	Ta-khentit	Abu / Yebu (Elephantine)	Aswan	The Frontier/Land of the Bow
2	Wetjes-Hor	Djeba (Apollonopolis Magna)	Edfu	Throne of Horus
3	Nekhen	Nekhen (Hierakon polis)	al-Kab	Shrine
4	Waset	Niwt-rst / Waset (Thebes)	Karnak	Sceptre
5	Harawî	Gebtu (Coptos)	Qift	Two Falcons
6	Aa-ta	Iunet / Tantere (Tentyra)	Dendera	Crocodile
7	Seshesh	Seshesh (Diospolis Parva)	Hu	Sistrum
8	Abdju	Abdju (Abydos)	al-Birba	Great Land
9	Min	Apu / Khen-min (Panopolis)	Akhmim	Min
10	Wadjet	Djew-qa / Tjebu (Aphroditopolis)	Edfu	Cobra
11	Set	Shashotep (Hypselis)	Shutb	Set animal
12	Tu-ph	Hut-Sekhem-Senusret (Antaeopolis)	Qaw al-Kebir	Viper Mountain
13	Atef-Khent	Zawty (Lycopolis)	Asyut	Upper Sycamore and Viper
14	Atef-Pehu	Qesy (Cusae)	al-Qusiya	Lower Sycamore and Viper
15	Wenet	Khemenu (Hermopolis)	Hermopolis	Hare^[19]
16	Ma-hedj	Herwer?	Hur?	Oryx^[19]
17	Anpu	Saka (Cynopolis)	al-Kais	Anubis
18	Sep	Teudjoi / Hutnesut (Alabastronopolis)	el-Hiba	Set
19	Uab	Per-Medjed (Oxyrhynchus)	el-Bahnasa	Two Sceptres
20	Atef-Khent	Henen-nesut (Heracleopolis Magna)	Ihnasiyyah al-Madinah	Southern Sycamore
21	Atef-Pehu	Shenakhen / Semenuhor (Crocodilopolis, Arsinoë)	Faiyum	Northern Sycamore
22	Maten	Tepihu (Aphroditopolis)	Atfih	Knife

Notes[edit]

^ The title was first used by Prince Farouk, the son and heir of King Fouad I. Prince Farouk was officially named Prince of the Sa'id on 12 December 1933.^[15]

References[edit]

^ Ermann & Grapow, op.cit. Wb 5, 227.4-14
^ Ermann & Grapow 1982, Wb 5, 227.4-14.
^ Ermann & Grapow (1982), Wb 4, 477.9-11
^ Brink, Edwin C. M. van den (1992). The Nile Delta in Transition: 4th.-3rd. Millennium B.C. : Proceedings of the Seminar Held in Cairo, 21.-24. October 1990, at the Netherlands Institute of Archaeology and Arabic Studies. E.C.M. van den Brink. ISBN 978-965-221-015-9.
^ Griffith, Francis Llewellyn, A Collection of Hieroglyphs: A Contribution to the History of Egyptian Writing, the Egypt Exploration Fund 1898, p.56
^ See list of nomes. Maten (Knife land) is the northernmost nome in Upper Egypt on the right bank, while Atef-Pehu (Northern Sycamore land) is the northernmost on the left bank. Brugsch, Heinrich Karl (2015). A History of Egypt under the Pharaohs. 1. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. p. 487., originally published in 1876 in German.
^ Bard & Shubert (1999), p. 371
^ David (1975), p. 149
^ Roebuck (1966), p. 51
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Roebuck (1966), pp. 52–53
^ Roebuck (1966), p. 53
^ Chauveau (2000), p. 68
^ Ballais (2000), p. 133
^ Ballais (2000), p. 134
^ Brice (1981), p. 299
^ Rice 1999, p. 86.
^ Wilkinson 1999, p. 57f.
^ Shaw 2000, p. 196.
^ ^a ^b Grajetzki (2006), pp. 109–111

Bibliography[edit]

Ballais, Jean-Louis (2000). "Conquests and land degradation in the eastern Maghreb". In Graeme Barker; David Gilbertson (eds.). Sahara and Sahel. The Archaeology of Drylands: Living at the Margin. 1, Part III. London: Routledge. pp. 125–136. ISBN 978-0-415-23001-8.
Bard, Katheryn A.; Shubert, Steven Blake (1999). Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-18589-0.
Brice, William Charles (1981). An Historical Atlas of Islam. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 90-04-06116-9. OCLC 9194288.
Chauveau, Michel (2000). Egypt in the Age of Cleopatra: History and Society Under the Ptolemies. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 0-8014-3597-8.
David, Ann Rosalie (1975). The Egyptian Kingdoms. London: Elsevier Phaidon. OCLC 2122106.
Ermann, Johann Peter Adolf; Grapow, Hermann (1982). Wörterbuch der Ägyptischen Sprache [Dictionary of the Egyptian Language] (in German). Berlin: Akademie. ISBN 3-05-002263-9.
Grajetzki, Wolfram (2006). The Middle Kingdom of ancient Egypt: History, Archaeology and Society. London: Duckworth Egyptology. ISBN 978-0-7156-3435-6.
Rice, Michael (1999). Who's Who in Ancient Egypt. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-15449-9.
Roebuck, Carl (1966). The World of Ancient Times. New York, NY: Charles Scribner's Sons Publishing.
Shaw, Ian (2000). The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-280458-7.
Wilkinson, Toby A. H. (1999). Early Dynastic Egypt. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-18633-1.

External links[edit]

Media related to Upper Egypt at Wikimedia Commons

[16] The title was first used by Prince Farouk, the son and heir of King Fouad I. Prince Farouk was officially named Prince of the Sa'id on 12 December 1933.^[15]

[1] Ermann & Grapow, op.cit. Wb 5, 227.4-14

[FOOTNOTEErmannGrapow1982Wb_5,_227.4-14-2] Ermann & Grapow 1982, Wb 5, 227.4-14.

[3] Ermann & Grapow (1982), Wb 4, 477.9-11

[4] Brink, Edwin C. M. van den (1992). The Nile Delta in Transition: 4th.-3rd. Millennium B.C. : Proceedings of the Seminar Held in Cairo, 21.-24. October 1990, at the Netherlands Institute of Archaeology and Arabic Studies. E.C.M. van den Brink. ISBN 978-965-221-015-9.

[5] Griffith, Francis Llewellyn, A Collection of Hieroglyphs: A Contribution to the History of Egyptian Writing, the Egypt Exploration Fund 1898, p.56

[6] See list of nomes. Maten (Knife land) is the northernmost nome in Upper Egypt on the right bank, while Atef-Pehu (Northern Sycamore land) is the northernmost on the left bank. Brugsch, Heinrich Karl (2015). A History of Egypt under the Pharaohs. 1. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. p. 487., originally published in 1876 in German.

[7] Bard & Shubert (1999), p. 371

[8] David (1975), p. 149

[9] Roebuck (1966), p. 51

[Roebuck1-10] Roebuck (1966), pp. 52–53

[11] Roebuck (1966), p. 53

[12] Chauveau (2000), p. 68

[13] Ballais (2000), p. 133

[14] Ballais (2000), p. 134

[15] Brice (1981), p. 299

[FOOTNOTERice199986-17] Rice 1999, p. 86.

[FOOTNOTEWilkinson199957f-18] Wilkinson 1999, p. 57f.

[FOOTNOTEShaw2000196-19] Shaw 2000, p. 196.

[WG-20] Grajetzki (2006), pp. 109–111

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[Note 1]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[15]

v t e Ancient Egypt topics
Index Major topics Glossary of artifacts
Agriculture Architecture (Egyptian Revival architecture) Art Portraiture Astronomy Chronology Cities (list) Clothing Cuisine Dance Dynasties Funerary practices Geography Great Royal Wives (list) Hieroglyphs History Language Literature Mathematics Medicine Military Music Mythology People Pharaohs (list) Philosophy Religion Sites Technology Trade Writing
Egyptology Egyptologists Museums
Ancient Egypt portal Book Category WikiProject Commons Outline

v t e Regions of Africa
Central	Guinea region Gulf of Guinea Cape Lopez Mayombe Igboland Mbaise Pool Malebo Congo Basin Chad Basin Cameroonian Highlands forests East Sudanian savanna Congolian rainforests Ouaddaï highlands Ennedi Plateau
East	African Great Lakes Albertine Rift East African Rift Great Rift Valley Gregory Rift Rift Valley lakes Virunga Mountains Kavirondo Zanj East African montane forests Eastern Arc Mountains Serengeti Horn of Africa Afar Triangle Al-Habash Barbaria Danakil Alps Danakil Desert Ethiopian Highlands Dahlak Archipelago Hanish Islands Gulf of Aden Gulf of Tadjoura Red Sea Indian Ocean islands Comoro Islands Lamu Archipelago Madagascar Central Highlands (Madagascar) Northern Highlands Zanzibar Archipelago Swahili coast
North	Eastern Desert Maghreb Ancient Libya Atlas Mountains Barbary Coast Bashmur Gibraltar Arc Ifriqiya Nile Valley Nile Delta Cataracts of the Nile Darfur Lower Egypt Lower Nubia Middle Egypt Nile Delta Nuba Mountains Nubia The Sudans Upper Egypt Tibesti Mountains Western Sahara
South	Rhodesia North South Thembuland Succulent Karoo Nama Karoo Bushveld Maputaland Highveld Fynbos Indian Ocean coastal belt Albany thickets Cape Floristic Region Skeleton Coast Kalahari Desert Okavango Delta Cape Peninsula False Bay
West	Pepper Coast Gold Coast Slave Coast Ivory Coast Cape Palmas Cape Mesurado Guinea region Guinean Forests of West Africa Upper Guinean forests Lower Guinean forests Guinean forest-savanna mosaic Guinea Highlands Gulf of Guinea Dahomey Gap Niger Basin Niger Delta Inner Niger Delta West Sudanian savanna Yorubaland
Macro-regions	Aethiopia Afromontane Arab world Commonwealth realm Equatorial Africa Françafrique Greater Middle East Guineo-Congolian region Islands of Africa List of countries where Arabic is an official language Mediterranean Basin MENA MENASA Middle East Miombo woodlands Mittelafrika Negroland Northeast Africa Portuguese-speaking African countries Sahara Sahel Sub-Saharan Africa Sudan (region) Sudanian savanna Tropical Africa Zambezian region