Upper Egypt

Thinis

Nekhen

Thebes

Naqada

Map of Upper Egypt showing important sites that were occupied during Naqada III (clickable map)

Upper Egypt (Arabic: صعيد مصر‎‎ Saʿīd Miṣr, shortened to الصعيد El Ṣeʿīd; pronounced [esˤːe.ˈʕiːd], Coptic: ⲙⲁⲣⲏⲥ) is the strip of land on both sides of the Nile that extends between Nubia and downriver (northwards) to Lower Egypt.

Geography

Upper Egypt is between the Cataracts of the Nile above modern-day Aswan, downriver (northwards) to the area between Dahshur and El-Ayait, which is south of modern-day Cairo. 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 Sa'idi Arabic.

In ancient Egypt, Upper Egypt was known as tꜣ šmꜣw,^[1] literally "the Land of Reeds" or "the Sedgeland"^[2] It was divided into twenty-two districts called nomes.^[3] The first nome was roughly where modern-day Aswan is and the twenty-second was at modern Atfih just to the south of Cairo.

History

Hedjet, the White Crown of Upper Egypt

Predynastic Egypt

The main city of prehistoric Upper Egypt was Nekhen,^[4] whose patron deity was the vulture goddess Nekhbet.^[5]

By about 3600 BC, Neolithic Egyptian societies along the Nile had based their culture on the raising of crops and the domestication of animals.^[6] Shortly after 3600 BC, Egyptian society began to grow and increase in complexity.^[7] 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.^[7] 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.^[7]

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.^[7] Warfare between Upper and Lower Egypt occurred often.^[7] During his reign in Upper Egypt, King Narmer defeated his enemies on the Delta and merged both the Kingdom of Upper and Lower Egypt under his single rule.^[8]

Dynasties of Ancient Egypt

All years (rightmost column) are BC (BCE)

Early

First Dynasty	I	c. 3150–2890
Second Dynasty	II	2890–2686

Old Kingdom

Third Dynasty	III	2686–2613
Fourth Dynasty	IV	2613–2498
Fifth Dynasty	V	2498–2345
Sixth Dynasty	VI	2345–2181

First Intermediate

Seventh and Eighth Dynasties	VII/VIII	2181–2160
Ninth Dynasty	IX	2160–2130
Tenth Dynasty	X	2130–2040
Early Eleventh Dynasty	XI	2134–2061

Middle Kingdom

Late Eleventh Dynasty	XI	2061–1991
Twelfth Dynasty	XII	1991–1803
Thirteenth Dynasty	XIII	1803–1649
Fourteenth Dynasty	XIV	1705–1690

Second Intermediate

Fifteenth Dynasty	XV	1674–1535
Sixteenth Dynasty	XVI	1660–1600
Abydos Dynasty		1650–1600
Seventeenth Dynasty	XVII	1580–1549

New Kingdom

Eighteenth Dynasty	XVIII	1549–1292
Nineteenth Dynasty	XIX	1292–1189
Twentieth Dynasty	XX	1189–1077

Third Intermediate

Twenty-first Dynasty	XXI	1069–945
Twenty-second Dynasty	XXII	945–720
Twenty-third Dynasty	XXIII	837–728
Twenty-fourth Dynasty	XXIV	732–720
Twenty-fifth Dynasty	XXV	732–653

Late Period

Twenty-sixth Dynasty	XXVI	672–525
Twenty-seventh Dynasty (1st Persian Period)	XXVII	525–404
Twenty-eighth Dynasty	XXVIII	404–398
Twenty-ninth Dynasty	XXIX	398–380
Thirtieth Dynasty	XXX	380–343
Thirty-first Dynasty (2nd Persian Period)	XXXI	343–332

Ptolemaic (Hellenistic)

Argead Dynasty	332–305
Ptolemaic Kingdom	305–30

Dynastic Egypt

For most of pharaonic Egypt's history, Thebes was the administrative center of Upper Egypt. After its devastation by the Assyrians, its importance declined. Under the Ptolemies, Ptolemais Hermiou took over the role of Upper Egypt's capital city.^[9] Upper Egypt was represented by the tall White Crown Hedjet, and its symbols were the flowering lotus and the sedge.

Medieval Egypt

In the 11th century, large numbers of pastoralists, known as Hilalians, fled Upper Egypt and moved westward into Libya and as far as Tunis.^[10] 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.^[11]

20th-century Egypt

In the 20th-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

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^[13]^[14]	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.^[15]	c. 3150 BC

List of nomes

Map of Upper Egypt with its historical nomes

Number	Egyptian Name	Capital	Modern Capital	Translation
1	Ta-Seti	Abu / Yebu (Elephantine)	Aswan	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	z3wj-tj (Lycopolis)	Asyut	Upper Sycamore and Viper
14	Atef-Pehu	Qesy (Cusae)	al-Qusiya	Lower Sycamore and Viper
15	Wenet	Khemenu (Hermopolis)	Hermopolis	Hare^[16]
16	Ma-hedj	Herwer?	Hur?	Oryx^[16]
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

Part of a series on the

History of Egypt

Prehistoric Egypt

pre–3100 BC

Ancient Egypt
Early Dynastic Period	3100–2686 BC
Old Kingdom	2686–2181 BC
1st Intermediate Period	2181–2055 BC
Middle Kingdom	2055–1650 BC
2nd Intermediate Period	1650–1550 BC
New Kingdom	1550–1069 BC
3rd Intermediate Period	1069–664 BC
Late Period	664–332 BC

Classical antiquity
Macedonian and Ptolemaic Egypt	332–30 BC
Roman and Byzantine Egypt	30 BC–641 AD
Sasanian Egypt	619–629

Middle Ages
Arab Egypt	641–969
Fatimid Egypt	969–1171
Ayyubid Egypt	1171–1250
Mamluk Egypt	1250–1517

Early modern
Ottoman Egypt	1517–1867
French occupation	1798–1801
Egypt under Muhammad Ali	1805–1882
Khedivate of Egypt	1867–1914

Modern Egypt
British occupation	1882–1922
Sultanate of Egypt	1914–1922
Kingdom of Egypt	1922–1953
Republic	1953–present

Egypt portal

Notes

↑ 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.^[12]

References

↑ Ermann & Grapow 1982, Wb 5, 227.4-14.
↑ Ermann & Grapow (1982), Wb 4, 477.9-11
↑ The Encyclopedia Americana Grolier Incorporated, 1988, p.34
↑ Bard & Shubert (1999), p. 371
↑ David (1975), p. 149
↑ Roebuck (1966), p. 51
1 2 3 4 5 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.
1 2 Grajetzki (2006), pp. 109–111

Bibliography

Ballais, Jean-Louis (2000). "Conquests and land degradation in the eastern Maghreb". In Graeme Barker & David Gilbertson. Sahara and Sahel. The Archaeology of Drylands: Living at the Margin. Vol. 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

Media related to Upper Egypt at Wikimedia Commons

Upper Egyptian cities

Akhmim Aswan Asyut Beni Suef Faiyum Hurghada Luxor Mallawi Minya Safaga Qena Sohag

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