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Ancient Egypt: Difference between revisions
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Ancient Egypt was divided into two principal regions with smaller districts between them: | Ancient Egypt was divided into two principal regions with smaller districts between them: | ||
* Lower Egypt | * Lower Egypt | ||
** = "lower" for downstream (northern portion of Egypt) | ** = northern portion, consisting mostly of the Nile Delta | ||
** "downstream" thus "lower" | |||
* Upper Egypt | |||
** = southern portion, from the cataracts (waterfalls) to the Nile Delta | |||
** "upstream" thus "upper" | |||
* | |||
* Click EXPAND for details on Upper and Lower Egypt | |||
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"> | |||
* | '''Lower Egypt''' | ||
* = "lower" for downstream (northern portion of Egypt) | |||
* = Nile Delta region | |||
* called by Egyptians "Ta-Mehu" for "land of papyrus" | |||
* topography mostly swampy grassland | |||
** fertile land | |||
* at the Delta, the Nile breaks into multiple rivers: | |||
** Pliny the Elder (N.H. 5.11) identified seven branches (from east to west): the Pelusiac, the Tanitic, the Mendesian, the Phatnitic, the Sebennytic, the Bolbitine, and the Canopic (source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Egypt Lower Egypt] wikipedia entry) | |||
* flooding spreads across the Delta | |||
* the Delta consisted of 20 nomes (pre-pharaonic independent kingdoms) | |||
* traditional capital = Memphis | |||
** located at the "funnel" point of the Delta | |||
* Lower Egypt crown = "Deshret" (red crown) | |||
'''Upper Egypt''' | |||
* = "upper" for upstream (southern portion of Egypt) | |||
* = from cataracts to the Delta | |||
* called by Egyptians "Ta Shemau" for "the land of reeds" | |||
* consisted of 22 nomes | |||
** traditional capitals = Hierakonpolis (Nekhen), Thinis, and Thebes | |||
* Upper Egypt crown = "Hedjet" (white crown) | |||
* Nubia and the Kush = regions South of Egypt | * Nubia and the Kush = regions South of Egypt | ||
* Western Desert = arid desert with isolated oases that forms eastern portion of Libyan Desert | * Western Desert = arid desert with isolated oases that forms eastern portion of Libyan Desert | ||
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* Fayoum = large oasis just West of the Nile that was fed by the Nile during floods and with canals | * Fayoum = large oasis just West of the Nile that was fed by the Nile during floods and with canals | ||
* Sinai peninsula = arid land that bridges Africa and Asia to the east of the Nile Delta | * Sinai peninsula = arid land that bridges Africa and Asia to the east of the Nile Delta | ||
</div> | |||
===Natural Resources=== | ===Natural Resources=== | ||