Ancient Egypt was divided into two regions, namely Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. To the north was Lower Egypt where the Nile stretched out with its several branches to form the Nile Delta. To the south was Upper Egypt, stretching to Syene. The two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt were united c. 3000 BC, but each maintained its own regalia. Thus, the pharaohs were known as the rulers of the Two Kingdoms (alternatively: Two Lands), and wore the pschent, a double crown, each half representing sovereignty of one of the kingdoms.
The terminology "Upper" and "Lower" derives from the flow of the Nile from the highlands of East Africa northwards to the Mediterranean Sea, so Upper Egypt lies to the south of Lower Egypt. Lower Egypt mostly consists of the Nile Delta.
There were differences between Upper and Lower Egyptians in the ancient world: they spoke different dialects and had different customs. Many of such differences and the occasional tensions they create still exist in modern times. In Egyptian Arabic, Lower Egyptians are known as baḥarwa
- Nomes of Egypt
- Ancient Egypt
- Geography of Egypt
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Famous quotes containing the words upper and lower, upper and, upper and/or egypt:
“I am not afraid of the priests in the long-run. Scientific method is the white ant which will slowly but surely destroy their fortifications. And the importance of scientific method in modern practical life—always growing and increasing—is the guarantee for the gradual emancipation of the ignorant upper and lower classes, the former of whom especially are the strength of the priests.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)
“Upper and Lower Kingdom will declare
God’s in this wooden toy,
no less
than where
great Taurus ploughs his course.”
—Hilda Doolittle (1886–1961)
“Like many of the Upper Class He liked the Sound of Broken Glass.”
—Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953)
“It flows through old hushed Egypt and its sands,
Like some grave mighty thought threading a dream,”
—Leigh Hunt (1784–1859)