mirrored file at http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ For complete access to all the files of this collection see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php ========================================================== Egypt features story *The Nomes (Provinces) of Ancient Egypt/ /* */by Jimmy Dunn/* A female personifcation of the 18th nome of Upper Egypt depicted at Kom OmboThe term nome is actually of Greek origin (nomos) used to refer to the forty two traditional provinces of ancient Egypt. The actual ancient Egyptian term for these governmental divisions was sepat. Today, Egypt refers to its provinces as governates. Some system of geographic division existed from at least the beginning of the Pharaonic period, though perhaps at first there were far fewer nomes than later on in Egyptian history. In the late 3rd Dynasty , perhaps during the reign of Huni , some scholars believe that a set of seven non-sepulchral step pyramids were erected at certain sites, which perhaps corresponded to proto-capitals of the nomes, located at Zawiyet el-Mayitin , Abydos , Naqada , el-Kula, Edfu , Seila and the island of Elephantine in the Nile River at modern Aswan . These provincial capitals were also religious and economic centers serving the surrounding countryside, where the vast majority of Egyptians lived in small villages. Many had more than local importance, with the state investing in their development, above all by building temples. Some had strategic importance as fortresses defending a frontier or as staging points for invasions of foreign countries. The Nomes (Proviences) of Ancient EgyptHence, Nomes, together with their ruling nomarch, played an important role in ancient Egypt. Specifically, when the central power was weak and ineffective, the nomarchs often enlarged and embellished their provincial capitals, from which they supervised the maintenance of irrigation canals and dams, the local distribution of the Nile water and the dispensation of justice. When their powers were elevated in this manner, they also challenged, and sometimes overwhelmed the central power base of the king. It should be clearly pointed out that some nomes shifted over time and that the location of others remains uncertain. The number of provinces in Upper Egypt seems to have been constant from the Old Kingdom onwards, whereas the number and position of the provinces in Lower Egypt varied, growing over time as marshes were converted to cultivated land and as the river branches of the Nile Delta shifted over the centuries. However, for much of the dynastic period, there appears to have been twenty-two Upper Egyptian nomes and twenty Lower Egyptian nomes. Each nome was generally governed by its own regional ruler known as a nomarch, and each had its own symbol or sign, though those Lower Egypt appear to date later than those of Upper Egypt. Upper Egyptian nomes were also usually represented in the form of a standard, thus leading to provinces being described by such names as the "hare nome" or the "ibis nome". Lower Egyptian nomes appear to have had no counterpart of these standards. The reliefs in many temples and shrines include a lower register along which groups of personifications of estates or nomes were record around the temple. At other times, statue groupings and columns might be used to represent the various nomes. Lower Egyptian Nomes *Lower Egypt* *Nome Name:* *Nome 1: White fortress (White Wall)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Horus before Inebhedj' (?) Major Deities Ptah , Sokar , Apis City(s):/Tempes: Inebhedj/Mennefer (Greek Memphis, Arabic Mit Rahina) /Ptah, Hathor Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 2: Cow's thigh (Foreleg)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Khentykhem ('foremost of Khem ') Major Deities Horus , Kherty City(s):/Temples: Khem (Greek Letopolis, Arabic Ausim) /Horus-foremost-of-Khem Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 3: West* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Hepy of Hut-Ihyt Major Deities Hathor City(s):/Temples: Imu (Arabic Kom el-Hisn) /Hathor-Sekhmet Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 4: Southern shield* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Neith and Sobek Major Deities Neith City(s):/Temples: Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 5: Northern shield* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Sau ('of Sais') Major Deities Neith City(s):/Temples: Sau (Greek Sais, Arabic Sa al-Hagar) /Neit Notes: Sais was the capital of Egypt during the Late Dynastic Period and a Greek commercial center. *Nome Name:* *Nome 6: Mountain bull* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: (entry unclear) Major Deities Re City(s):/Temples: Khasu (Greek Xois, Arabic Sakha)/Ra Pe and Dep (Greek Buto, Arabic Tell el-Farain) /Wadjyt Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 7: West harpoon* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: 'harpoon with cord' inscribed across provinces 7 and 8 Major Deities Ha City(s):/Temples: Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 8: East harpoon* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: 'harpoon with cord' inscribed across provinces 7 and 8 Major Deities Atum City(s):/Temples: Peratum (Biblical Pithom, Arabic Tell al-Maskhuta) /Atum Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 9: Anezti (Andjti, /anD.t, Andjety/)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Osiris of Djedu Major Deities Osiris , Andjety City(s):/Temples: Djedu (Greek Busiris, Arabic Abu Sir Bana)/Horus-Khentkhety Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 10: Black bull, /(km-wr. Black Ox)/* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: (block missing or no entry) Major Deities Horus City(s):/Temples: Hutherib (Greek Athribis, Arabic Tell Atrib) /Osiris and Isis Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 11: Heseb bull (Ox count)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: (block missing or no entry) Major Deities Shu , Tefnut , Mihos City(s):/Temples: Taremu (Greek Leontopolis, Arabic Tell al-Moqdam) /Maihesa Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 12: Cow with calf (Calf and Cow)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: (block missing or no entry) Major Deities Onuris City(s):/Temples: Tjebennetjer (Greek Sebennytus, Arabic Samanud) /Inheret-Shu and Mehyt Perhebyt (Arabic Behbeit)/Isis of Hebyt Notes: From Tjebennetjer comes the monolithic sanctuary shrine Cairo CG 70015, set up by king Nakhthorhebyt of D30 for Shu, Bast and Inheret *Nome Name:* *Nome 13: Undamaged scepter ? (Prospering Sceptre)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Isis , Bast (of) Su Major Deities Atum , Iusaas , Mnevis City(s):/Temples: Iunu (Greek Heliopolis, Arabic Matariya) /Ra-Atum, Hathor Kheraha (Greek 'Babylon of Egypt', part of Old Cairo?)/Atum Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 14: East or anterior nome , /(jm.tj-xntj, Foremost of the East)/ * Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: '[Horus ?] (of?) [He]benu' (or '(of) Benu') Major Deities Seth City(s):/Temples: Tjaru (Greek Sile, Arabic Qantara?)/Horus of Mesen? Notes: This is the frontier zone of the 'ways of Horus' leading from Egypt across N Sinai *Nome Name:* *Nome 15: Ibis* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: (block missing or no entry) Major Deities Thoth City(s):/Temples: Weprehwy (?) (Greek Hermopolis, Arabic Baqliya) /Thoth Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 16: Dolphin (Fish)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: '(of) Djedet' Major Deities Banebdjedet , Hatmehyt City(s):/Temples: Djedet (Greek Mendes) /Banebdjedet Notes: The four sanctuary shrines at Djedet were set up by king Ahmose of Dynasty 26, with one for each of the four 'souls' immanent within Banebdjedet (Ra, Shu, Geb, Osiris ) *Nome Name:* *Nome 17: The throne /(zmA-bHd.t, Behdet)/* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: (block missing or no entry) Major Deities Horus City(s):/Temples: Semabehdet (Arabic Balamun?)/Amun Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 18: Royal child upper nome (Prince of the South)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Bast Major Deities Bast City(s):/Temples: Bast (Greek Bubastis, on edge of modern Zagazig) /Bast Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 19: Royal child lower nome (Prince of the North)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: (block missing or no entry) Major Deities Wadjyt City(s):/Temples: Imet (Arabic Nebesha) /Wadjyt Djanet (Greek Tanis) /Amun, Mut and Khonsu Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 20: East (Plumed Falcon)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: (block missing or no entry) Major Deities Sopdu City(s):/Temples: Per-Sopdu (Arabic Saft al-Henna) /Sopdu Notes: *Upper Egypt* *Nome Name:* *Nome 1: Land of the arch or /To Khentit/: the frontier (Ta-Seti)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Horus Major Deities Khnum , Satis , Anukis , Isis , Horus the Elder, Sobek City(s):/Temples: Abu (Greek Elephantine) /Khnum, Satet Sunet (Greek Syene, Arabic Aswan) /Isis Nubyt (Arabic Kom Ombo) /Sobek with Horus Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 2: Throne of Horus* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Horus of Behedet Major Deities Horus City(s):/Temples: Djeba (Greek Apollonopolis, Arabic Edfu) /Horus Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 3: The rural (Shrine)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Nekhbet , Horus of Nekhen, Wenu Major Deities Horus , Nekhbet , Khnum , Neith City(s):/Temples: Nekhen (Greek Hierakonpolis, Arabic Kom al-Ahmar) /Hous Nekheb (Greek Eleithyiaspolis, Arabic Elkab) /Nekhbet and Sobek Nekheb desert valley/Hathor, Shesmetet Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 4: The sceptre* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Montu Major Deities Amun , Mut , Khons , Montu , Buchis , Sobek City(s):/Temples: Perhathor (Greek Pathyris, Arabic Gebelein)/Hathor Imiotru (Arabic Rizeiqat)/Mont Djerty (Arabic Tod) /Mont Waset (Greek Thebes, Arabic Qurneh for West Bank, Luxor and Karnak for East Bank) /Amun, Mut, Khons and Various Madu (Arabic Medamud) /Mont Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 5: The two falcons* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Min of Coptos Major Deities Min , Seth City(s):/Temples: Shenhur (retains name in Arabic)/Isis Gis (Greek Apollonopolis mikra, Arabic Qus) /Horus and Heqet, divine child Khons-Thoth Gebtyu (Greek Coptos, Arabic Qift) /Min and Isis Nubt (Greek Ombos, Arabic Naqada) /Seth Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 6: The crocodile* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Hathor of Iunet, and Iq Major Deities Hathor City(s):/Temples: Iunet (Greek Aphroditipolis, Arabic Dendera) /Hathor, Ihy Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 7: Sistrum* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Bat Major Deities Bat City(s):/Temples: Hut-Sekhem-Senusret (Arabic Hu)/ Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 8: Great land* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Khentamentiu Major Deities Khentamentiu, Osiris , Onuris City(s):/Temples: Abdju (Greek Abydos, Arabic al-Arabah) /Osiris Khentamentiu Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 9: Minu (Min)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Min Major Deities Min City(s):/Temples: Khentmin (Greek Panopolis, Arabic Akhmim) /Min Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 10: Cobra* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Bau (or Seru?) Major Deities Seth , Mihos , Nemty City(s):/Temples: Tjebu (Greek Antaeopolis, Arabic Qau al-Kabir) /Nemty Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 11: The Set animal (Seth)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Horus , also Seth Major Deities Seth City(s):/Temples: Shashotep (Greek Apotheke, Arabic Shutb)/ Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 12: Viper mountain* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Bat Major Deities Nemty City(s):/Temples: Hut-Sekhem-Senusret (Arabic Hu)/ Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 13: Upper pomegranate tree (Upper Sycamore and Viper)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Wepwawet Major Deities Wepwawet , Anubis City(s):/Temples: Saut (Greek Lycopolis, Arabic Asyut) /Wepwawet Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 14: Lower pomegranate tree (Lower Sycamore and Viper)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Possibly Hathor Major Deities Hathor City(s):/Temples: Qesy (Greek Cusae, Arabic al-Qusiya) /Hathor Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 15: Hare* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Aha (early name for Bes ), also Wenut Major Deities Thoth , Ogdoad , Aten City(s):/Temples: Khemenu (Greek Hermopolis, Arabic Ashmunein) /Thoth Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 16: Oryx* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Horus of Hebenu Major Deities Pakhet , Khnum City(s):/Temples: Hebenu (Arabic Kom al-Ahmar?) /Horus? Tadehnet (Greek Akoris, Arabic Tehna)/Amun and Sobek? Notes: Note that Khnum is the deity of a town Herwer named in the Beni Hasan tomb inscriptions, in this district *Nome Name:* *Nome 17: The black dog (Jackal)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Anubis of Henu Major Deities Anubis City(s):/Temples: Saka (Arabic al-Qes?)/Bata? Hardai/Anubis? Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 18: Falcon with spread wings (Nemty)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Nemty Major Deities Nemty City(s):/Temples: Hutnesut (Arabic Sharuna)/Horus-Dunanwy? Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 19: The pure sceptre (Two Sceptres)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Igay Major Deities Seth , Mormyrus fish City(s):/Temples: Permedjed? (Greek Oxyrhynchus, Arabic Bahnasa) / Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 20: Upper laurel (Southern Sycamore)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Empty Major Deities Heryshef City(s):/Temples: Henennesut (Greek Heracleopolis, Arabic Ihnasya) /Heryshef Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 21: Lower laurel (Northern Sycamore)* Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Khnum Major Deities Khnum , Seneferu City(s):/Temples: Shenakhen/Semenuhor (Greek Akanthon, perhaps near Arabic Kafr Ammar and Kafr Tarkhan?)/ Notes: *Nome Name:* *Nome 22: Knife /(wAD.t)/ * Nome Symbol: White Chapel Deity: Neith , also Sobek of the Southern Lake Major Deities Hathor City(s):/Temples: Tepihu (Greek Aphroditopolis, Arabic Atfih) /Hathor Notes: The White Chapel entry implies that the Fayum region was considered part of this province References: *Title* *Author* *Date* *Publisher* *Reference Number* Ancient Gods Speak, The: A Guide to Egyptian Religion Redford, Donald B. 2002 Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-515401-0 Atlas of Ancient Egypt Baines, John; Malek, Jaromir 1980 Les Livres De France None Stated Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, The Wilkinson, Richard H. 2003 Thames & Hudson, LTD ISBN 0-500-05120-8 Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, The Wilkinson, Richard H. 2000 Thames and Hudson, Ltd ISBN 0-500-05100-3 Dictionary of Ancient Egypt, The Shaw, Ian; Nicholson, Paul 1995 Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers ISBN 0-8109-3225-3 Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, A Hart, George 1986 Routledge ISBN 0-415-05909-7 History of Ancient Egypt, A Grimal, Nicolas 1988 Blackwell None Stated Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, The Shaw, Ian 2000 Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-815034-2 /Archives / *Return to Tour Egypt* *Shop the Virtual Khan el-Khalili, the Store for Egypt Lovers* *Click Here to Mass Email Egypt Travel Companies to Request Tours* *Contact Tour Egypt* | *Advertise* | *Search This Site* | *Search Egypt Web* | *Reader Photos* Design, Layout and Graphic Art by Jimmy Dunn , an InterCity Oz, Inc. Employee All content, Graphic Art, Design, Layout, and Scripting Code Copyright 1999-2005 by InterCity Oz, Inc.