Map of Lower Egypt showing important sites that were occupied during theProtodynastic Period of Egypt (clickable map)
Lower Egypt (Arabic:مصر السفلىMiṣr as-Suflā) is the northernmostregion ofEgypt, which consists of the fertileNile Delta betweenUpper Egypt and theMediterranean Sea. TheNile River split into seven branches of the delta in Lower Egypt. Lower Egypt was divided intonomes and began to advance as a civilization after 3600 BC.[1] Today, it contains two major channels that flow through the delta of the Nile River –Mahmoudiyah Canal (ancient Agathos Daimon) and Muways Canal (Arabic:بحر موَيس, "waterway of Moses").
InAncient Egyptian, Lower Egypt was known asmḥw which means "north".[2] Later on, duringAntiquity and theMiddle Ages,Greeks andRomans called itΚάτω Αἴγυπτος orAegyptus Inferior both meaning "Lower Egypt", butCopts carried on using the old name related to the north –Tsakhet (Coptic:ⲧⲥⲁϧⲏⲧ) orPsanemhit (Coptic:ⲡⲥⲁⲛⲉⲙϩⲓⲧ) meaning the "Northern part". It was further divided into a number of regions ornomes (Coptic:ⲡⲧⲟϣ,romanized: ptosh) –Niphaiat (Coptic:ⲛⲓⲫⲁⲓⲁⲧ,lit. 'Libyan (nome)',Ancient Greek:Μαρεωτης) in the west,Tiarabia (Coptic:ϯⲁⲣⲁⲃⲓⲁ,lit. 'Arabia') in the east,Nimeshshoti (Coptic:ⲛⲓⲙⲉϣϣⲟϯ,lit. 'fields') in the north-east andBashmur (BashmuricCoptic:ⲡⲥⲁⲙⲏⲣ,lit. 'sand shore') in the north.Champollion adds another region in the middle of the Delta which he callsPetmour (Coptic:ⲡⲉⲧⲙⲟⲩⲣ,lit. 'the one which bounds, girds')[3] based onAncient Greek:Πτιμυρις mentioned byStephanus of Byzantium, but it is unclear if this is a separate region or just a Greek rendering of the name Bashmur.[4]
After theMuslim conquest, the middle part of the Delta was called al-Rif (Arabic:الريف) which means "countryside, rural area" and which is derived fromAncient Egyptian
r-pr, "temple", because the rural areas were administered by them.[5] The eastern part roughly comprising the ancient Tiarabia was called al-Hawf (Arabic:الهوف) meaning "edge, fringe".[6]
Today, there are two principal channels that theNile takes through theriver delta: one in the west atRashid and one in the east atDamietta.
The delta region is well watered, crisscrossed bychannels andcanals.
Owing primarily to its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the climate in Lower Egypt is milder than that ofUpper Egypt, the southern portion of the country. Temperatures are less extreme and rainfall is more abundant in Lower Egypt.
It was divided into twenty districts callednomes, the first of which was atel-Lisht. Because Lower Egypt was mostly undevelopedscrubland, filled with all types of plant life such as grasses andherbs, the organization of thenomes underwent several changes.
The capital of Lower Egypt wasMemphis. Its patron goddess was the goddessWadjet, depicted as a cobra. Lower Egypt was represented by the Red CrownDeshret, and its symbols were the papyrus and the bee. After unification, the patron deities of both Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt were represented together as theTwo Ladies, Wadjet andNekhbet (depicted as a vulture), to protect all of the ancient Egyptians.
By approximately 3600 BC, Neolithic Egyptian societies along theNile River had based their culture on the raising of crops and the domestication of animals.[7] Shortly after 3600 BC, Egyptian society began to grow and advance rapidly toward refined civilization.[1] A new and distinctive pottery, which was related to thepottery in the Southern Levant, appeared during this time. Extensive use of copper became common during this time.[1] TheMesopotamian process ofsun-dried bricks, and architectural building principles—including the use of the arch and recessed walls for decorative effect—became popular during this time.[1]
Concurrent with these cultural advances, a process of unification of the societies and towns of the upper Nile River, orUpper Egypt, occurred. At the same time, the societies of theNile Delta, or Lower Egypt also underwent a unification process.[1] Warfare between Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt occurred often.[1] During his reign in Upper Egypt, KingNarmer defeated his enemies in the Delta and merged the kingdoms of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt under his single rule.[8]
List of kings of the Predynastic Period of Lower Egypt
ThePalermo stone, a royal annal written in the mid Fifth Dynasty (c. 2490 BC – c. 2350 BC) records a number of kings reigning over Lower Egypt beforeNarmer. These are completely unattested outside these inscriptions:
In contrast, the following kings are attested through archeological finds from Sinai and Lower Egypt:Double Falcon,Crocodile.
On theNarmer Palette commemorating the defeat of Lower Egypt and the unification of the two kingdoms, the male figure depicted being bluedgeoned by Narmer is given the name "Wash". As it is uncertain whether the figure represents an actual person or is simply an allegorical representation, archaeological evidence for supporting "Wash" as the final king of Lower Egypt is tenuous.
^Champollion, Jean-François (1814).L'Égypte sous les pharaons, ou recherches sur la géographie, la religion, la langue, les écritures et l'histoire de l'Égypte avant l'invasion de Cambyse. Paris: Bure. p. 5.
