InEgyptian history, theUpper and Lower Egypt period (also known asThe Two Lands) was the final stage ofprehistoric Egypt and directly preceded theunification of the realm. The conception of Egypt as the Two Lands was an example of the dualism in ancient Egyptian culture and frequently appeared in texts and imagery, including in the titles of Egyptianpharaohs.
The Egyptian titlezmꜣ-tꜣwj (Egyptological pronunciationsema-tawy) is usually translated as "Uniter of the Two Lands"[1] and was depicted as a humantrachea entwined with the papyrus and lily plant. The trachea stood for unification, while the papyrus and lily plant represent Lower and Upper Egypt.
Standard titles of thepharaoh included theprenomen, quite literally "Of theSedge and Bee" (nswt-bjtj, the symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt)[2] and "lord of the Two Lands" (writtennb-tꜣwj).Queens regnant were addressed as pharaohs and male.Queens consort might use the feminine versions of the second title, "lady of The Two Lands" (nbt-tꜣwj), "mistress of the Entire Two Lands" (hnwt-tꜣwy-tm), and "mistress of the Two Lands" (hnwt-tꜣwy).[3]
Ancient Egypt was divided into two regions, namelyUpper Egypt andLower Egypt. To the north was Lower Egypt, where theNile stretched out with its several branches to form theNile Delta. To the south was Upper Egypt, stretching toAswan. The terminology"Upper" and"Lower" derives from the flow of theNile from the highlands ofEast Africa northwards to theMediterranean Sea.
The two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt were united c. 3000 BC, but each maintained its own regalia: thehedjet or White Crown for Upper Egypt and thedeshret or Red Crown for Lower Egypt. Thus, thepharaohs were known as the rulers of the Two Lands, and wore thepschent, a double crown, each half representing sovereignty of one of the kingdoms. Ancient Egyptian tradition creditedMenes, now believed to be the same asNarmer, as the king who united Upper and Lower Egypt. On theNarmer Palette, the king is depicted wearing the Red Crown on one scene and the White crown in another, and thereby showing his rule over both Lands.[4]
The union of Upper and Lower Egypt is symbolized by knotted papyrus and reed plants. This binding motif represents both harmony through unity and domination through containment. Duality plays a key role in royal iconography and is sometimes extended further depicting the knotted plants binding foreign enemies from both the North and the South.[4]
During the first dynasty, dualistic royal titles emerge, including the King of Upper and Lower Egypt (nswtbjtj) title which combines the plant representing Upper Egypt and a bee representing Lower Egypt. The other dualistic title is theTwo Ladies name or Nebty name. The two ladies areNekhbet, thevulture goddess associated withNekhen in Upper Egypt, andWadjet, thecobra goddess associated withButo in Lower Egypt.[4]
There are many depictions of the ritual unifications of the Two Lands. It is not known if this was perhaps a rite that would have been enacted at the beginning of a reign, or merely a symbolic representation. Many of the depictions of the unification show two gods binding the plants. Often the gods areHorus andSet, or on occasion Horus andThoth. There are several examples of Barque stands from the reigns ofAmenhotep III (Hermopolis),Taharqa (Jebel Barkal), andAtlanersa (Jebel Barkal) that show two river gods performing the rite. This matches a scene from the Temple atAbu Simbel from the time ofRamesses II.[5]
There are only a handful of scenes that show the King himself performing the ritual. All of these are from barque stands and date to the reigns ofAmenhotep III,Seti I andRamesses III. The latter two may be copies of the first one.[5]
