Middle Egypt

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Heptanomia
)
Nomes of Middle Egypt

Middle Egypt

Arabic: مِصْر ٱلْوِسْطَى, romanizedMiṣr al-Wisṭā) is the section of land between Lower Egypt (the Nile Delta) and Upper Egypt, stretching upstream from Asyut in the south to Memphis in the north.[2] At the time, Ancient Egypt was divided into Lower and Upper Egypt, though Middle Egypt was technically a subdivision of Upper Egypt. It was not until the 19th century that archaeologists felt the need to divide Upper Egypt in two. As a result, they coined the term "Middle Egypt" for the stretch of river between Cairo and the Qena Bend.[3] It was also associated with a region termed "Heptanomis" (/hɛpˈtænəmɪs/; Greek: ἡ Επτανομίς, in Ptol. iv. 5. § 55; more properly Ἑπτὰ Νομοί or Ἑπταπολίς, in Dionysius Periegetes 251; and sometimes ἡ μεταζύ[γή]; meaning "Seven Nomes", a "nome" being a subdivision of ancient Egypt), generally as the district which separates the Thebaïd from the Delta
.

Middle Egypt today can be identified as the part of the Nile Valley that, while geographically part of Upper Egypt, is culturally closer to Lower Egypt. For instance, in terms of language, the

Sa'idi Arabic spoken further south, and are often not considered Sa'idis
.

Heptanomis

Heptanomide

In the 19th century, "Heptanomis" was described generally as the district which separates the

Arabian
marauders, who considerably affected the native racial mix.

The capital cities of the Heptanomis were collectively called the "Heptapolis" (

Oxyrhynchos, Cynopolis and Hermopolis.[5]

Major cities

See also

References

  1. .
  2. ^ Baines, John; Málek, Jaromír; Speake, Graham (2000). Cultural Atlas of Ancient Egypt. New York, the U.S.A.: Checkmark. Print
  3. .
  4. ^  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainDonne, William Bodham (1854–1857). "Hepta'nomis". In Smith, William (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray. pp. 1045–1046.
  5. ^ Smith, William (1857). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

External links