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The Egyptians divided their country into the Two Lands (Upper and Lower Egypt), but these were further subdivided into districts. Each district was called a ๐ด๐ช๐๐ sp๊ฃt, but they are better known as nomes (from the Greek ฮฝฮฟฮผฯฯ meaning “district”). For much of pharaonic history, there were 20 nomes in Lower Egypt and 22 nomes in Upper Egypt, for a total of 42.
Each nome was governed (at least during periods of political stability) by a person with the title ๐ท๐๐ถ๐ค๐ป แธฅrj tp ๊ฅ๊ฃ “great chief”, usually translated as nomarch in English-language Egyptological texts.
In addition to boundaries, each nome had:
- a name;
- a capital city/town;
- a standard (a heraldic symbol akin to a flag);
- and usually one or more patron gods, especially venerated there.
Changes
It is important to keep in mind that the number of nomes, their boundaries, and their capital cities all changed over time. The tables below are intended for the beginner and show a simplified breakdown of the nomes as static, but keep in mind that this is just that: a simplification.
Lower Egyptian Nomes
| # | Standard | Egyptian | Capital (Egyptian name) | Capital (Greek, modern names) | Deities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ๐ | jnb-แธฅแธ “White Walls” | ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐๐ด๐ mn-nfr Men-nefer | Memphis (Mit Rahina) | Ptah |
| 2 | ๐ก | แธซpลก “Foreleg” | ๐๐๐
โ๐ แธซm Khem | Letopolis (Ausim) | Horus |
| 3 | ๐ข | jmntt “West” | ๐ญ๐ญ๐ญ๐ jm๊ฃw Imau | Momemphis (Kom El Hisn) | Hathor, Sekhmet |
| 4 | ๐ฃ | nt-rsj “Southern Neith” | ๐๐๐๐ชโ๐ญ๐๐ค๐ แธk๊ฅpr Djekaper | Nikiou (Zawyet el-Razin) | Neith |
| 5 | ๐ค | nt-mแธฅw “Northern Neith” | ๐
ญโ๐ฟ๐
ฑโ๐ z๊ฃw Zau | Sais (Sa el-Hagar) | Neith |
| 6 | ๐ฆ | k๊ฃ-st “Mountain Bull” | ๐โ๐ผ๐ด๐
ฑ๐ แธซ๊ฃsww Khasu | Xois (Sakha) | Amun |
| 7 | ๐ง | แธฅww-gs-jmnttj “Western Harpoon” | ๐งโ๐๐๐โ๐๐
๐๐ dmj-n-แธฅrw Demyenhor | Hermopolis Mikra (Damanhur) | Horus |
| 8 | ๐จ | แธฅww-gs-j๊ฃbttj “Eastern Harpoon” | ๐๐ค๐๐๐
๐๐ pr-jtm Per-Atum “House of Atum” | Pithom (Tell el-Maskhuta) | Atum |
| 9 | ๐ฉ | ๊ฅnแธtj “Andjeti” (the one of Andjet) | ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐
ฑ๐๐ แธdw Djedu | Busiris (Abusir Bana) | Osiris |
| 10 | ๐ช | k๊ฃ km “Black Bull” | ๐๐๐๐พ๐ท๐ฃโ๐๐ แธฅwt-t๊ฃ-แธฅr-jb Huttaherib | Athribis (Tell Atrib) | Horus |
| 11 | ๐ซ | k๊ฃ-แธฅsb “Heseb Bull” | ๐พ๐๐
๐ช๐๐ t๊ฃ-rmw Taremu | Leontopolis (Tell el-Muqdam) | Isis |
| 12 | ๐ฌ | k๊ฃ-แนฏb “Bull and Calf” | ๐น๐โ๐๐ แนฏb-nแนฏr Tjeb-netjer “Divine calf” | Sebennytos (Samannud) | Anhur |
| 13 | ๐ญ | แธฅk๊ฃ-๊ฅnแธ “Prospering Scepter” | ๐บ๐๐ jwnw Iunu (Onnu) “Pillars” | Heliopolis (Cairo, el-Matariyah) | Ra |
| 14 | ๐ฎ | แธซnt-j๊ฃbt “Eastmost” | ๐
ท๐ค๐ญ๐ค๐ แนฏ๊ฃrw Tjaru | Sile (Tell Habua) | Horus |
| 15 | ๐ฏ | แธแธฅwtj “Thoth” | ๐๐ค๐
โ๐๐ญ pr-แธแธฅwtj Per-Djehuti “House of Thoth” | Hermopolis Parva (Tell el-Naqus) | Thoth |
| 16 | ๐ฐ | แธฅt-mแธฅyt “Foremost of Fish” | ๐ฝ๐งโ๐๐ แธdt Djedet “Djed-town” | Mendes (Tell el-Rub’a) | Banebdjedet, Hatmehit |
| 17 | ๐ฑ | bแธฅdt “Throne” | ๐ฅ๐๐งโ๐๐ sm๊ฃ-bแธฅdt Sema-Behdet “Uniter of the Throne” | Diospolis Inferior (Tell el-Balamun) | Amun |
| 18 | ๐ณ | jmtj-แธซnt “Upper Prince” | ๐๐ค๐ฏ๐๐๐๐ pr-b๊ฃstt Per-Bastet “House of Bastet” | Bubastis (Tell Bastah) | Bastet |
| 19 | ๐ด | jmty-pแธฅw “Lower Prince” | ๐๐๐๐๐คโ๐๐ แธ๊ฅnt Djanet | Tanis (San el-Hagar) | Wadjet |
| 20 | ๐ต | spdw “Plumed Falcon” | ๐๐ค๐ฎ๐
๐๐ pr-spdw Per-Sopdu “House of Sopdu” | Persopothis (Saft el-Hinna) | Sopdu |
Upper Egyptian Nomes
| # | Standard | Egyptian | Capital (Egyptian name) | Capital (Greek, modern names) | Deities |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ๐ถ | t๊ฃ-sty “Land of the Bow” | ๐๐๐ฐ๐
ฑ๐ถ๐ ๊ฃbw Abu “Elephant” | Elephantine (Aswan) | Khnum |
| 2 | ๐ท | wแนฏs-แธฅrw “Throne of Horus” | ๐๐งโ๐๐ bแธฅdt Behdet | Apollonopolis Magna (Edfu) | Horus of Behdet |
| 3 | ๐ธ | nแธซn “Shrine” | ๐๐โ๐๐ nแธซn Nekhen “Shrine” | Hierakonpolis (Kom el-Ahmar) | Horus Nekheni, Nekhbet |
| 4 | ๐น | w๊ฃst “Was-scepter” | ๐๐๐ w๊ฃst Waset “Was-scepter” | Thebes (Diospolis Magna) (Luxor) | Amun |
| 5 | ๐บ | แธฅrwj “Two Falcons” | ๐ค๐๐
โ๐ gbtjw Gebtu | Coptos (Qift) | Min |
| 6 | ๐ป | jqr “Crocodile” | ๐บ๐โ๐๐ jwnt Iunet | Tentyris (Dendera) | Hathor |
| 7 | ๐ผ | zลกลก “Sistrum” | ๐๐๐๐๐คโ๐ฆ๐ แธฅwt-sแธซm Hut-sekhemu | Diospolis Parva (Hu) | Bat, Hathor, Nephthys |
| 8 | ๐ฝ | t๊ฃ-wr “Great Land” | ๐๐โ๐๐ ๊ฃbแธw1 Abdju | Abydos1 (el-Araba el-Madfuna) | Osiris |
| 9 | ๐พ | mnw “Min” | ๐๐ชโ๐
ฑโ๐ jpw Ipu | Panopolis (Akhmim) | Min |
| 10 | ๐ฟ | w๊ฃแธtt “Wadjet” | ๐ธ๐ธ๐
ฑโ๐ แนฏbw Tjebu | Antaeopolis (Qaw el-Kebir) | Nemty, Nephthys |
| 11 | ๐ | stแบ “Set” | ๐ท๐ด๐ต๐๐ช๐ ลก๊ฃs-แธฅtp Shas-hotep | Hypselis (Shutb) | Khnum |
| 12 | ๐ | แธw-ft “Viper Mountain” | ๐๐ค๐
๐ pr-nmtj Per-Nemty “House of Nemty” | Hierakon (el-Atawla) | Horus |
| 13 | ๐ | nแธft-แธซnt “Upper Sycamore and Viper” | ๐
ญโ๐
ฑโ๐๐ z๊ฃwtj Zauti | Lycopolis (Asyut) | Wepwawet |
| 14 | ๐ | nแธft-pแธฅwt “Lower Sycamore and Viper” | ๐ฌ๐ด๐ญ๐ qsj Qasi | Cusae (el-Quseyya) | Hathor |
| 15 | ๐ | wnt “Hare” | ๐๐โ๐
ฑโ๐๐ แบmnw Khemenu “Eight-town” | Hermopolis Magna (el-Ashmunein) | Thoth |
| 16 | ๐ | mแธฅแธ “Oryx” | ๐ ๐โ๐๐๐๐นโ๐โ๐โ๐
ฑโ๐บโ๐๐ mn-๊ฅt-แธซwfw Menat-Khufu “Nursery City of Khufu” | Minya | Horus |
| 17 | ๐ | jnpw “Anubis” | ๐ ๐ค๐๐บ๐๐๐ s๊ฃk๊ฃ Saka | Cynopolis Superior (el-Qais) | Anubis |
| 18 | ๐ | nmtj “Nemty” | ๐โ๐ฟ๐๐โ๐
ฑ๐๐๐โ๐๐ t๊ฃyw-แธ๊ฃyt Tayu-Djayet | Ankyronpolis (el-Hiba) | Anubis |
| 19 | ๐ | w๊ฃbwj “Two Scepters” | ๐๐ค๐
๐๐๐ pr-mแธd Per-Medjed “House of the elephantfish” | Oxyrhynchus (el-Bahnasa) | Set |
| 20 | ๐ | nแธฅt-แธซnt “Upper Sycamore” | ๐โ๐๐๐๐๐๐ แธฅwt-nn-nswt Hut-nen-nesut “Enclosure of the Pharaoh’s Children” | Heracleopolis Magna (Ihnasiya el-Medina) | Heryshef |
| 21 | ๐ | nแธฅt-pแธฅt “Lower Sycamore” | ๐๐งโ๐๐ ลกdt Shedet | Crocodilopolis (Medinet el-Faiyum) | Sobek |
| 22 | ๐ | m๊ฃtn “Knife” | ๐ถ๐ค๐๐ฅ๐๐ tp-jhw Tep-Ihu “First of the Cows” | Aphroditopolis (Atfih) | Hathor |
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