Mini: The Topsy-Turvy World of Ancient Egypt
When Up is Down and so Forth
Sorry for not getting this Mini out sooner. I’ll do my best to improve in the future.
When you read about Ancient Egyptian history, you will often see references to Upper and Lower Egypt. Before Narmer unified Egypt, these regions each had their own ruler and capital (Memphis and Thinis). Each region even had its own patron deity and crown.
That all seems fairly normal (for the ancient world). The part that was out of the ordinary was the location of these regions. Normally, when you see an area referred to as “upper” you think it is located in the north. Not in this case. Upper Egypt was located in the south and Lower Egypt was located in the north.
The names Upper and Lower refer to the fact that the Nile River flows north from the highlands in the south and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. (It’s a common misconception that all rivers flow south.)
Several times after the unification of Egypt, these regions would again become divided over the question of who was going to be pharaoh. Even to this day, they are used as location references. So, in the future, when you read Upper Egypt think south, and for Lower Egypt think north. It might even be a question on your next trivia night or pub quiz. If it is, remember where you got the answer.
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