![]() ![]() Upon taking control of all of Egypt, Menes designed himself a fancy new crown. But we still do not know if this whole “peaceful” thing is true.Įither way, the rise of both Narmer and Menes, marked the beginning of a distinct period in Egyptian history. Narmer did exist, and he does seem to have ruled over both regions of Egypt. Some theories suggest a man named Narmer was actually the first to unify Upper and Lower Egypt, and that he did it peacefully. So much for friendship!Įventually, Menes, the king of the ancient city Thinis (which still hasn’t been found!) conquered his enemies from Lower Egypt, bringing both regions under the control of one king. The Unification of Upper and Lower EgyptĪs political unification took place separately in the two regions, both sides started to look at trying to conquer the other. This process continued for several hundred years until the two sides finally agreed to stop fighting one another and unite, though this was not an agreement they reached peacefully. Interestingly, part of what motivated unification in the two regions was fear of the “other.” War between Upper and Lower Egyptian cities occurred quite frequently, and nearby towns would often band together to help defend one another from these foreign foes. ![]() The center of power in this region was the city of Thebes. The various cultures that had settled along the banks of the Nile River were coming together and unifying. Meanwhile, in Upper Egypt, something very similar was happening. Specifically, power was being consolidated into the hands of a few families, setting the stage for the dynasties that would soon emerge. But based on the old rocks and other artifacts that have been dug up, this civilization appears to be the foundation for the Egypt we would later come to know and love. Unfortunately, these early Egyptians still hadn’t really learned how to read and write all that well, so we don’t know much about this kingdom. ![]() Its capital was Memphis, which had grown to be the most powerful city in Lower Egypt. Over time, these different groups mixed and mingled with one another and unified through trade and sometimes war.Īt some point around 3500 BC, Lower Egypt unified into one kingdom. In the early days of Egyptian civilization - a period known as Predynastic Egypt, because, well, it didn’t have any dynasties - several different cultures emerged in both Upper and Lower Egypt. So, while the names may seem backwards, they actually make perfect sense from a different point of view. Instead, they reflect the flow of the River Nile, which runs from the highlands in Ethiopia and Sudan “down” to the Nile Delta and the Mediterranean Sea. Lower Egypt is to the north, which makes it look like it’s “on top.”īut the names don’t come from cardinal directions. If you look at a map of Egypt, you might think the mapmaker was standing on their head when assigning names to these two regions. But this line might shift depending on the era of Egyptian history, for Kush was a frequent target of Egyptian imperial ambitions. The southern border of Upper Egypt is typically considered to be Aswan, an important trading hub in southern Egypt. The two most important cities in this region were Thebes and Herakleopolis. It’s northern boundary shifts depending on the time period and the source, but it’s generally considered to be just south of Memphis, which is not too far from modern-day Cairo. Upper Egypt is the part of Egypt that extends south of the Nile Delta. It includes important cities such as Memphis (unified Egypt’s first capital), Alexandria (founded much, much later by “Alexander” the Great…get it?), Avaris, and Sais. Lower Egypt is the area surrounding the Nile River Delta. Instead, it emerged in two distinct regions, which we now call Upper and Lower Egypt. But civilization in Egypt did not develop just in one place. We’re talking like 6,000 years, which makes Egypt one of the first settled societies in the world.
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