Ancient Egyptian Forum

mary500 · Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 12:36 am Post subject: Upper and Lower Egypt

It really bothers me that northern Egypt is called Lower and Southern Egypt is called Upper (at least that is what I understand)... it seems that it should be vice-versa since N is up and S is down.
Anyway, WHY do they do this? I just don't understand it!
PS don't think I am an idiot.. just because I am interested in Ancient Egypt doesn't mean that raising two kids and a husband leaves me much time to actually study the subject Rolling Eyes

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Ramsekh · Gods/Goddesses Joined: 03 Aug 2004 Posts: 746

It's like that because Upper Egypt is higher ground and Lower Egypt is lower. That's why the Nile flows North.
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Sekhmet · Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 7:04 am Post subject: Re: Upper and Lower Egypt

Hi Mary500, the reason why in Egypt North is south and South is North is because of the way the Nile flows. It flows from central Africa, north to the Mediterranean Sea. Another way of looking at this is that Upper Egypt, is at a higher elevation, than Lower Egypt, thus the Nile flows south to the north.
i hope this helps!
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mary500 · Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 12:47 pm Post subject:

Thanks! That is what I thought.. but it still is confusing.. when they say "Upper Egypt.. I automatically think North Laughing

one of these days maybe my brain will realize the diff.
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Osiris II · Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2004 11:06 pm Post subject:

It can be terribly confusing, Mary500. In part I think it's because we are used to North being "up" on a map, and South being "down". Try this--it helped me when I received a map of Egypt. I hung it up-side down on the wall! Then, what I thought of as the North (it was the South on a map!) was Upper Egypt! The only problem was that when I was searching for a town, I had to stand on my head! Very Happy

Ramsekh · Gods/Goddesses Joined: 03 Aug 2004 Posts: 746

I was confused too until my sister told me that the Nile is the reason why they're named Lower and Upper Egypt.
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Eliopolis · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 4:09 am Post subject:

Easy way to remember is that the Nile flows the the Med Sea and come from down.. so if u remember is comes from mountains and heads towards the sea u can remember up n down.. or at least that worked for me Razz

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Ankhesenamun3 · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2004 2:08 pm Post subject:

I remeber it because it is odd , so it is easy to remember.

Ramsekh · Gods/Goddesses Joined: 03 Aug 2004 Posts: 746

I just know it now. I dont remember how I remembered it.
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Isis · Scribe Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 92 Location: CA

well, there also two different pharoahs, one of uppper eygpt and the other of lower eygpt
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tnrees · Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 4:15 pm Post subject:

And it is just convention that north is on top.I suppose it started because map makers lived in the nothern hemisphere.

Osiris II · Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 8:15 pm Post subject:

During times of political upheaval and unstable situations in the country, there are periods of time when the country would be ruled by two Pharaohs, usually one of which was a nomarch who took control of his area, usually in Upper Egypt. But the norm, and during most of Egypt's rise and fall, there was only one Pharaoh, who was considered to be a god who ruled Upper and Lower Egypt.