Upper and Lower Egypt

In Egyptian history, the Upper and Lower Egypt period (also known as The Two Lands) was the last stage of prehistoric Egypt. It came right before the unification of the realm. The idea of Egypt as the Two Lands, Upper and Lower, was a clear example of dualism in ancient Egyptian culture. It often appeared in writing and pictures, including in the titles of Egyptian pharaohs.

The Egyptian title zmꜣ-tꜣwj (Egyptological pronunciation sema-tawy) is usually translated as "Uniter of the Two Lands." It was shown as a human trachea twisted together with the papyrus and lily plant. The trachea stood for joining together, while the papyrus and lily plant stood for Lower and Upper Egypt.

Standard titles of the pharaoh included the prenomen, which means "Of the Sedge and Bee." These were the symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt (nswt-bjtj). Another title was "lord of the Two Lands" (written nb-tꜣwj). Queens regnant were called pharaohs and used the male forms of these titles. Queens consort might use feminine versions of the second title, such as "lady of The Two Lands" (nbt-tꜣwj), "mistress of the Entire Two Lands" (hnwt-tꜣwy-tm), and "mistress of the Two Lands" (hnwt-tꜣwy).

Structure

Ancient Egypt was split into two regions, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Lower Egypt was in the north, where the Nile split into many branches to form the Nile Delta. Upper Egypt was in the south, reaching as far as Aswan. The names "Upper" and "Lower" come from the way the Nile flows north from the highlands of East Africa to the Mediterranean Sea.

The two kingdoms joined together around 3000 BC, but each kept its own crown. Upper Egypt had the hedjet, or White Crown, and Lower Egypt had the deshret, or Red Crown. The pharaohs were called rulers of the Two Lands. They wore the pschent, a double crown with each half standing for one of the kingdoms. Ancient Egyptians believed that Menes joined Upper and Lower Egypt. Today, many scientists think Menes was the same person as Narmer. On the Narmer Palette, the king is shown wearing the Red Crown in one picture and the White Crown in another. This shows that he ruled both lands.

Sema Tawy and symbolism

The joining of Upper and Lower Egypt is shown with knotted papyrus and reed plants. The tied plants stand for peace through unity and for keeping things under control. The idea of two lands also appears often in royal pictures. Sometimes the knotted plants are shown holding foreign enemies from the North and the South. In the first dynasty, royal titles with two parts appear. One is the King of Upper and Lower Egypt title (nswt bjtj), which combines the plant for Upper Egypt with a bee for Lower Egypt. Another is the Two Ladies name, or Nebty name. The two ladies are Nekhbet, the vulture goddess linked to Nekhen in Upper Egypt, and Wadjet, the cobra goddess linked to Buto in Lower Egypt.

There are many scenes of the ritual joining of the Two Lands. It is not known whether this was a ceremony done at the start of a reign or only a symbolic picture. Many of these scenes show two gods tying the plants together, often Horus and Set, or sometimes Horus and Thoth. Several barque stands from the reigns of Amenhotep III (at Hermopolis), Taharqa (at Jebel Barkal), and Atlanersa (at Jebel Barkal) show two river gods doing the ritual. This matches a scene in the temple at Abu Simbel from the time of Ramesses II. Only a few scenes show the king himself doing the ritual. All of these come from barque stands and date to the reigns of Amenhotep III, Seti I, and Ramesses III. The last two may be copies of the first.