The Archaeology of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt: From the Predynastic Period to the End of the Middle Kingdom

449 Pages·2016·66.63 MB·English

by  Nadine Moeller

The Archaeology of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt
From the Predynastic Period to the End of the Middle Kingdom
Inthisbook,NadineMoellerchallengesprevailingviewsonEgypt’snonurbanpastand
argues for Egypt as an early urban society. She traces the emergence of urban features
duringthePredynasticPerioduptothedisintegrationofthepowerfulMiddleKingdom
state (ca. 3500–1650 BCE). This book offers a synthesis of the archaeological data that
sheds light on the different facets of urbanism in ancient Egypt. Drawing on evidence
fromrecentexcavationsaswellasavastbodyofarchaeologicaldata,thevolumeexplores
thechangingsettlementpatternsbycontrastingperiodsofstrongpoliticalcontrolagainst
those of decentralization. It also discusses households and the layout of domestic archi-
tecture,whicharekeyelementsforunderstandinghowsocietyfunctionedandevolved
over time. Moeller reveals what settlement patterns can tell us about the formation of
complexsocietyandtheroleofthestateinurbandevelopmentinancientEgypt.
Nadine Moeller is Associate Professor of Egyptian Archaeology at the Oriental Institute,
University of Chicago. She has been directing excavations at the urban settlement of Tell
EdfuinEgyptsince2001.Shehasalsoparticipatedinexcavationsofsettlementandcemetery
sitesinEgypt,suchasAbuRawash,Memphis,ZawietSultan(Zawietel-Meitin),theTheban
necropolis,andtheValleyoftheKings.Herworkhasbeenpublishedinjournalsincluding
theJournaloftheAmericanResearchCenterinEgypt(JARCE),NearEasternArchaeology,Journalof
Near Eastern Studies, Ägypten und Levante, Bulletin de l’Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale
(BIFAO),andZeitschriftfürägyptischeSpracheundAltertumskunde.

The Archaeology of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt
From the Predynastic Period to the End of the Middle Kingdom
N A D I N E M O E L L E R
University of Chicago
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©NadineMoeller2016
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Firstpublished2016
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
AcatalogrecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Moeller,Nadine,author.
ThearchaeologyofurbanisminancientEgypt:fromthepredynasticperiodtotheendoftheMiddle
Kingdom/NadineMoeller,UniversityofChicago.
NewYork:CambridgeUniversityPress,2015.|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
LCCN2015011157
LCSH:Urbanization–Egypt,Ancient.|Architecture,Ancient–Egypt.|Egypt–Antiquities.
LCCDT61M5782015|DDC307.760932–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttp://lccn.loc.gov/2015011157
isbn978-1-107-07975-5Hardback
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urlsforexternalorthird-partyInternetWebsitesreferredtointhispublication
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accurateorappropriate.
–
To my teacher and mentor, Barry Kemp, and in memory of Michel Baud

Contents
Listoffigures page x
Preface xvii
Introduction 1
1 AncientUrbanism andtheCase of Egypt 6
1.1 Generalconsiderationsrelatingtourbanisminearly
civilizations 6
1.2 ThecaseofancientEgypt 9
1.3 CategoriesofancientEgyptiansettlements 14
2 Current andPastStudies ofEgyptian Settlements 31
2.1 Historicaloverviewofsettlementarchaeologyin
Egypt 31
2.2 TheroleofEgyptiansettlementsininterdisciplinary
studiesonancienturbanism 38
3 TheEnvironmental Setting 44
3.1 Introduction 44
3.2 Environmentalsettingsforancientsettlementsin
Egypt 44
3.3 SettlementarchaeologyinEgypt:Problemsand
priorities 53
4 TheOrigins of UrbanSociety 59
4.1 Introduction 59
4.2 Thefirstappearanceofurbanelements 59
4.3 ThecaseofHierakonpolis 81
4.4 EvidenceforanEarlyDynasticbuildingcomplexat
Buto 103
4.5 TheEarlyDynasticsettlementremainsat
Elephantine 108
4.6 Generalconclusionsconcerningtheemergenceof
urbanfeaturesinPredynasticandEarlyDynastic
settlements 108
5 TheSettlements ofthe Old Kingdom 113
5.1 Introduction 113
vii
CONTENTS
5.2 Settlementsrelatedtoroyalmortuarycultsinthe
Memphiteregion 117
5.3 DiscussionofMemphisversusa“capitalzone”:
Theevidencefora“shiftingcapital”duringtheOld
Kingdom 158
5.4 EvidenceforOldKingdomsettlementsintheDelta
andtheNileValley 161
5.5 OldKingdomsettlementsinthemarginalregions
ofEgypt 174
5.6 Concludingremarks 186
6 TheLayout of OldKingdom Houses 192
6.1 Introduction 192
6.2 EvidencefromGiza 196
6.3 HousesatElephantine 204
6.4 Thelayoutoftheresidentialpartofthegovernor’s
palaceatAynAsilintheDakhlaOasis 206
6.5 ThelayoutofBuildingCatAynel-Gazzareen 210
6.6 Concludingremarks 211
7 TheDevelopmentof Towns duringtheEnd
of theOld Kingdom andtheFirstIntermediate
Period(ca. 2200–2050 BCE) 214
7.1 Introduction 214
7.2 TheMemphiteregion:Awidespreadabandonment
ofsettlementsiteslinkedtoroyalmortuarycults 214
7.3 MiddleEgypt:Theevidenceforsettlementsdatingto
thelateSixthDynastyandFirstIntermediatePeriod 216
7.4 EvidenceforsettlementdevelopmentinUpper
Egypt 219
7.5 EvidenceforFirstIntermediatePeriodactivityat
AynAsil/BalatintheDakhlaOasis 241
7.6 Concludingremarks 244
8 TheMiddle Kingdom:Town PlanningandInternal
Colonizationat ItsHeight 249
8.1 Introduction 249
8.2 State-plannedsettlements 252
8.3 Karnak:EvidenceforaMiddleKingdomcity 300
8.4 ThetownofElephantineduringtheMiddle
Kingdom 305
8.5 TellEdfu:ThetownoftheMiddleKingdom 317
8.6 Tellel-Dab’a:Theevolutionofamajorurbancenter
intheeasternDeltaregion 321
8.7 Concludingremarks 327
Further discussionsandarchaeologicaldetails
relating toChapter8 334
8.I Thefunctionofsinusoidalmud-brickwallsdating
totheMiddleKingdom 334
8.II ThepurposeofthesettlementsatQasrel-Sagha
andthefunctionofthestone-revettedmounds 335
viii
CONTENTS
8.III Furtherarchaeologicaldetailsdiscoveredatthe
settlementofLahun 335
8.IV Furtherarchaeologicaldetailsnotedatthe
settlementofWah-SutatSouthAbydos 339
8.V FurtherarchaeologicaldetailsoftheMiddle
KingdomsettlementatElephantine 340
9 HouseLayouts inthe MiddleKingdom 343
9.1 Introduction 343
9.2 HousesintheresidentialquartersofTellel-Dab’a 347
9.3 TellBasta:ApalatialcomplexoftheMiddle
Kingdom 356
9.4 SettlementremainsatLisht-North 360
9.5 Lahun:Thelayoutofthelargemansions 364
9.6 Wah-Sut:Thegovernor’sresidence(BuildingA) 367
9.7 ThelayoutofdomesticbuildingsatElephantine 369
9.8 Concludingremarks 373
10 FinalConclusions 376
10.1 Theroleoftownplanning 378
10.2 UrbanisminancientEgypt 379
10.3 Anoutlookintocross-culturalcomparisons:
ThecaseofurbansocietyinMesopotamia 380
Notes 385
Index 421
ix