Nome (Egypt) facts for kids
A Nome was like a special district or region in ancient Egypt. The word 'Nome' comes from Greek, but the ancient Egyptians called these areas 'sepat'.
Egypt was divided into these nomes a very long time ago, even before 3100 BC! At first, each nome was like its own small city-state, ruling itself. But over time, they started to join together. Ancient stories say that a ruler named Menes was the one who finally united all the nomes into one big kingdom.
These nomes stayed in place for more than 3,000 years, showing how important they were to ancient Egyptian life.
Contents
Egypt's Nomes: North and South
Ancient Egypt was split into two main parts: Lower Egypt (in the north) and Upper Egypt (in the south). Each part had its own set of nomes.
Lower Egypt's Nomes
Lower Egypt, which stretched from the old capital city of Memphis all the way to the Mediterranean Sea, had 20 nomes.
- The first nome was around Memphis, Saqqara, and Giza. This is where modern-day Cairo is located.
- The nomes were generally numbered from south to north through the Nile delta.
- The numbering started in the west and moved towards the east.
- For example, the famous city of Alexandria was in the Third Nome, and Bubastis was in the Eighteenth.
Upper Egypt's Nomes
Upper Egypt had 22 nomes.
- The first nome was centered around Elephantine, near Egypt's border with Nubia. This was close to the First Cataract of the Nile, which is near modern-day Aswan.
- From there, the nomes were numbered downriver, following the narrow, fertile land along the Nile valley.
- Waset (which is ancient Thebes and modern-day Luxor) was in the Fourth Nome.
- Amarna was in the Fourteenth Nome, and Meidum was in the Twenty-First.
List of Nomes
Here are the lists of nomes for both Lower and Upper Egypt, showing their ancient names, capitals, and what their names meant.
Lower Egypt Nomes
| Number | Egyptian Name | Capital | Modern Capital | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aneb-Hetch | Ineb Hedj / Men-nefer / Menfe (Memphis) | Mit Rahina | White Walls |
| 2 | Khensu | Khem (Letopolis) | Ausim | Cow's thigh |
| 3 | Ament | Imu (Apis) | Kom el-Hisn | West |
| 4 | Sapi-Res | Ptkheka | Tanta | Southern shield |
| 5 | Sap-Meh | Zau (Sais) | Sa el-Hagar | Northern shield |
| 6 | Khaset | Khasu (Xois) | Sakha | Mountain bull |
| 7 | A-ment | (Hermopolis Parva, Metelis) | Damanhur | West harpoon |
| 8 | A-bt | Tjeku / Per-Atum (Heroonpolis, Pithom) | Tell al-Maskhuta | East harpoon |
| 9 | Ati | Djed (Busiris) | Abu Sir Bara | Andjeti |
| 10 | Ka-khem | Hut-hery-ib (Athribis) | Banha (Tell Atrib) | Black bull |
| 11 | Ka-heseb | Taremu (Leontopolis) | Tell al-Urydam | Heseb bull |
| 12 | Theb-ka | Tjebnutjer (Sebennytos) | Samanud | Calf and Cow |
| 13 | Heq-At | Iunu (Heliopolis) | Materiya (suburb of Cairo) | Prospering Sceptre |
| 14 | Khent-abt | Tjaru (Sile, Tanis) | Tell Abu Sefa | Eastmost |
| 15 | Tehut | Ba'h / Weprehwy (Hermopolis Parva) | Baqliya | Ibis |
| 16 | Kha | Djedet (Mendes) | Tell al-Rubˁ | Fish |
| 17 | Semabehdet | Semabehdet (Diospolis Inferior) | Tell el-Balamun | The throne |
| 18 | Am-Khent | Per-Bastet (Bubastis) | Tell Bastah (near Zagazig) | Prince of the South |
| 19 | Am-Pehu | Dja'net (Leontopolis Tanis) | Nebesha or San el-Hagar | Prince of the North |
| 20 | Sopdu | Per-Sopdu | Saft al-Henna | Plumed Falcon |
Upper Egypt Nomes
| Number | Egyptian Name | Capital | Modern Capital | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ta-Khentit | Abu / Yebu (Elephantine) | Aswan | The frontier or Land of the bow |
| 2 | Thes-Hor | Djeba (Apollonopolis Magna) | Edfu | Throne of Horus |
| 3 | Ten | Nekhen (Hierakonpolis) | al-Kab | Shrine |
| 4 | Waset | Niwt-rst / Waset (Thebes) | Luxor | Sceptre |
| 5 | Herui | Gebtu (Coptos) | Qift | The two falcons |
| 6 | Aa-ta | Lunet / Tantere (Tentyra) | Dendera | The crocodile |
| 7 | Seshesh | Seshesh (Diospolis Parva) | Hu | Sistrum |
| 8 | Abdju | Abdju (Abydos) | al-Birba | Great land |
| 9 | Min | Apu / Khen-min (Panopolis) | Akhmim | Min |
| 10 | Wadkhet | Djew-qa (Aphroditopolis) | Ifteh | Cobra |
| 11 | Set | Shashotep (Hypselis) | Shutb | The creature associated with Set |
| 12 | Tu-ph | Hut-Sekhem-Senusret (Antaeopolis) | Qaw al-Kebir | Viper mountain |
| 13 | Atef-Khent | Zawty (z3wj-tj, Lycopolis) | Asyut | Upper Sycamore and Viper |
| 14 | Atef-Pehu | Qesy (Cusae) | al-Qusiya | Lower Sycamore and Viper |
| 15 | Un | Khemenu (Hermopolis Magna) | al-Ashmunayn | Hare |
| 16 | Meh-Mahetch | Hebenu | Kom el Ahmar | Oryx |
| 17 | Anpu | Saka (Cynopolis) | al-Kais | Anubis |
| 18 | Sep | Teudjoi / Hutnesut (Alabastronopolis) | el-Hiba | Set |
| 19 | Uab | Per-Medjed (Oxyrhynchus) | el-Bahnasa | Two Sceptres |
| 20 | Atef-Khent | Henen-nesut (Herakleopolis Magna) | Ihnasiyyah al-Madinah | Southern Sycamore |
| 21 | Atef-Pehu | Shenakhen / Semenuhor (Crocodilopolis, Arsinoe) | Madinat al-Fayyum | Northern Sycamore |
| 22 | Maten | Tepihu (Aphroditopolis) | Atfih | Knife |
Images for kids
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Upper Egypt nomes
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Middle Egypt nomes
See also
In Spanish: Nomo para niños
