Although theoretically absolute in their power, in

practice Egyptian kings did not rule alone. Initially,

members of the king’s family performed administrative

tasks, but by the Fourth Dynasty, a bureaucracy with

regular procedures had developed. Especially important

was the office of vizier, “steward of the whole land.”

Directly responsible to the king,

the vizier was in charge of the

bureaucracy, with its numerous

departments, including police,

justice, river transport, and pub-

lic works. Agriculture and the

treasury were the most impor-

tant departments. Agriculture

was, of course, the backbone of

Egyptian prosperity, and the

treasury collected taxes, which

were paid in kind.

For administrative purposes,

Egypt was divided into provin-

cesornomes,astheywerelater

called by the Greeks—twenty-

two in Upper Egypt and twenty

in Lower Egypt. A governor,

called by the Greeks a nomarch,

was head of each nome and

was responsible to the king

and vizier. Nomarchs, how-

ever, tended to build up large

holdings of land and power

within their nomes, creating

a potential rivalry with the

pharaohs.

THE MIDDLE KINGDOM Despite

the theory of divine order, the

Old Kingdom eventually col-

lapsed, ushering in a period of

disorder. Eventually, a new

royal dynasty managed to pac-

ify all Egypt and inaugurated

the Middle Kingdom, a new pe-

riod of stability lasting from

around 2010 to 1630 B.C.E.

Several factors contributed to

its vitality. The nome structure

was reorganized. The bounda-

ries of each nome were now

settled precisely, and the obli-

gations of the nomes to the

state were clearly delineated.

Nomarchs were confirmed as hereditary officehold-

ers but with the understanding that their duties

must be performed faithfully. These included the

collection of taxes for the state and the recruitment

of labor forces for royal projects, such as stone

quarrying.

Mediterranean

Sea

Red

Sea

NUBIA

NILE DELTA

(^) N
ile
(^)
(^) R
.

=
(^) G
ulf
(^) of
(^) S
uez
Giza
Second Cataract
Abu Simbel
SINAI
LOWER EGYPT
UPPER EGYPT
CANAAN
Dead
Sea
Gaza
Heliopolis
Saqqara
Memphis
Heracleopolis
Akhetaten
(Tell el-Amarna)
Thebes
First Cataract
Luxor
Great Pyramid and Sphinx
Djoser’s Pyramid
Sahara
Nubian
Desert
0 50 100 Miles
0 50 100 150 Kilometers
Arabian
Desert
Mt.
Sinai

Arable land
Pyramid
Cataract
MAP 1.3Ancient Egypt.Egyptian civilization centered on the life-giving water and flood
silts of the Nile River, with most of the population living in Lower Egypt, where the river
splits to form the Nile Delta. Most of the pyramids, built during the Old Kingdom, are
clustered at the entrance to the Delta.
Q How did the lands to the east and west of the river help to protect Egypt
from invasion?
Egyptian Civilization: “The Gift of the Nile” 17
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