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The Development and Decline of Provincial Rule from the Old to the Middle Kingdom: an Analysis of the Tombs and Titles of the Senior Officials of Upper Egypt

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The Development and Decline of Provincial Rule from the Old to the Middle Kingdom: an Analysis of the Tombs and Titles of the Senior Officials of Upper Egypt The development and decline of provincial rule from the Old to the Middle Kingdom: an analysis of the tombs and titles of the senior officials of Upper Egypt Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy Neil Sinclair BA (Professional Writing) (University of Canberra) BA (Australian National University) MA (Macquarie University) Department of Ancient History Faculty of Arts Macquarie University THE DEVELOPMENT AND DECLINE OF PROVINCIAL RULE FROM THE OLD TO THE MIDDLE KINGDOM: AN ANALYSIS OF THE TOMBS AND TITLES OF THE SENIOR OFFICIALS OF UPPER EGYPT THE DEVELOPMENT AND DECLINE OF PROVINCIAL RULE FROM THE OLD TO THE MIDDLE KINGDOM: AN ANALYSIS OF THE TOMBS AND TITLES OF THE SENIOR OFFICIALS OF UPPER EGYPT ABSTRACT This thesis considers aspects of the bureaucracy of Ancient Egypt from its beginning in the Old Kingdom (OK) through the First Intermediate Period (FIP) to its finish late in the Middle Kingdom (MK) with the aim of advancing our understanding and knowledge of the inner administrative workings of Ancient Egypt. Through an analysis of historical records and a detailed investigation of the relationship between local rulers‟ tomb size and the wealth of a province, as well as tomb size and the power of the central authority, this work will initially attempt to identify how tomb size may be an indication of political power. Next, this thesis will consider whether variations in data between the OK, FIP and MK reveal differences in the power of the central administrations, and whether the development of provincial rule and changes to it are policies of decentralisation, centralisation or a lack of control. In addition, this study explores what changes to titles may indicate about the levels of central and local control, and whether changes to tomb data and titles, in conjunction with historical records, can supply evidence for the decline and cessation of provincial rule. Finally, the features of administration that were applied from the OK through the MK are analysed as a way of further developing our understanding of provincial administration in Ancient Egypt. TABLE OF CONTENTS THE DEVELOPMENT AND DECLINE OF PROVINCIAL RULE FROM THE OLD TO THE MIDDLE KINGDOM: AN ANALYSIS OF THE TOMBS AND TITLES OF THE SENIOR OFFICIALS OF UPPER EGYPT Declaration Abstract Table of contents Abbreviations Chronology (selected reigns) Lists of tables, graphs and figures Acknowledgements CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Background to this study 1 1.2 Purpose of the thesis 2 1.3 Compiling the information 5 1.4 Format of the thesis 6 1.5 Determining factors 8 1.6 Method 9 1.7 Potential problems and difficulties facing the thesis and their 11 resolution 1.8 Time frame 13 1.9 The titles and the tombs 13 CHAPTER 2 DEFINITIONS 15 2.1 Locations 15 2.2 Titles and positions 16 2.3 Tombs and names 20 CHAPTER 3 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 22 CHAPTER 4 THE NOMES AND THEIR SENIOR OFFICIALS 45 4.1 The capital of Upper and Lower Egypt: Memphis 45 4.1.1 Individual sites 45 4.1.2 Observations 45 (a) Wealth of the nome 45 (b) The tombs 46 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 46 (d) The titles 46 4.2 The First Nome: „Land Of The Bow‟ 47 4.2.1 Individual sites 47 4.2.2 Observations 48 (a) Wealth of the nome 48 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE DEVELOPMENT AND DECLINE OF PROVINCIAL RULE FROM THE OLD TO THE MIDDLE KINGDOM: AN ANALYSIS OF THE TOMBS AND TITLES OF THE SENIOR OFFICIALS OF UPPER EGYPT (b) The tombs 49 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 49 (d) The titles 50 4.3 The Second Nome: „Throne of Horus‟ 52 4.3.1 Individual sites 52 4.3.2 Observations 52 (a) Wealth of the nome 52 (b) The tombs 52 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 53 (d) The titles 54 4.4 The Third Nome: „Shrine‟ 55 4.4.1 Individual sites 55 4.4.2 Observations 58 (a) Wealth of the nome 58 (b) The tombs 58 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 59 (d) The titles 59 4.5 The Fourth Nome: „Sceptre‟ 60 4.5.1 Individual sites 60 4.5.2 Observations 61 (a) Wealth of the nome 61 (b) The tombs 61 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 63 (d) The titles 63 4.6 The Fifth Nome: „Two Falcons‟ 64 4.6.1 Individual sites 64 4.6.2 Observations 65 (a) Wealth of the nome 65 (b) The tombs 65 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 65 (d) The titles 65 4.7 The Sixth Nome: „Crocodile‟ 66 4.7.1 Individual sites 66 4.7.2 Observations 67 (a) Wealth of the nome 67 (b) The tombs 67 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 69 (d) The titles 69 4.8 The Seventh Nome: „Sistrum‟ 70 4.8.1 Individual sites 70 4.8.2 Observations 71 (a) Wealth of the nome 71 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE DEVELOPMENT AND DECLINE OF PROVINCIAL RULE FROM THE OLD TO THE MIDDLE KINGDOM: AN ANALYSIS OF THE TOMBS AND TITLES OF THE SENIOR OFFICIALS OF UPPER EGYPT (b) The tombs 72 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 72 (d) The titles 73 4.9 The Eighth Nome: „Great Land‟ 73 4.9.1 Individual sites 73 4.9.2 Observations 74 (a) Wealth of the nome 74 (b) The tombs 74 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 77 (d) The titles 77 4.10 The Ninth Nome: „Min‟ 78 4.10.1 Individual sites 78 4.10.2 Observations 78 (a) Wealth of the nome 78 (b) The tombs 78 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 80 (d) The titles 81 4.11 The Tenth Nome: „Cobra‟ 81 4.11.1 Individual sites 81 4.11.2 Observations 82 (a) Wealth of the nome 82 (b) The tombs 82 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 82 (d) The titles 83 4.12 The Eleventh Nome: „Set‟ 84 4.12.1 Individual sites 84 4.12.2 Observations 85 (a) Wealth of the nome 85 (b) The tombs 85 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 85 (d) The titles 86 4.13 The Twelfth Nome: „Viper Mountain‟ 86 4.13.1 Individual sites 86 4.13.2 Observations 87 (a) Wealth of the nome 87 (b) The tombs 87 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 89 (d) The titles 89 4.14 The Thirteenth Nome: „Upper Sycamore and Viper‟ 90 4.14.1 Individual sites 90 4.14.2 Observations 90 (a) Wealth of the nome 90 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE DEVELOPMENT AND DECLINE OF PROVINCIAL RULE FROM THE OLD TO THE MIDDLE KINGDOM: AN ANALYSIS OF THE TOMBS AND TITLES OF THE SENIOR OFFICIALS OF UPPER EGYPT (b) The tombs 91 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 92 (d) The titles 92 4.15 The Fourteenth Nome: „Lower Sycamore and Viper‟ 93 4.15.1 Individual sites 93 4.15.2 Observations 93 (a) Wealth of the nome 93 (b) The tombs 93 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 94 (d) The titles 95 4.16 The Fifteenth Nome: „Hare‟ 97 4.16.1 Individual sites 97 4.16.2 Observations 99 (a) Wealth of the nome 99 (b) The tombs 99 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 101 (d) The titles, epithets, and specific inscription dates 102 4.17 The Sixteenth Nome: „Oryx‟ 103 4.17.1 Individual sites 103 4.17.2 Observations 104 (a) Wealth of the nome 104 (b) The tombs 104 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 105 (d) The titles 106 4.18 The Seventeenth Nome: „Jackal‟ 107 4.18.1 Individual sites 107 4.19 The Eighteenth Nome: „Falcon‟ 107 4.19.1 Individual sites 107 4.19.2 Observations 108 (a) Wealth of the nome 108 (b) The tombs 108 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 108 (d) The titles 108 4.20 The Nineteenth Nome: „Two Sceptres‟ 109 4.20.1 Individual sites 109 4.20.2 Observations 109 (a) Wealth of the nome 109 4.21 The Twentieth Nome: „Southern Sycamore‟ 109 4.21.1 Individual sites 110 4.21.2 Observations 110 (a) Wealth of the nome 110 TABLE OF CONTENTS THE DEVELOPMENT AND DECLINE OF PROVINCIAL RULE FROM THE OLD TO THE MIDDLE KINGDOM: AN ANALYSIS OF THE TOMBS AND TITLES OF THE SENIOR OFFICIALS OF UPPER EGYPT (b) The tombs 110 (c) Tomb sizes and total titles 111 (d) The titles 112 4.22 The Twenty-first Nome: „Northern Sycamore‟ 113 4.22.1 Individual sites 113 4.22.2 Observations 113 (a) Wealth of the nome 113 (b) The tombs 114 4.23 The Twenty-Second Nome: „Knife‟ 115 4.23.1 Individual sites 115 4.23.2 Observations 115 (a) Wealth of the nome 115 CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY AND OVERVIEW: 116 THE DEVELOPMENT AND EXTENT OF PROVINCIAL RULE 5.1 Provincial Rule in the OK 116 5.1.1 The Third Dynasty 116 5.1.2 The Fourth Dynasty 117 5.1.3 The Fifth Dynasty 119 5.1.4 The Sixth Dynasty 128 5.1.5 The Eighth Dynasty 141 5.2 Provincial Rule in the FIP 144 5.3 Provincial Rule in the MK 146 5.3.1 The Eleventh Dynasty (all Egypt) 146 5.3.2 The Twelfth Dynasty 149 CHAPTER 6 ANALYSIS OF THE DATA 159 6.1 Average tomb size and the wealth of a province 159 6.1.1 Correlation procedure 159 6.1.2 Correlations of average tomb size and the wealth of a 160 province 6.2 Average tomb size and the power of the central authority 162 6.2.1 Correlation procedure 162 6.2.2.
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