Gau (Egypt)

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Gau in hieroglyphics
Old empire
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X1 Z1

Sepat
Sp3t
Gau / District
Greek Nomos
Upper Egypt Nomes.png
The 22 Upper Egyptian Gaue

In ancient Egypt, the Gaue were administrative districts along the Nile that were valid for thousands of years and encompassed the entire heartland. It is the translation of the Greek word nomos , which was used in ancient sources for the ancient Egyptian administrative units.

Emergence

The districts arose from local principalities of the Neolithic . In the Old Kingdom there were still 38 districts, which were later supplemented by four more. In the course of Egypt's long history, the Gaue and their rulers ( Gaufürsten ) were more or less independent of the central power of the king ( Pharaoh ). The texts of the diagonal star clocks show that each of the deans symbolized an ancient Egyptian district and that the deity of the respective dean was assigned to a district.

meaning

The amalgamation of families, hordes and tribes to form Gau had a decisive influence on the formation of the faith, first for the lower spirits and demons, later also for the deities. Almost every Gau had its own coat of arms in the form of a standard and a local deity with its own myth , which was especially venerated and granted its protection.

The oldest preserved " Gauliste " is at the " White Chapel " of Sesostris I in Karnak .

In Greco-Roman times , the old district division was essentially retained. Each Gau (Nomos) was subordinate to a strategist . The Fayum as Nomos Arsinoites was added as further administrative districts , which was divided into the four sub-areas (Meris) of Herakleides, Themistus, Polemon and the capital Arsinoe. In addition, in the western desert the districts Oasis Magna ( Charga and Dachla ), Oasis Parva ( Bahariyya ) and Ammoniake ( Oasis Siwa ), and in the east Sinai and Ethiopia on the Red Sea. Alexandria was an independent district outside the Gaus system.

Upper Egyptian district

No Surname Nomos description Capital today
(ancient; greek)
Local / Gauge gods
1 Ta-seti Gau of the ( Nubian ) Bogenland Aswan
(Suenet / Jeb; Syene / Elephantine )
Khnum , Satet (Sopdet), Anuket , Isis , Nephthys , Horus , Osiris , Seth
2 Wetjes-Hor Apollonopolites Horus-Thron-Gau, Falkengau Edfu
(Behdet / Mesen / Saboet; Apollonopolis Magna)
Behdeti
3 Nechen Latopolites Festungsgau, Landeplatz-Gau Elkab / Kom el-Ahmar
(Nechab / Nechen; Hierakonpolis )
Nechbet , Khnum
4th Waset Pathyrites / Peri Thebas Gau of the what scepter Armant + Theben
(Iunu-shema + Waset; Hermontis + Thebai)
Month , Amun , Amun-Re , Amun-Min, Amun-Atum, Amun-Chepre, Mut , Chons , Hathor , Buchis
5 Netjerui Ombites / Coptites Zwei-Falken-Gau, Gau of the two gentlemen Koptos / Quift
(Nybt / Gebtu; Ombos / Koptos )
Seth , min
6th Iqer Tentyrites Krokodilgau Dendera
(Onet; Tentyra)
Hathor , Ihi , Sobek , Harsomtus
7th Bat Diospolites Mikros Gau of the female soul Nag Hammadi
(Hu / Hiw; Disospolis mikra)
Hathor , Bat
8th Ta-who Thinites Gau " oldest country " Girga / Abydos
(Tine / Abdu; Thinis / Abydos)
Anhuret (Onuris, Schu ), Osiris , Chontamenti , Upuaut
9 Menu Panopolites Min-Gau, Gau of the good soul Achmim
(Ipu / Chenet Min; Panopolis)
Min , Iunmutef , Horus of Chemmis
10 Wadjit Aphroditopolites / Apollonopolites Schlangengau Qaw el-Kebir / el-Badari
(Tjebu; Antaeopolis)
Wadjet , Nemti , Seth , Mahes
11 Scha Hypselites Seth-Tier-Gau Shutb
(Schas-hotep; Hypselis)
Seth , Horus
12 Atfet Antaiopolites Mountain Viper Gau El-Atawlah
(Per-antj; Hierakon)
Nemti
13 Nedjefet-Chentet Lykopolites front sycamore valley Assiut
(Saut / Siut, Ja-Kemet; Lykonpolis)
Upuaut , Chontamenti , Osiris
14th Nedjefet-pehetet rear sycamore valley Meir
(Qis; Cusae)
Hathor
15th Wenet Hermopolites Hasengau El-Aschmunein
(Wenu, Chemen / Chmunu; Hermopolis Magna )
Thoth , Seschat , Imi-schemenu , Unut , the " Eightness of Hermopolis "
16 Ma-hedj Antilopengau , Gazellengau south. Minia located
( Hebenu , Herwer , Neferusi , Menat-Khufu )
Hebenu , Pachet , Khnum , Horus
17th Input Kynopolites Schakalgau, Hundsgau Minia
(Henu, Hardai; Kynopolis)
Anubis
18th Nemti , Per-Nemti Falkengau (Nemti falcon) Kom el-Ahmar Sawaris Dunanui , Nemti
19th Wabui Oxyrhynchites Wabu scepter, double scepter Gau Bahnasa / Beni Mazar
(Per Medjet; Oxyrhynchos )
Seth
20th Noret-chentet Herakleopolites front Baumgau, Oleanderbaumgau, Naretbaumgau Ehnasya
(Ht-nen Nesut / Hnês; Herakleopolis )
Herischef
21st Noret-pehet rear Baumgau, Oleanderbaumgau, Naretbaumgau Fayyum
(Schedet; Arsinoe / Krokodilopolis)
Sobek (Maga), Sobek-Horus
22nd Medenite Aphroditopolites Messergau Atfih
(Per-nebet-tep-ichu; Aphroditopolis)
Hathor

Lower Egyptian districts

The 20 Lower Egyptian Gaue
No Surname Nomos description Capital today
(ancient; greek)
Place / Gaugötter
1 Inbu-hedj Memphites "White Wall" With Rahine
(Men nefer, possibly Hot-Ka-Ptah; Memphis )
Ptah , Ptah- Tatenen , Ptah- Sokar , Ptah- Nun , Apis ( Hapi ), Sekhmet , Nefertem , Imhotep , Hathor
2 Chepesch Letopolites Iua / Iwa / Iwo, Schenkelgau Ausim ( Letopolis , Chem, Sechem) Cherti
3 Imentet Gynaikopolites Westgau Kom el-Hisn
(Jamu; -)
Hathor
4th Neret-reset , southern Neret district Prosopitis united with the 5th district until the late period Sais
(Saw, Sau; Prospopites)
Neith , Behdeti , Osiris
5 Neret-mehetet , northern Neret district String united with 4th district until the late period Sais
(Saw, Sau; Prospopites)
Neith , Behdeti , Osiris
6th Chasuu Xoites Bergstiergau Sacha
(Pe / Dep, Per Uto; Buto )
Uto , Re
7th Wa-em-Huu-ges-imenti Menelaites / Metelites western Harpunengau Ha
8th Wa-em-Huu-ges-iabti Heroopolites eastern Harpunengau Tjeku
( Per Atum ; Hebrew Pitom)
Atum , Osiris
9 Anedjti Bousirites Abu Sir Bana
(Per Osiris / Anedjti; Busirites, Busiris)
Osiris , Isis
10 Kemwer Athribites Great Black Bull Gau Kom El-Atrib
(Kem-wer; Athribis )
Chentechtai
11 Hesbu Leontopolites Gau of the bull counted Tell el-Muqdam
(-; Leontopolis)
Shu , Tefnut , Mahes
12 Tjeb-netjer Sebennytes Gau of the divine calf Samanud
(Tep-netjer; Sebennytos )
Isis , Schu , Onuris
13 Gau of the intact scepter Heliopolites El-Mataria
(Iunu / On; Heliopolis )
Atum , Re , Re-Harachte , Mer-wer (black Mnevis bull), Hathor , Benu , Thoth
14th Ostgau Sethroites Gau of the eastern vase stand Tanis
(Tanis, Buto, Saru; Papremis)
Horus , Uto , Seth
15th Ibisgau Baklije
(Wenu; Hermopolis)
Thoth , respect from Hermopolis
16 Hat-Mehit Gau Mendesios Fischgau Tell Roba
(Anpet and Dedet; Thmuis and Mendes )
Hatmehit , Ba- Aries from Mendes
17th Gau Sema-behedet Diospolites Kato Throngau Northern Behdet
(Pa-ju-en-Amun; Island of Amun , also Waset-mehu ; Thebes in Lower Egypt )
Behdeti
18th front Königskind Gau Boubastites Bubastis
(-; Bubastites)
Bastet , Nefertem
19th rear Königskind district Tanites Tanis
(Imet; Tanis)
Dja'net
(-; Leontopolis Tanis)
Wadjet
20th Per-Sopdu-Gau Arabia Juice el-Henna (Phakusa, Fakus) Sopdu

literature

  • Hans-Christian Dirscherl: The Gaustratege in Roman Egypt. His tasks using the example of archives, finance, land and liturgies. Emergence, consolidation, decline? 30 BC - 300 AD (= Pharos. Studies on Greco-Roman Antiquity. Volume 16). Scripta-Mercaturae-Verlag, St. Katharinen 2004, ISBN 3-89590-131-8 (also: Regensburg, Univ., Diss., 2000).
  • Henri Gauthier: Les nomes d'Égypte depuis Hérodote jusqua'à la conquête arabe (= Mémoires de l'Institut d'Egypte. Volume 25, ZDB -ID 447998-1 ). Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, Cairo 1935.
  • Wolfgang Helck : The ancient Egyptian Gaue (= Tübingen Atlas of the Middle East. Supplements: Series B: Geisteswissenschaften. Volume 5). Reichert, Wiesbaden 1974, ISBN 3-920153-27-8 .
  • Eva Martin-Pardey: Investigations into the Egyptian provincial administration up to the end of the Old Kingdom (= Hildesheimer Ägyptologische contributions. Volume 1). Hildesheim 1976.
  • Eva Martin-Pardey: nome structure. In: Kathryn A. Bard (Ed.): Encyclopedia of the Archeology of Ancient Egypt. Routledge, London 1999, ISBN 0-415-18589-0 , pp. 573-74.

Web links

Commons : Gau (Egypt)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rainer Hannig : Large Concise Dictionary Egyptian-German. (2800–950 BC) (= cultural history of the ancient world . Volume 64 = Hannig-Lexica. Volume 1). Marburger Edition, 4th revised edition, von Zabern, Mainz 2006, ISBN 3-8053-1771-9 , p. 749.
  2. ↑ Included the old Gaue 14 and 16.
  3. ↑ Included the old Gau 18.
  4. ↑ Including the old Lower Egyptian Gau 21.
  5. ↑ Included the old Gau 15.