The Archaeology of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt

From the Predynastic Period to the End of the Middle Kingdom

Nadine Moeller

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN:
  9781107079755
• eBook ISBN:
  9781316355244
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Archaeology
• Index: Social Sciences

In this book, Nadine Moeller challenges prevailing views on Egypt's non-urban past and argues for Egypt as an early urban society. She traces the emergence of urban features during the Predynastic period up to the disintegration of the powerful Middle Kingdom state (c.3500–1650 BC). This book offers a synthesis of the archaeological data that sheds light on the different facets of urbanism in ancient Egypt. Drawing on evidence from recent excavations as well as a vast body of archaeological data, this book explores the changing settlement patterns by contrasting periods of strong political control against those of decentralization. It also discusses households and the layout of domestic architecture, which are key elements for understanding how society functioned and evolved over time. Moeller reveals what settlement patterns can tell us about the formation of complex society and the role of the state in urban development in ancient Egypt.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Figures
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1 Ancient Urbanism and the Case of Egypt
• 2 Current and Past Studies of Egyptian Settlements
• 3 The Environmental Setting
• 4 The Origins of Urban Society
• 5 The Settlements of the Old Kingdom
• 6 The Layout of Old Kingdom Houses
• 7 The Development of Towns during the End of the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period (ca. 2200–2050 BCE)
• 8 The Middle Kingdom: Town Planning and Internal Colonization at Its Height
• Further discussions and archaeological details relating to Chapter 8
• 9 House Layouts in the Middle Kingdom
• 10 Final Conclusions
• Notes
• Index