L2045

Cities in Egypt

The following are raw research notes on development of cities in Ancient Egypt.

During the three months of flooding the Pharaoh would use farmers to help build his large building projects such as the pyramids or temples. (5C)

Most of the urban populations gathered around areas which had religious or governmental functions. (5C)

Egypt never really developed a strong or large urban population. Many of the cities were developed when certain pyramids or other large building works were happening. The capital moved from sight to sight depending on the Pharaoh. Because of this no large permanent cities develop until after the invasion of  Alexander.

"Thus in Egypt, the city never fully emerged until implanted by the Hellenistic Ptolemies in the late fourth century." (pg. 150) (5C)

"The principal, perhaps determining, reasons for this is the internal peace which existed in Egypt from the earliest times; there was not economic necessity, as in Mesopotamia, continually to occupy the same site in order to take advantage of the enormous capital investment represented by the defensive walls. A second reason directly related to the first – given urban mobility each successive pharaoh was free to spend his reigning life on earth preparing his tomb for the life after death in a different location to that of his predecessor." (pg. 12)(8C)

Egyptian Pharaohs would move to other sites when resistance to change in current capital cities was too great to accomplish their goals. (8C)