The Concept of Borders or Frontiers, and Their Geographical Locations in Ancient Egypt

Abstract

In Japanese with an English summary. When considering either the borders or frontiers of ancient Egypt from a functional point of view, the author suggests that at least five types can be considered: natural, administrative, political, religious, and ethnic. Each type had its own function and geographical range. Natural borders were very stable, geographically and geomorphologically limited to the Nile Valley, the First Cataract, the desert margins, and the Delta regions. Administrative borders on the margins of frontier nomes were essentially identical with natural borders during the Dynastic era. The administrative borders extended much further than the natural borders in the Graeco-Roman era due to the establishment of new nomes outside the traditional range of Egypt. Political borders, the de facto limits of the state, were more dynamic. Guarding the borders from the foreign invaders and Bedouin incursion was recognized as one of the most important tasks for kings, not only Upper and Lower Egypt but also of foreign lands, beyond the borders of Egypt. Ethnic frontiers were not clearly distinguishable except through differences in faith, language and customs.