Introduction

The definition of an ancient settlement as a city, town or village is a matter of debate. Most scholars are inclined to consider only the three, then four, poleis (Alexandria, Naukratis, Ptolemais Hermiou, then Antinoopolis) and the metropoleis as urban settlements. All other settlements are classified simply as villages. This classification does not reflect the complex reality of urbanism and settlements in Egypt, and it cannot be maintained any longer. Wide and complex settlements with huge enclosures for temples were spread everywhere in Egypt, and it would be highly reductive to consider them simply as villages. A solution to this conceptual, but also existential, question cannot be found in ancient Egyptian or Greek terminology, which was not intended to convey technical meanings (Mueller 2006: 99), nor can we classify Egyptian settlements as urban (cities) or rural (villages) according to their economic activities, because agriculture was the most important resource of the country and was the basis of the economy everywhere. A classification of settlements can only be based on the combination of quantitative data from archaeological and textual sources, and qualitative data concerning their administration (Mueller 2006: 99-104; Daris 1985: 213). The centralized system was organized as a pyramid with a hierarchy of functionaries, matching the subdivision of the territory into nomoi with a main town and a regional hierarchical system of settlements. Except for the poleis and the nome capitals, it is difficult to establish the rank of each settlement in a region and which ones can be considered as urban or rural. According to Alston and Alston (1997: 202-9) there were only two ranks of urban settlements, the poleis at the top and then the nome capitals. Davoli (1998: 30-1) and Mueller (2006: 100) would add a third rank defined as urban on the basis of quantitative and qualitative data. In this third urban rank we would list such settlements as Bakchias, Dionysias, Karanis, Kellis, Narmouthis, Philadelphia, Soknopaiou Nesos, and Tebtynis.