He study of Egyptian urbanism has been characterised as a study of exceptions. O’Connor stated that discussions of Egyptian urbanism were based on sites ‘decidedly untypical of most Egyptian settlement’.962 Many settlements were deemed to be unrepresentative of Egyptian urbanism in general. his would include single purpose towns (pyramid towns, workmen’s villages, quarry settlements, forts), short-lived towns and new foundations (Tell el-Amarna, Pi-Rameses), towns un-‘Egyptian’ in character (Tell el-Daba, eastern Delta settlements), and towns with speciic topographic constraints (Elephantine).
In fact these ‘unusual’ settlements might reflect, not just archaeological bias, but the diversity in form and function of ancient Egyptian settlements. hree decades ago Bietak, argued that the ‘individual peculiarity’ of Egyptian urbanism required a speciically Egyptian classiication963 while Kemp provided an encompassing discussion of the dynamics of Egyptian urbanism.964 here is an ongoing debate about how to deine cities and towns in an ancient Egyptian context.965 For Wilson specialised urban settlements such as pyramid towns, capitals, and so on, do not constitute ‘cities’. Although he does not clearly define ‘city’, he considers size and longevity as main, determining characteristics.966 Gordon Childe in his seminal study listed ten criteria that distinguish ancient cities from surrounding towns and villages.967 Several of his criteria have been corroborated in subsequent urbanism discussion; relative population size, craft specialisation and storage of surplus goods are consistent elements of most definitions of the term ‘city’. More recently Hassan proposed a definition applicable to Ancient Egypt based on settlement size, distances and population.968
He ancient Egyptian words for ‘town’ and ‘city’ were used with a certain lexibility, and do not seem to define rigidly different types of settlement.969 he words for town, Hwt and njwt, refer to a walled settlement with the basic distinction based on shape not on size.970 At Giza two settlement names are attested; the ‘northern Gerget of Khufu’ and the ‘southern Tjeniu of Khafre’.971 here are also mentions of the ‘ra-she of Khufu’ which may designate a basin.972 Lehner suggested a hypothetical location for the two settlements and for the ra-she of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure.64 Subsequent work has confirmed some of these hypotheses.65
World History
