The powerful and expansive Egyptian empire we know of today originally had a very humble beginning. Prior to the unification of the Egyptian people, many small groups existed across the vast nile river. Today we know there were 42 of them known as nomes. Of these nomes 22 were in 'Upper' Egypt, geograpically found in southern Egypt and 20 in 'Lower' Egypt found in the north. This upper and lower denomination comes from the formation of the nile river. The niles source flows from central Africa to the mediteranean sea, the only major river to travel south to north in the northern hemisphere. Thus the elevation change places the source higher than the delta and southern Egypt becomes 'Upper' Egypt.
The nomes in these two regions had very different cultural make-ups. Upper Egypt used strong political organizations to control their land and people. Status symbols created to revere gods and powerful figures demonstrated their wealth. They built large buildings and burial tombs as they placed great value in the afterlife. Elaborate mortuary rituals took place here in order to have the best possible chance at the life beyond ours. Shared communities grew into clustered villages surrounded by their farmland and produce.
Lower Egypt developed a culture much less involved in religious afterlifes. Their commerce was based primarily in metallurgy and long distance trade, therefore their commerce became their symbol of wealth. Afterlife carried little meaning in these societies. Instead they emphasized living the present and living this life as best they could. As for where they lived, disperesed villages grew around material pockets such as gold and lapis lazuli.
For over 2000 years this way of life ruled over this northern African land until a person named Narmer conquered and unified all 42 nomes across Egypt.
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