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4 - The Khetem-Border-Posts in the Delta during the New Kingdom

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2024

By
Claire Somaglino
Edited by
Katherine Blouin
Katherine Blouin
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
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Summary

Human space is transformed into territory through multiple types of delineation, from closed limits materialised in the landscape (such as fortresses, barriers, etc.), to open and blurred limits forming transition areas, known and practised by actors. In the kind of territorial state which Egypt had been since its birth, it was essential for the rulers to spatially mark the limits of their sovereignty. During the New Kingdom, the economic and political integration of the border districts was made possible thanks to the khetem border posts and their administration. The aim was to ensure the integrity and security of the kingdom, by investing or even overinvesting in its periphery, in terms of political decision, discourse and representations. The king and his administration were well aware that the integrity of the state was at stake in these border zones. Yet, in spite of the uniformity of the discourse, and the fact that the same name was applied to all border posts around Egypt, as well as the same title to the person in charge of these settlements, it appears that the system adapted to and was intimately linked with the local situation and the specificities of each border region.

Keywords

HistoryArchaeologyEgyptNileDeltaBorderTerritoryNew Kingdom
Type
Chapter
Information
The Nile Delta
Histories from Antiquity to the Modern Period
 , pp. 158 - 184
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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