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Although there is a rich source of archaeological evidence for towns and cities in ancient Egypt, research into urbanism has, according to Nadine Moeller, often avoided mention of it, because many of the settlements could be regarded as anomalous, not fitting into established categories. In this work, she seeks to open new avenues of research by looking afresh at several sites of different types, treating them as case studies.
Moeller sets the scene by describing the Egyptian landscape and environment. She says that changes in the course of the Nile necessitated the periodic relocation of settlements, and that – because of the annual floods – towns were sited on higher ground, sometimes on islands in the river. An important location for settlements was along the desert edge, beyond the reach of the flood, but with connection by canals to the river. The most common settlement sites in the archaeological record, however, are those that have formed tells, where successive layers of occupation, demolition, and rebuilding have formed artificial hills.
Moeller considers the thorny problem of determining population size, and the spread of the built environment. The population size of settlements such as Deir el-Medina, Amarna, and Lahun, which were occupied for limited periods, are easier to estimate, but where a settlement has formed a tell, its population and its physical extent at any one time are very difficult to ascertain. She concludes that, contrary to previous theories, there were large cities spread over wide areas, especially in the post-Ramesside period.
Two unusual features of ancient Egyptian towns noted by Moeller are the absence of permanent markets (instead, temporary stalls were set up along riverbanks and in front of temples); and the scarcity of buildings that can be identified as workshops or administrative offices, because areas of residential homes were used for these purposes.
Although short (86 pages), this book contains a wealth of information about most of the urban sites in ancient Egypt that will be of interest to the general reader, but its main purpose is to promote the academic study of urbanism over the 3,000 years of pharaonic history.
REVIEW BY JPP
Urban Life and Form in Ancient Egypt
by Nadine Moeller
Cambridge Elements: Ancient Egypt in Context, Cambridge University Press, 2026
HBK: ISBN 978-1-009-71410-5
PBK: ISBN 978-1-009-07436-0
Hardback, £55; paperback, £18
