The oryx nome: an Egyptian cultural landscape of the Middle Kingdom

This thesis aims to provide a methodology for approaching and interpreting ancient Egyptian cultural landscapes using the Oryx Nome as its case study. By bringing together textual, archaeological and geoarchaeological evidence a more holistic impression of the region during the Middle Kingdom is suggested. Considerations of how natural forms and processes within the environment contribute towards the formation of cultural landscapes as well as how the local inhabitants continued to redevelop their surroundings, create a sense of geographic identity and enculture their landscapes are also discussed. Ultimately, this thesis proposes that with a greater knowledge of an area’s ecological past archaeologists are better equipped to prioritise physical investigation of broad areas of the Egyptian floodplain in order to unlock the stories of those that once inhabited it