THE LAND. To the ancients, Egypt was that portion of the Nile Valley extending from the First Cataract (latitude 2-1°), near Svene, on the south, to the Mediterranean on the north. On either side the land is shut in by rocky ridges, which extend on the east to the Arabian. on the west to the Libyan Desert. Somewhat to the north of latitude 30°. these ridges open out to the northeast and northwest respectively, bounding a district which, from the resemblance of its outline to the fourth character in the Greek alphabet, was called the Delta. Through the Delta the Nile flowed into the sea by separate mouths. _Ancient writers enumerate seven such mouths, but the course of the river has shifted peatedly into new channels, and at present there arc but two mouths, situated at Damietta and at Rosetta. The Egyptians called their land Qemet, 'the black land,' from the contrast the dark alluvial soil and the red sand of the jacent deserts. The origin of the Creek name Atyeirros ( whence Latin /..'gypt us and our Egypt) is )1,:•ure. The land was divided into Upper Egypt. called 'the south.' ()earn', or 'the south country; Tares (later Pa-m•res. whence the
Pathrosl, and Lower Egypt. inelnd ing the Delta (7'a-inch ). In the earliest historical peri od Upper Egypt contained many marshy tracts, later filled up by alluvial deposits, and the Delta, which even now has a thin soil, was one vast marsh, though it afforded good pasturage for cattle, and was a favorite resort for hunting wild fowl. In the course of time the constant deposits of alluvial matter considerably increased the area of arable land both in the north and in the south, but, from the first, the conditions were more favorable for agriculture in Upper than in Lower Egypt. and in the time of the old Empire the Delta was far behind the southern part of the in civilization. Upper Egypt was early divided into some twenty provinces or counties, called comes ( pogo( ) by the Greeks, and later, in obvious imitation of this division, a similar number of comes is found in Lover Egypt as well. At times the number of the twines varied, but in general it was from forty to forty-two. The capitals of the Homes were each the seat of a particular divinity or group of divinities.