ABSTRACT

The New Kingdom Egyptian presence in Lower and Middle Nubia, effectively areas north of the Third Cataract, seems to have had a very different character to that further south. The area was divided into two regions, Wawat in the north, and Kush in the south, each with its own deputy governor. Both were controlled by the Viceroy of Nubia, ‘King’s Son of Kush’. Wawat was centred on Aniba, while Kush was governed from Soleb during the late XVIIIth Dynasty, and Amara West (Spencer 1998, 2002) by the XIXth Dynasty. Both seem likely to have already been centres of population during the Kerma period. Egyptian texts record the existence of numerous officials who formed part of the Egyptian administration of these regions. While the viceroy’s authority was claimed to extend to Napata and Egyptian temples and perhaps settlements were established in the Dongola Reach, there are no indications that the viceregal administration extended south of the Third Cataract. No officials serving in the Dongola Reach or Napata appear in any known texts (Morkot 1991b).