Nn(w)-nswt (Nen-nesut)
Nn(w)-nswt (Nen-nesut),1 known in the Late Period Henen-nesut (Hnn-nswt) and in the Classical Period first as Ηρακλεούπολις (Ērakleoúpolis), then Heracleopolis Magna, was a former capital of Km.t (Kemet or Egypt) and was located along a former branch of the an-Nil (Nile) in what is now Bani-Suwayf nome. The original name means House of the Royal Child. A temple there or nearby was dedicated to Heryshef, a ram-headed god.The settlement was probably occupied until the seventh century CE.2
| Year | Population | Political entity |
| 2250 BCE3 | 4| Km.t (Kemet or Egypt) | |
| 1800 BCE3 | 5| Km.t (Kemet or Egypt) | |
External references
Ruins of Nen-nesut
Historical maps
Footnotes
1. The vowels are conventional among Egyptologists but are not intended to represent the vowel sounds of the times.
2. Ruined Coptic Churches were found. See Édouard Naville, et al, Ahnas el Medineh (Heracleopolis Magna) (Egypt Exploration Fund, 1894).
3. I'm guessing that Chandler is using the Cambridge Ancient History's dating, in which case 2250 falls within the Sixth Dynasty (2345 to 2181 BCE). Others date that dynasty's start from 2630 BCE (Bernal) to 2290 BCE (Helck). See Tertius Chandler, Four Thousand Years of Urban Growth, 2nd ed. (The Edwin Mellen Press, 1987) and Martin Bernal, Black Athena, Volume II (Rutgers University Press, 1991). Similarly 1800 BCE falls within the 12th Dynasty (1991 to 1786 BCE). Others date that dynasty's start from 2155 (Mellaar) to 1979 BCE (Bernal).
4. According to Chandler, ibid., "Tables of World's Largest Cities: 2250 B.C.", Nen-nesut was smaller than Assur, which was smaller than Iwnw (Iunu or Heliopolis), which was smaller than Erech, which was smaller than Nippur, which had an estimated 30,000 residents. It was the eighth largest city in the world in 2250 and 1800 BCE.
5. According to Chandler, ibid., "Tables of World's Largest Cities: 180 B.C.", Nen-nesut was smaller than Susa, which had an estimated 25,000 residents and larger than Asyut, which was larger than Mohenjo-daro, which had an estimated 20,000 residents.
