The hieroglyph depicting a falcon and feather atop a standard represents the land of the west which had great spiritual significance for the ancient Egyptians. Each evening Re descended in the west to begin his night time sojourn in the Duat (the land of the dead) traversing the body of the goddess Nut as he did so. He was born anew every morning with the dawn.

The Western nome had as its capital the city of Imu (present day Kom el-Hisn), which was occupied as early as the Old Kingdom and its origins may predate this. Its position as nome capitol seems to have come about during the New Kingdom replacing an earlier provincial capitol named Hwt-Ihyt. Today the site consists of a mound which features the remains of a temple built by Senwosret I of Dynasty XII and which was dedicated to the dual goddess Hathor/Sekhmet who were both known as the 'Mistress of Imu'. The goddess Hathor was also known as the 'Mistress of the West' in deference to her role as goddess of the dead.

Of later significance is the city of Alexandria located on the Mediterranean Sea and which is still a viable city in the present day. Its importance greatly eclipsed that of Imu as Alexandria operated on a world stage as a centre of trade and culture and not merely as a provincial capital. It was one of the greatest ancient cities and unlike other Egyptian towns, Alexandria owed its heritage to Greece not Egypt. It was birthed on a whim of Alexander the Great who would never live to see it to see it constructed.

The Western nome offers an opportunity to explore a very different aspect of ancient Egyptian history, the aberrant against the background of the traditional. Greco-Roman times saw the beginning of a new phase in Egypt's history and the ending of thousands of years of separatist tradition. With Cleopatra's demise it would see the end of pharaonic rule and the beginnings of Egypt as a vassal state of Rome.

Heri-tep a'a AzureEyes Ramesses