Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

Estates (also referred to as “domains”) formed the basis of institutional agriculture in Old Kingdom Egypt. Estates were primarily administered by the temples or by state agricultural centers scattered throughout the country, but were also granted to high officials as remuneration for their services. Sources from the third millennium BCE show that estates constituted production networks where agricultural goods were produced, stored, and kept available for agents of the king who were traveling on state business.