Dr. Nicholas Brown
Postdoctural Associate & Lecturer
(NELC)
Deir el-Ballas, located about 50 km downriver of ancient Thebes (modern-day Luxor), is the only known royal settlement of Egypt’s 17th Dynasty (c. 1580–1550 BCE). Founded as a royal residence and likely military base during the Theban campaigns against the Hyksos, the site extends along the desert edge and includes a monumental palace, elite villas, workmen’s housing, and administrative areas. Since 2017, renewed archaeological work has revisited this important site to better understand its architecture, material culture, and long history of occupation and reuse.
This presentation explores how Deir el-Ballas can illuminate broader questions about early city planning in Egypt, the relationship between royal power and community, and how settlements adapted to their landscapes. Situating the site within wider discussions of ancient and modern urbanism, it considers how urban spaces—past and present—reflect patterns of social organization, identity, and interaction, revealing how people shape, and are shaped by, the cities they inhabit.