Nomarchs (
Ancient Egyptian:
heri-tep a'a) were the semi-
feudal rulers of
Ancient Egyptian provinces. Serving as provincial governors, they each held authority over one of the 42
nomes (
Egyptian:
sepat) into which the country was divided.
Nome is derived from the Greek
nomos, meaning a province or district, and
nomarch is derived from the Greek title
nomarches (νομάρχης), the ruler of a
nomos. The nomarchs exercised considerable power.