The world of the ancient Egyptians consisted of the gods (which included the king), men (that is, the Egyptians), the dead, some magical objects and outsiders. In formal inscriptions they summed up the perceptible world of living beings in nine entities, represented as nine arches, two of which symbolized Upper and Lower Egypt. The supremacy of Egypt was a basic theoretical condition for maintaining order in the world, as provided at the time of creation.
During its long history, Egypt made contact with many other peoples, in war or commerce. Many strangers lived in Egypt: prisoners of war, slaves, mercenaries, unwanted infiltrates, diplomatic envoys, merchants or refugees. The Egyptian artist portrayed them with a conventional code that emphasized ethnic characteristics, skin color, facial features and usual clothing. The most frequent representations of outsiders are found in combat scenes and in ceremonies of formal surrender and elevation of gifts to the king, and portray the Nubians (Sudanese Kushites), Libyans, Canaanites, Hittites, Shashi Bedouins, Prehellenic Aegean and various types of sea villages.