The causes and processes that have led to the sudden rise of the provincial elites who had the wherewithal to commission inscribed monuments, especially from the end of the Fifth Dynasty (c.2350 BCE), remain poorly understood. This paper aims to highlight some of the main factors involved in this process, using specific case studies and a global and comparative approach. The results indicate greater levels of complexity than previously thought, and that no single, concurrent cause applied in all provinces. The paper also discusses methodological issues about how to reconstruct a causal system for the emergence and enrichment of provincial elites and, in particular, the need to study this process diachronically to achieve deeper insights into its mechanisms.

中文翻译：

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古代王国晚期带有铭文纪念碑的省级精英出现的原因：个案研究和方法论

导致省级精英突然崛起的原因和过程，他们有能力委托铭文纪念碑，特别是从第五王朝末期开始（C.2350公元前), 仍然知之甚少。本文旨在通过具体案例研究和全球比较方法，强调这一过程中涉及的一些主要因素。结果表明，复杂程度比之前认为的要高，而且所有省份都没有出现单一的、并发的原因。本文还讨论了关于如何重建省级精英出现和丰富的因果系统的方法论问题，特别是需要历时地研究这一过程以更深入地了解其机制。