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.