38 terms

Terms	Definitions
Anubis	jackal god of mummification
Orisis	vegetation god, god of rebirth
Isis	wife to Osiris, mother goddess of Egypt
Horus	son of Osiris and Isis, falcon-headed god represented the seasons of drought and rebirth, all pharaohs identified with him, took his name as part of theirs
Thoth	depicted as an ibis or baboon, god of wisdom and patron god of scribes
Hathor	cow's head, goddess of love and childbirth
Nome	regions in pre-dynastic Egypt
Nomarch	ruler of nomes
pharaoh	kings of egypt, literally="he who lives in the great house"
vizier	pharaoh's assistant; had a lot of responsibilities like: organizing the collection of taxes, overseeing irrigation, supervising construction projects etc.
regent	an adult who serves as temporary monarch when the successor is a child
bureaucracy	group of people who worked for the government administration. tax collectors, scribes, engineers, priests
delta	new land formed by a river discharging sediment into the sea; its flow is reduced causing the river to deposit silt at the river mouth. eventually this silt forms new land.
inundation	season of flood
necropilis	"city of the dead". valley of the kings and queens, areas devoted to burial
mastaba	precursor of pyramids, box-shaped tombs built above the grount
pyramid	old kingdom pharaohs built layers ontop of mastabas creating this
papyrus	plants used to make paper and other things
hieroglyphics	"sacred writing", Egyptian writing, found on tombs and temples, falsely assumed that it must relate only to religious matters
cartouche	an oval shape that had a pharaoh's name inscribed inside in hieroglyphics. seen on tomb walls
geometry	nathematics of measurement learned by the ancient egyptians as they re-surveyed their property lines each year after the flood. seen in pyramids
rosetta stone	inspired translation of hieroglyphics by Jean Francois Champollion.
ma'at	term represents both a goddess and a concept. means justice/order/truthfullness. ethical concept
Ka	after-death concept. the soul of a dead person, depicted as two bent arms pointing upward
Ba	after-death concept. physical embodiment of the dead person. depicted as a bird with a human head
Shabti	small tomb figures; supposed to be servants of the deceased in the afterlife
Canopic Jars	small ornamental jars each with a god's head on its lid. used to hold organs taken from dead body. placed in tomb
Sarcophagus	an elaborate coffin contructed of wood and decorated with symbols and hieroglyphics
mortuary temple	temple dedicated to a dead person not a god. usually only pharaohs had these. Many started their construction during thier lifetime
mummification	process of perserving the body
book of the dead	comilation of prayers, chants, etc. egyptians would choose sections to be inscribed on the tomb wall of deceased
ankh	a cross like symbol carried by many of the gods. symbolized eternity
Scarab	a beetle shaped ornament. beetle sacred to egyptians, represented rebirth
obelisk	a tall monument favored by new kingdom rulers. decorated with hieroglyphics
mercenary	a soldier who hires himself to ANY state or government for a fee
shaduf	a mechanical device that consists of a long pole balanced ona crossbeam. it has a rope and bucket on one end and a weighted balance on the other. it is used for transferring water from the river to the fields
Wedjat/Udjat eye	the eye of horus. symbolized healing and protection
hyksos	"foreigner" people who invaded egypt thus beginning the second intermediate period durint which they ruled as pharaohs in Lower Egypt

Flickr Creative Commons Images

Some images used in this set are licensed under the Creative Commons through Flickr.com. Click to see the original works with their full license.

• "ankh" image

This product uses the Flickr API but is not endorsed or certified by Flickr.