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Ancient Egypt IC

Terms in this set (77)

Cartouche
Nameplate used in Ancient Egypt; names were written in hieroglyphics
Mummify
Process to remove the organs of a dead body, dry out the body, and wrap it in linen, in order to preserve it; Egyptians paid vast amounts of money to have their bodies properly preserved; Egyptians who were poor were buried in the sand while the rich ones were buried in a tomb
Hieroglyphics
Means "sacred carving"; Ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sounds; system does not use vowels
Natron
Salt-like chemical used to embalm the body and preserve it
Inundation
One of the three season of Ancient Egypt, known as Flood, was the annual flooding of the Nile River
Emergence
One of the three seasons; of Ancient Egypt, the time of year when the river moved back slowly and left rich soil (silt) on the land that farmers used for planting crops
Drought
One of the three seasons; of Ancient Egypt, the time of year when the river was down to a narrow stream; a time for harvest in Ancient Egyptian times
Irrigation
Bringing water to farmland through ditches or channels; invented by Ancient Egyptians due to the Drought
Black Land
Fertile land on the banks of the Nile River
Red Land
Barren desert that protected Egypt on two sides
Embalming
To treat a body with preservatives to keep it looking lifelike; literally means "in balsam" (a sweet-smelling oil)
Lord of Two Lands
Name for the pharoah who was the ruler of both Upper and Lower Egypt
Nile River
The world's longest river (4180 miles), flows northward through eastern Africa into the Mediterranean; the Nile River valley in Egypt was the site of the world's first great civilization; the river was very important to the Ancient Egyptians
Scribes
People trained to write using the earliest forms of writing, before literacy was widespread; they kept records of events and rulers of Ancient Egypt
Anubis
Jackal-headed Egyptian god of embalming, death, and funerals
Rosetta Stone
A huge stone slab inscribed in two/three languages (Egyptian and Greek) by Ancient Egyptian priests to honor the pharaoh; found by French soldiers in 1799, in the town of Rosetta; it allowed people to decipher hieroglyphics
Jean-Francois Champollion
Frenchman and Egyptologist who studied the Rosetta stone and in 1821 became the first person to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics (1790-1832)
Shaduf
Ancient Egyptian irrigation tool consisting of a bucket-and-lever water lifting device
Canopic Jars
Small ornamental jars each with an Ancient Egyptian god's head on the lid; used to enclose the mummified organs taken from the dead body; the jars were placed in the tomb with the mummified body
Ba
An Egyptian spiritual concept meaning one's soul; often depicted as a bird with a human head
Ka
An Egyptian spiritual concept meaning a person's invisible twin that moves on to the afterlife after mummification and burial
Mummiya
The Arabic word for a tarlike substance, called bitumen, that was thought to have covered mummies since it turned a shiny black with age
Sarcophagus
A large outer coffin that holds the mummy; it also has some of the dead person's features so the Ka could find its body again
Amulet
A good luck charm; talisman; an object worn that was believed to protect against evil and bad luck; an object placed within a mummy's wrappings
Scarab
A sacred insect that the Egyptians believed was connected to the sun-god Ra; this dung beetle was believed to help protect the heart of a deceased Egyptian in the afterlife
Book of the Dead
Ancient Egyptian ritualistic rules for mummification, death, and the afterlife
Sons of Horus
Ancient Egyptian protectors; symbolized by amulets guarding vital organs removed from dead bodies during the mummification process
Imsety
A Son of Horus, the human-headed god who protected the liver
Qebehsenuef
A Son of Horus, the falcon-headed god who protected the intestines
Hapy
A Son of Horus, the God of the Nile, and the baboon-headed god who protected the lungs
Duamutef
A Son of Horus, the jackal-headed god who protected the stomach
Shrine
A place of death of a pharaoh, filled with treasures and treasured items; a collection of items to honor a loved one's memory
Howard Carter
Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)
Eye of Horus
Symbol of protection, royal power and good health, it ensured the safety and health of the bearer and provided wisdom and prosperity; also known as the Eye of Ra, a powerful destructive force
Valley of the Kings
The area in Egypt where pharaohs (and nobles) were buried after the Old Kingdom. The tombs were carved into the sides of the cliffs to keep them safe from tomb robbers; King Tut's tomb and Ramses II tomb were found here
Giza Pyramids
Only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing; largest and best-preserved pyramids; consist of a complex including the Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Menkaure; adjacent to the Great Sphinx
House of Eternity
Pharaohs' pyramids built for honoring and storing the king's mummy and treasures
The Great Pyramid
The largest and grandest of the pyramids, standing 482 feet tall; built for King Khufu around 2540 BC; one of three still standing in Giza on the west bank of the Nile; each stone weighed about 2.5 million tons, and more than 2 million stones were used to build the pyramid.
Sphinx
The guardian of the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx stands in front of all the pyramids in Giza; it has the body of a lion and the head of a pharaoh.
Afterlife
Egyptians believed that when they died, they would make a journey to another world where they would lead a new life; they would need all the things they had used when they were alive, so their families would put those things in their tombs
West Bank of the NIle
Where many pyramids were built for religious reasons and because that is where the sun died each night (sets) only to be reborn the next day
Pyramid Shape
Built by hand and served as a burial tomb for pharaohs and noblemen; shaped in a point to represent a gigantic stairway leading the pharaoh up to the sun god in the sky; laid out so that each side faced either North, South, East or West; each layer had to be properly lined up to achieve the shape, however all the stones were not the exact same size
Masons
Workers who made sure the stones for the pyramids were the right shape and size; stones were measured in cubits and most likely fitted to the pyramid's layout grid marked on the ground
Vizier
The pharaoh's chosen assistant, he had much responsibility such as overseeing pyramid building, overseeing irrigation, organizing the collection of taxes, and supervising construction projects
Limestone
Used for building pyramids because it was plentiful, easy to work with, and lasted a long time
Cairo
The capital of Egypt and the largest city in Africa
Cubit
An ancient unit of length, measured from the point of the elbow to the end of the middle finger
Menes
The first Ancient Egyptian pharaoh; he united the two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt, created the 1st Dynasty and the beginning of the Old Kingdom; said to have inherited the throne from the god Horus
Dynasty
A powerful family of rulers whose right to rule is hereditary (handed down), and who maintains its position or power for some time; Ancient Egypt had 30+ dynasties
Pharaoh
Name of a ruler of Ancient Egypt; believed to be the son of Re, the sun god, in human form; he/she had total authority over Egypt's people and land; he/she was at the very top of the social class hierarchy; the word itself means Great House
Heir
Based on heredity, a person who is next in line to rule after a particular king/queen dies or leaves the throne
Ramses II
Known as Ramses the Great; he ruled for 67 years, expanded Egypt by conquering vast territories, and built many temples and monuments; he created a peace treaty with the Hittites - the first peace treaty in history; he fathered over 100 children
Tunic
A loose, gown-like outfit commonly worn by both male and female Egyptians
Great Sphinx
Has the head of a man and the body of a lion; it rests in the desert, near the town of Giza; built as a home for the sun god, Ra, so he could protect the pharaohs buried in the tombs
Cat
First domesticated in Egypt; looked upon as sacred, partly because it killed the mice that ate people's rice
Cleopatra VII
Egypt's last pharaoh; a Greek; she took the throne at age 17; she shared the throne with her brother/husband Ptolemy; she tried to reestablish Egypt's independence but her involvements with Rome, Julius Caesar, and Marc Antony lead to Egypt's defeat and her own suicide
Akhenaton
Pharaoh who changed the Egyptian religion from polytheistic to monotheistic; wanted all to worship one god, Aton; was King Tut's Father-in-Law
King Tut
Took the throne at 9 years old; son-in-law of Akhenaton; restored the belief of many gods during his short reign; dies mysteriously at age 18; buried in the Valley of the Kings with his riches such as jewelry, robes, burial masks, and ivory statues; his tomb was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and its findings have helped people learn about Egypt's past; full name is Tutankhamun
Old Kingdom
2700 BC - 2200 BC.; the rival kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt were united by King Menes; great pyramids were built during this period
Middle Kingdom
2050 BC. - 1800 BC.; a new dynasty reunited Egypt; moved the capital to Thebes; built irrigation projects and canal between the Nile and Red Sea so Egyptian ships could trade along coasts of Arabian Penninsula and East Africa; expanded Egyptian territory
New Kingdom
1600 - 1100 BC.; Ancient Egypt became a strong power and built its empire; pyramid building was abandoned in favor of secret tombs that were not as obvious to tomb robbers; pharaohs directed their building projects towards temples and monuments to themselves
Upper Class Egyptians
Vizier, Priests, Military Officials, Doctors, Engineers, Architects
Middle Class Egyptians
Scribes, Merchants, Teachers, Soldiers, Artists, Craftsmen
Lower Class Egyptians/Peasants
Workers, Farmers, Builders, Servants
Bastet
Egyptian goddess and protector of cats, women, and children; the figure of a woman with a cat's head
Bes
All at once ugly yet jolly, this short, human-looking Egyptian god protected pregnant women, children, families, and home against evil
Horus
Falcon-headed Egyptian god known as a sky god; he lost his eye fighting Seth; he was believed to give power to the pharaohs
Isis
Egyptian goddess in the form of a human female; goddess of fertility, motherhood, and love; rules the Underworld with husband Osiris
Osiris
Egyptian god in the form of a man; brought back to life by wife Isis; god of the Underworld and judge of the dead
Ra
Falcon-headed Egyptian god of all creation; god of the sun; he died each night and was reborn each day
Seth
Egyptian god with a Greyhound-like body, he was the god of Chaos; and evil; he murdered his brother Osiris and plucked out Horus' eye
Thoth
Egyptian god with the ibis bird head, he was the god of wisdom and writing; thought to have invented writing, arithmetic, and the calendar
Sekhmet
Lion-headed Egyptian goddess of medicine and war
Maat
The Ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice; symbolized by a feather
polytheistic
Worshipping or believing in more than one god and goddess; most of Ancient Egyptian times were ruled by pharaohs who imposed polytheistic worship
Primary Sources
Original records of events as they are witnessed and first described without anyone else's interpretation (what they think it means) or analysis (taking it apart to find meaning). These items can be audio, images, objects, statistics, or text. Examples include letters, photographs, maps, printed material such as newspapers, video and sound recordings, and physical objects such as clothing, furniture, toys, or tools.
Secondary Sources
Resources that offer an analysis or explanation of original records. These sources use first-hand accounts to support a certain opinion or idea. Examples include textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, books, and articles.
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