Ancient Egypt Vocabulary Test

Papyrus

A reed that grows along the banks of the Nile River. Still used to make paper, boats, woven into baskets and sandals.

The Great Sphinx

A statue in the shape of lion with the head of a human or ram. A sphinx was a symbol of royal power. Guards Khafra's tomb.

Cataracts

A waterfall with steep cliffs and large boulders. Makes traveling along the Nile difficult. There were six cataracts on the Nile in ancient Egypt.

Khufu

Also known as Cheops. Famous for building the the Great Pyramid at Giza (one of the seven wonders of the world) and is also buried there.

Menes

Also known as Narmer (some historians think) and was credited with uniting Upper & Lower Egypt. Became the first pharaoh and created the first dynasty.

Mummification

Ancient Egyptians believed they needed to preserve (embalm) their bodies for the afterlife. The body is embalmed and wrapped in strips of linen. Most internal organs (preserved in canopic jars) and brain were removed.

Thebes

Became the capital during the Middle Kingdom under King Mentuhotep.

Sarcophagus

Carved stone coffin that once held mummified remains. The gold sarcophagus of King Tut with painted face is probably the best known of the Egyptian sarcophagi.

The Book of the Dead

Collection of ancient Egyptian prayers & magic spells which were intended to protect the dead on their journey to the afterlife. Inscribed on the walls of tombs.

Hyksos

Foreign people who conquered Egypt about 1640 B.C. and ruled for about 100 years. They let the Egyptians continue with many of their customs but left behind some important technological advances, including the horse & chariot and the shaduf.

Horus

He was usually depicted as a falcon-headed man, protector of the pharaoh, god of the sky.

Osiris

Husband of Isis & god of the underworld or the world of the dead.

Delta

It is the triangular area of very fertile land which deposits soil at the mouth of the river (where the Nile River flows into the Mediterranean Sea.)

Canopic Jars

Jars used to hold internal organs & buried with the body.

Hatshepsut

Longest reigning female pharaoh of ancient Egypt; ruled for appx. 20 years. She reigned peaceably, building temples and monuments, promoted trade. Dressed in clothes of a male pharaoh, wore false beard.

Akhenaton

Married to Queen Nefertiti. Went again religious tradition by ordering priests to worship one god, Aton sun god, and remove other gods from temples.

Rosetta Stone

Named after the town in which it was found called Rosetta, on the Mediterranean coast in Egypt. Translated by Jean Francois Champollion. Three translations of a single passage written in hieroglyphic, Egyptian Demotic & Greek.

King Tutankhamun

Nicknamed the Boy King because he began his reign when he was only nine years old! His golden coffin was buried in a tomb in the Valley Of The Kings. His tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922 and was filled with priceless treasures.

shadouf

Still used in India, Egypt, and some other countries to irrigate land. It consists of a long, tapering, nearly horizontal pole mounted like a seesaw. A bucket is hung on a rope from the long end, and a counterweight is hung on the short end.

Hieroglyphics

The ancient Egyptian system of writing that used symbols to stand for objects, ideas, or sounds.

Lower Egypt

The area of ancient Egypt located in the northern delta where the river spreads out and empties into the Mediterranean Sea.

Upper Egypt

The southern portion of ancient Egypt. It is called Upper Egypt because the Nile River flows from south to north (Upper to Lower Egypt.)

Pharaoh

Title used by rulers of ancient Egypt. Originates from the Greek word meaning "great house."

Theocracy

occurred when the pharaohs claimed to rule on behalf of a god. In doing this, citizens would not run the risk of displeasing the gods.

Nilometer

used to predict flood levels