QUIZ 2

Nefertiti

Akhenaten's wife- second most powerful ruler in Egypt Referred to by historians as the most beautiful woman in history Some historians believed she may have ruled as Pharaoh following the death of her husband and succession of her son under a different name

Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. She was the second historically-confirmed female pharaoh, the first being Sobekneferu. Hatshepsut came to the throne of Egypt in 1478 and ruled until 1458 BCE. One of Hatshepsut's major achievements was expanding the trade routes of Ancient Egypt. Most notably was an expedition to the Land of Punt, which became a major trade partner supplying Egypt with gold, resin, wood, ivory, and wild animals.

Akhenaten

Ruled in the 18th dynasty from 1353-1336 BCE known for challenging the religion of ancient Egypt and building the city of Amarna Akhenaten changed the religion in Egypt to monotheism into of polytheism. He removed many of the old temples and built new ones. Many Egyptians and priests were not happy with this change In 1346 BCE, Akhenaten built a city to honor the god Aten called Armana, which became the capital city of Egypt Akhenaten also changed Egyptian art where instead of sculpting idealistic representations of people, artists sculpted more realistic depictions of people Akhenaten's religion did not remain after his death, and much of Egypt shifted back to polytheism

Khufu

Second Pharaoh of the 4th dynasty (2589-2566 BCE) called for the construction of the Great Pyramid of Giza, where he is buried Little is known about his political reign other than his commissioning of the Great Pyramid

Nile River

Upper: south Lower: North River flows south to north Flooded once a year and created a fertile land where Egyptians could plant crops to grow Egypt was a gift of the Nile

Stepped Pyramid

The Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara is the most famous of the stepped pyramids This pyramid was extremely complex as it contained many other houses or buildings for use around or within it. The actual burial place was deep below the ground and could only be reached through a series of intricate tunnels to discourage thieves from stealing

Pyramid

The pyramid was a central aspect of Egyptian culture- the first pyramids were known as mastabas, but they were easy to break into, which led to the design of the stepped pyramid, which contained an intricate maze of tunnels leading to the burial site. The Great Pyramid, with smooth edges as we know today, was built around 2500 BCE and was the most intricately designed. It represents stability and permanence

Pharaoh

'Pharaoh' is actually a Greek word that is based on an Egyptian word that meant 'great house'. When this word was first used, it referred to the palace of the king and its greatness, not just to the king himself. We use the word 'pharaoh' today to mean the ruler of ancient Egypt.

Hieroglyphics

A method of writing using pictorials, letters, and symbols that began as early as 3000 BCE The ancient Egyptians believed that writing was invented by the god Thoth and called their hieroglyphic script "mdju netjer" ("words of the gods"). The word hieroglyph comes from the Greek hieros (sacred) plus glypho (inscriptions) and was first used by Clement of Alexandria.

Hyksos

A people of mixed Semitic and Asian descent who invaded Egypt and settled in the Nile delta c. 1640 BC. They formed the 15th and 16th dynasties of Egypt and ruled a large part of the country until driven out c. 1532 BC. They are known for their creation and use of bronze tools and weapons

Nubia

An ancient region in northeastern Africa that extends from the Nile River valley to the shores of the Red Sea. It is typically divided into two regions- Southern, known as upper Nubia, and Northern, known as lower Nubia Nubia was known for its rich gold deposits and trade gateway for luxury products such as incense, ivory, and ebony. They were also known for their archery skills Existed throughout many dynasties and periods of Egyptian change- mentioned first in documentation for trade in 2500 BCE, but believed to be an established place long before that

Aten

Aten (1350 BCE) was the disc of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology, and was originally an aspect of the god Ra. The deified Aten was the focus of the religion of Atenism established by 18th Dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep IV, who later took the name Akhenaten

Menes/Narmer

Egyptian king during the Early Dynastic Period (3150-3100 BCE) Unifier of Egypt and founder of the First Dynasty Once believed to be two different kings, however, Narmer is the rulers actual name while Menes is a name meant to honor him The Narmer Palette- shows that Narmer may not have "peacefully" unified Egypt as legend has it

Djoser

First king of the third dynasty of Egypt (2670 BCE) Began building projects as soon as he took the throne, changed architecture The government was extremely stable under Djoser due in part to his ability to extend and secure borders Known especially for his stepped pyramid at Saqqara

Osiris

Osiris is the Egyptian Lord of the Underworld and Judge of the Dead, brother-husband to Isis, and one of the most important gods of ancient Egypt. The name `Osiris' is the Latinized form of the Egyptian Usir which is interpreted as 'powerful' or 'mighty'.

Old Kingdom Egypt

Period of time between 2770-2200 where Egypt had a strong central government The government was centralized under the third dynasty under the rule of Pharaoh Djoser Egypt was divided into "nomes" which were like states with a governor known as a "nomarch" The Pharaoh was seen and recognized as a god This period is also extremely well known for its pyramid building, specifically the First Pyramid, the Pyramid of Djoser, and the Great Pyramid of Giza This period was followed by the 1st Intermediate Period (2200-2050) which was full of chaos and political anarchy- civil war broke out

Bantu Migrations

The Bantu-speaking people migrated from Western Africa-- near modern-day Nigeria-- southward and eastward, spreading out across all of the southern half of the African continent. This migration started at about 1000 B.C.E., and ended at about 1700 A.D. Their realization that they could domesticate yams and bananas caused them to move and spread their knowledge all over Africa The migrations brought prosperity and unity to sub-Saharan Africa

Book of the Dead

The Book of the Dead is a series of written spells that the Ancient Egyptians believed helped them in the afterlife. It isn't one giant book, but is more of a bunch of individual chapters. The spells from the Book of the Dead were written on papyrus sheets or on the walls of the tomb. The book was used from the beginning of the New Kingdom period to around 50 BCE

Giza

The Giza pyramid complex, also called the Giza Necropolis, is the site on the Giza Plateau in Greater Cairo, Egypt that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Menkaure, along with their associated pyramid complexes and the Great Sphinx of Giza (2580-2560 BCE)

New Kingdom

The golden age of civilization- a time of wealth, prosperity, and power (1520-1075 BCE) The defeat of the Hyksos by Ahmose I united all of Egypt and ushered in the period of the New Kingdom. Massive temples to the gods were constructed during this period, and the city of Thebes served as the cultural center of the empire. Here, the Temple of luxor was built. Pharaohs also built massive temples to honor themselves The Valley of the Kings is archeologically important as kings for 500 years were buried here, including King Tut The New Kingdom ended with the invasion of Egypt by the Sea Peoples under the rule of Ramesses III. These wars caused famine, unrest, and corruption following the death of Ramesses III. The Third Intermediate Period ended the New Kingdom where Egypt was no longer unified and the Assyrians conquered much of Egypt around 650 BCE