Osiris
Egyptian god of the underworld and judge of the dead
Anubis
Egyptian God of embalming and protector of the dead
The Nile River
This body of water was depended upon by the Ancient Egyptians for water, fertile soil, transportation, and farming.
Giza
An ancient city capital of Upper Egypt; site of the Great Pyramid
Upper Egypt
Located in southern Egypt at a higher elevation point; the nile river flows north and empties into the Mediterranean Sea
Lower Egypt
Located in northern Egypt at a lower elevation point; the nile river flows north and empties into the Mediterranean Sea
Delta
the place at the mouth of a river where it splits into several streams to form an area shaped like a triangle
Cataract
a large waterfall or area of rapids in a river; any strong flood or rush of water
Thutmose III
Stepson of pharoah Hatshepsut; considered to be the greatest king of the New Kingdom; reigned from 1479 to 1426 B.C.E.
King Tutankhamun (King Tut)
King of Ancient Egypt; his tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in November of 1922
Howard Carter
Archaeologist that discovered King Tut's tomb in November of 1922; we read a story in class about the curse that some people believe this man suffered from entering Tut's tomb
Ra or Amon-Ra
Ancient Egyptian sun god; The Egyptian god, Ammon Ra is the main god,or the sun god in Egyptian religion. He defeats Set the god of darkness and storms, every night to become the sun and bring the day to earth.
Horus
Egyptian falcon-headed solar god; god of the sky
Book of the Dead
Collection of Ancient Egyptian religious spells which were thought to be helpful to the deceased in the afterlife; it has never actually been found
Jean Francois Champollion
Frenchman and Egyptologist who studied the Rosetta Stone and in 1821 became the first person to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics (1790-1832)
Menes
Founder of the first Egyptian dynasty; united the kingdoms of lower and upper Egypt and founded the capital of Memphis
Hatshepsut
The first female pharaoh of Egypt; achieved great economic sucess; Queen of Egypt (1473-1458 B.C.E.).
Afterlife
the next life, in which the dead are believed to live again
Pyramids
monumental architecture typical of Old Kingdom Egypt; used as burial sites for pharaohs.
Papyrus
ancient Egyptian paper made from the reeds of plants found along the nile river
Mummification
a process of embalming and drying corpses to prevent them from decaying; the Egyptians believed that this process was very important because in the afterlife the body was going to resurect and reunite with the soul
Rosetta Stone
Huge black stone that contained carved messages in hieroglyphics, Greek and demotic. Led to deciphering of hieroglyphics.
The Great Sphinx
statue protecting the pyramid of Khafre depicted with the head of the king and the body of a lion
Dynasty
a sequence of powerful leaders in the same family
Regent
someone who rules for another ruler temporarily
Scarab Beetle
A dung beetle. Lays its eggs in animal dung then forms the dung into a ball and rolls it around with its pinchers until the eggs hatch. Because the eggs seemed to hatch out of nothing the Egyptians used the beetle as a symbol of regeneration and new life
Hieroglyphics
an ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sounds
Silt
a mixture of tiny bits of soil and rock carried and deposited by a river which then provided fertile soil for farming
Pharaoh
the title of the ancient Egyptian kings
Canopic Jars
Vessels in which the ancient Egyptians preserved the internal organs of a deceased person usually for burial with the mummy.
Isis
Egyptian goddess of fertility and magic; wife of Osiris
Weighing of the Heart Ceremony
Egyptians believed that this took place after someone died; a person's life and character would be judged in this process
bountiful
abundant
Mummify
to preserve a body for the afterlife
Imhotep
an Egyptian architect, physician, and builder of the very first step pyramid; in the movies Hollywood made him into an evil priest that comes back to life to haunt human beings
plunder
to rob or steal
Natron
Chemical used in mummification; helps dry out the body for preservation
Set or Seth
one of ancient Egypt's earliest gods, a god of chaos, warfare; confusion, storms, wind, the desert and foreign lands
Apep
the ancient spirit of evil and destruction who dwelled in eternal darkness; usually appeared as a snake or a crocodile snake combination; every day he would attempt to devour the Sun Boat of Ra as it sailed the heavens
Ammit
Pagan god which is part hippo part alligator and part lion; eats the soul (heart) of those who fail the weighing of the heart ceremony
Fertile
capable of producing / soil that can grow crops
Irrigation
supplying dry land with water by means of ditches etc