A History of Ancient Egypt (STUDY GUIDE) JUDD

*What are the broad periods into which modern scholars generally divide Egyptian history?

Armchair, old kingdom, middle, new, and late.

The Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms were each followed by what kind of period?

intermediate period.

*The Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms are roughly equivalent to which three archaeological periods, respectively?

early. Middle and late bronze age

*According to early archaeological evidence, who was the first person to unite Egypt? At what time?

narmer in 3100 bce

*What city served as the capital for the Archaic Period and the Old Kingdom?

memphis

What does the term “pharaoh” mean?

great house. Ruler of empire and sumbolized the power of the egyptian dynasties

What is the concept of ma’at?

justice harmony, order and truth. Expectation the gods placed upon the pharaoh to rule with benevolence for divine protection and support of the gods. Pharoah tok care fo temple and performing offerings and people obeyed pharoah and worshiped the gods.

*What was the most important geographic feature of ancient Egypt? Why?

nile river. Yearly predictable flooding layer of fertile sily. Needed soil for agriculture, fish birds, reads, waterway for transport.

What geographic barriers protected Egypt from easy invasion?

desert, mediterranean sea, and cataracts.

*Most Egyptian deities were depicted with what type of features?

animal life features

Did Egyptians think their gods were zoomorphic?

no

*As long as the principles of ma’at were followed, the Egyptian deities were seen as what?

benevolent and caring

*Who was understood as a chief deity for much of Egyptian history?

Amun-Ra

During the Old Kingdom, the title “Son of Re” came to be used for whom?

pharaoh

*According to Egyptian myth, what happened with Seth, Osiris, and Isis? Osiris became a symbol of what?

seth killed and dismembered osiris and put him in the nile river. Osiris’s wife gathered his pieces and raised back to life. Symbol of resurrection and rebirth.

*According to Egyptian myth, what happened with Horus? Horus served as a symbol of what?

defeated set in battle, avenging his father’s murder. Divine kingship.

*Pyramids were originally constructed as what? …for whom? The first pyramids were what kind of pyramids?

tombs for pharaohs. Step pyramids.

*Inside the pyramids were chambers for what? Incantations & religious texts were inscribed on chamber walls for what purpose?

chambers for the pharaohs body and for items for the afterlife. Assisted deceased soul in its journey through the afterlife.

*What is the name of the largest of the famous pyramids of Giza? What other structures were built near the main pyramid?

Khufu. Smaller pyramids and tombs for pharoahs family, household, and admin. Mortuary temples and cemeteries nearby. Bakeries and other facilities supporting the workers during construction.

*What did the shape of the pyramid symbolically represent? The Sphinx seems to have served what purpose?

representing the rays of the sun breaking through a cloud towards earth. A guardian for the entire burial complex.

*During mummification, what did priests do with some internal organs which were removed? What are two reasons why Egyptians went through great effort to preserve the body?

placed in jars or put back in the body. 1. enjoyed present life and wanted to ensure it continued after death and 2. Body was the home for the soul and could help the soul in the afterlife.

*The Pyramid Texts are from what time period? What are the Pyramid Texts?

old kingdom time period. Assist the soul in its post-mortal journey. Spells and incantations.

*What does the word “hieroglyphs” mean?

sacred writings

What is a cartouche?

oval which contains hieroglyphs representing the name of a pharaoh.

*The Rosetta Stone was written in what three scripts?

egyptian hieroglyphs, egyptian demotic, and greek.

Francois Champollion used the Rosetta Stone to do what?

decipher the hieroglyphs by comparing them with the known demotic and greek scripts. To translate previously undeciphered egyptian texts.

*Why was papyrus a preferred writing material to stone, clay, and animal skins? How were papyrus sheets made?

less expensive. Presing together a horizontal and vertical layer of dreid strops of papyrus reeds.

*The weakening of the centralized power of the government at the end of the Old Kingdom led to a period of instability and decentralized rule known as what?

first intermediate period.

*King Mentuhotep reunited the kingdom and moved the capital to what location? This ushered in what time period?

from memphis to thebes in the middle kingdom era.

*How had pharaohs acted during the Old Kingdom? How did pharaohs consider themselves during the Middle Kingdom?

actings as inaccessible god-kings. Shepherds who were responsible for ethe peoples welfare.

*During what time period was Egypt considered for the first time an empire ruling over foreign peoples?

middle kingdom egypt.

*The Coffin Texts are from what time period? What are the Coffin Texts?

middle kingdom. Inscriptions provide the dead with spells incantations and instructions concerning what to do and say in order to naviage the dangers nad judgments on the ri afterlife journey.

*What does it mean to “democratize” something? (google it) How do the Coffin Texts demonstrate a paradigmatic shift in understanding about the afterlife?

to make something available to all people. Not only something that the pharaoh could achieve.

*During the Middle Kingdom what grew more important as social and economic institutions? What is one example of this (which reached the zenith of its importance during the New Kingdom)?

temples. Karnak temple near thebes

*During the Middle Kingdom, more and more sculptures appeared of whom? What does this possibly indicate about Egyptian society during the Middle Kingdom?

sculptures of women. Increased visibility and importance of women in egyptian society.

*The Middle Kingdom’s fall can be partly attributed to what difficulty? What are two examples of this (one in the south, one in the north)?

difficulty of rulign over conquered peoples.

*What does the word “Hyksos” mean? Who were the Hyksos? When did they arrive in Egypt?

rulers of foreign lands. Nonegyptians arrived in egypt around 1800 bc.

*What did the Hyksos gradually do in much of the northern region of Egypt? How long did they rule?

gradually ruled over much of the n region of egypt. For 100 years.

*The politically turbulent time of Hyksos takeover and rule is known as what time period?

2nd intermediate period or hyksos period (1640-1548 bc)

*What did the Egyptians adopt, which allowed them to reassert their dominion? This began what time period?

new military technologies. The new kingdom

*Who succeeded Thutmose II instead of his son Thutmose III? Because Egypt had no provisions for a female ruler, how do some statues depict Hatshepsut?

hatshepsut. As a man even with a royal beard. in the new kingdom.

*Which Pharaoh expanded the Egyptian empire to his greatest extent?

Thutmose III in the new kingdom.

What pharaoh successfully led his armies against a coalition of Canaanite city-states at Megiddo?

Thutmose III in the new kingdom.

*Near the end of his reign, what did Thutmose III do with the statues and reliefs of Hatshepsut? Presumably why?

destroyed them. Maybe out of anger for her taking his throne.

*Although Egyptians had been worshipping many gods for over a thousand years, what did Amenhotep IV proclaim?

worship one god. (New Kingdom)

What was Aten’s symbol?

sun disk from which rays radiate and end in hands holding the ankh.

What is the ankh a symbol of?

a symbol of life.

*To reflect this new religious emphasis (monotheism), what did Amenhotep IV change his name to? What does this name mean? What did he do with the temples dedicated to other gods?

Akhenaten, creative manifestation of Aten. shut doen the temples dedicated to other gods.

*Where did Akhenaten move the capital to?

akhentaten 2oo miles

Period of Akhenaten’s reign is often referred to as what time period?

Amarna period

What did Akhenaten’s successors attempt to do with respect to Akhenaten?

attmempted to erase his memory from history.

*Before the reign of Akhenaten, how were pharaohs depicted in art?

pharaohs similar to one another in highly stylized and idealist form. Proper proportions and physique, fit and masculine.

During the rule of Akhenaten, how were the pharaoh and royal family depicted?

naturally, long thin faces, pointed chins, round bellies.

*What was Nefertiti? Based on New Kingdom descriptions and statues, what has been celebrated concerning Nefertiti?

his sister and wife. Only one besides akhenaten to receive the blessing of life from aten. Beauty celebrated throughout history.

*Which pharaoh is credited with restoring the capital to Thebes and the worship of Amun-Re? Why is this pharaoh one of the most well-known?

tutankhamun. His tomb discovered intact in 1922.

*Who was possibly the pharaoh of the Israelite exodus from Egypt?

Ramesses II

*Which pharaoh met the Hittites in battle at Kadesh, fought to a stalemate, agreed to a peace treaty, and declared victory?

Ramesses II

*Which pharaoh led military campaigns against Canaanite city-states and inscribed his victories on a stele which contains the earliest reference to Israel as a people in Canaan?

Merenptah.

*Who were the Sea Peoples? Which pharaoh successfully repelled the Sea Peoples from Egypt?

various groups forced out of their homelands in other parts of the mediterranean and resettled in the lands they conquered. Ramesses III

*During the New Kingdom, the link between what two institutions strengthened? Therefore, what two types of people became powerful leaders during the New Kingdom?

military and religion strengthened. Priests and military leaders.

*Which of these two types of powerful leaders ultimately usurped the throne? This marked the end of what time period?

a general. The new kingdom.

*Where were many New Kingdom pharaohs buried? Where were many New Kingdom royal children, wives, & mothers buried?

valley of the kings. Valley of the queens.

*What is a pylon? During the New Kingdom, the Karnak Temple became the center for worship of whom?

gateway. Amun.

*What is the name of the most popular burial text buried with the dead during the New Kingdom? The most popular section of this text depicts what scene? Describe the elements of this scene.

Book of the Dead. judgement scene wiht scales of balance upon which the heart is measured against the feather of truth. Afterlife figures depicted. Anubis for guiding the soul to the afterlife. Osiris sat on his throne. Thoth the divine scribe recorded the result. Crocodiledog monster ammut stood nearby to devor a ailed heart. Other gods seated near as judges.

*Following Ramesses II, foreign peoples (culminating with Nubia) successfully rebelled against Egyptian rule, bringing about the end of the New Kingdom, and ushering in a new era of a political instability called what?

3rd intermediate period.