Egypt Glossary

Anthropoid

human-shaped; some early coffins were described as anthropoidal-shaped

Anubis

Egyptian God of Embalming; said to be of human form with the head of a jackal

Canopic Jars

jars made of alabaster, limestone, basalt, clay and other materials used by the early Egyptians to store viscera of the deceased

Circle of Necessity

ancient Egyptian belief that the soul of the deceased would make a 3000 year journey and return to the body. Once reunited, the whole man would live with the gods. This belief created the need for embalming.

Hieroglyphics

a form of writing used in ancient Egypt; pictures and symbols are used to represent objects, concepts, or sounds

Natron

a combination of salts found in dry lake beds of the desert and used by early Egyptians in preparation of bodies; deceased were covered in this and dehydrated, thus preventing decay

Necropolis

literally means “city of the dead;” cemeteries located on the west bank of the Nile River, they included mortuary temples and residences of the mortuary workers

Osiris

Egyptian god of the underworld and judge of the dead

Pagan

a follower of a polytheistic religion

Sarcophagus

early Egyptians cut massive coffins from a single mass of stone to protect from grave robbers. Derivation of the term is from Greek ‘sarco’ for flesh and ‘phagus’ for eaters because when opened, bodies inside were found in a state of decay. Same term is applied today to massive copper and bronze caskets.