Egypt

Sahara dessert

Sahara dessert

large desert in northern Africa. Nile River runs through it

Nile River

the longest river in the world, flowing through northeastern Africa and providing vital water resources to Egypt and Sudan.

Irrigation- (shadoof)

a traditional method used in Egypt to lift water from the Nile for agricultural purposes, utilizing a hand-operated device.

Calendar

The ancient Egyptians developed a calendar based on the lunar cycle, which helped them track the annual flooding of the Nile and plan agricultural activities. This calendar consisted of 12 months of 30 days each, with an additional 5 days added to align with the solar year.

Theocracy

A system of government in which priests or religious leaders rule in the name of a deity, often seen in ancient Egypt where pharaohs were considered divine.

Polytheistic

The belief and worship of multiple Gods the central aspect of Egyptian religion

Ruling class

The pharaoh, or the king, was at the very top of the Egyptian hierarchy. The most powerful person next to the pharaoh was the vizier, who was the top government advisor. The rest of the elite included the royal family, other government officials, and priests. Another important government role was the head treasurer.

Middle class

Skilled workers such as physicians and craftspersons made up the middle class. Craftspersons made and sold jewelry, pottery, papyrus products, tools, and other useful things. Naturally, there were people needed to buy goods from artisans and traders.

Lower class

At the bottom of the social structure were slaves and farmers. Slavery became the fate of those captured as prisoners of war. In addition to being forced to work on building projects, slaves toiled at the discretion of the pharaoh or nobles.

Hieroglyphics

hieroglyphic writing, system that employs characters in the form of pictures. Those individual signs, called hieroglyphs, may be read either as pictures, as symbols for objects, or as symbols for sounds.

Papyrus

uncountable noun. Papyrus is a tall water plant that grows in Africa. 2. uncountable noun. Papyrus is a type of paper made from papyrus stems that was used in ancient Egypt

Afterlife

Non-royal Egyptians believed in different types of afterlife, including eternal life lived in the tomb as a ka (soul), and an afterlife lived in the Field of Reeds, the kingdom of the god Osiris.

Mummification

The methods of embalming, or treating the dead body, that the ancient Egyptians used is called mummification. Using special processes, the Egyptians removed all moisture from the body, leaving only a dried form that would not easily decay

Canopic Jars

Canopic jars were made to contain the organs that were removed from the body in the process of mummification: the lungs, liver, intestines, and stomach. Each organ was protected by one of the Four Sons of Horus: lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines

Sarcophagus

a sarcophagus is a coffin or a container to hold a coffin. Most sarcophagi are made of stone and displayed above ground.

Great Pyramids of Giza

The pyramids of Giza were royal tombs built for three different pharaohs. The northernmost and oldest pyramid of the group was built for Khufu (Greek: Cheops), the second king of the 4th dynasty

Pyramids

Pyramids today stand as a reminder of the ancient Egyptian glorification of life after death, and in fact, the pyramids were built as monuments to house the tombs of the pharaohs

Sphinx of Giza

The Egyptians believed that the sphinx was a representation of their solar deity, Sun God, Horemakhet or Horus of the Horizon. Historical records from the New Kingdom show that in Egyptian culture the sphinx symbolized royalty and sacred status.