Ancient Egypt Study Guide

The Gift of the Nile

The gift of the Nile was Egypt

Length of the Nile

4,132 miles long

Nile as Transportation

A reliable source of transportation between Upper and Lower Egypt

Upper Nile

The river area in the south, and its elevation is higher

Lower Nile

To the North and is near the sea

Cataract

A point where the river starts to fan out

Narmer

The king of Egypt that was responsible for unifying Upper and Lower Egypt

Unification of Egypt

3000 B.C.

Pharaohs

A king of ancient Egypt, that was also considered a god

Theocracy

Type of government where rule is based on religious authority

Pyramids

A massive structure with a rectangular base and four triangular sides, a burial place for dead pharaohs

Great Pyramid of Giza

The largest Egyptian pyramid, made with limestone

2 million limestone blocks

The blocks were stacked in precision to create the Great Pyramid of Giza

Re

The sun god

Osiris

The god of the dead

Isis

Most important goddess, represented the most ideal wife and mother

Egyptian Total Gods

More than 2,000 Gods and Goddesses

Egyptian Afterlife

Belief in life after death

Judgment of Life

Egyptians believed they would be judged for their deeds when they died

Anubis

The go and guide to the underworld

Devourer of Souls

The Devourer of Souls would pounce on and gobble up any person's heart that exceeded the scale

Mummification

The process of embalming and drying corpses to prevent them from decaying

Book of the Dead

A collection of texts like: hymns, prayers, and magic spells that will help guide a person into the afterlife

King Tut

Known for his famous death mask that covered his head

King Tut's Tomb

King Tut's tomb was the last one made of gold and he was one of the first ever perfectly preserved mummies

Tomb Raiders

People who would rob things from out of the tomb

Egyptian Society

5 levels: Kings and Queens, Upper Class, Middle Class, Lower Class, and Slaves

Royalty

The king and the queen at the top of society

Upper Class

Wealthy landowners, government officials, priests, and army commanders

Middle Class

Merchants and Artisans

Lower Class

Peasant farmers and laborers

Slaves

Captives from foreign wars

Role of Slaves

To serve their owners , without pay

Role of Women

Almost as equal of rights as men

Hieroglyphics

An ancient Egyptian writing system where pictures represent ideas and sounds

Rosetta Stone

A black polished stone with a message in 3 languages, Hieroglyphics, a local language, and Greek

Papyrus

Paper from reeds near the Nile

Science and Technology

The calendar, it told them when to expect the floods, it kept track of time. Written number and geometry

Hyksos

A group of invaders from Southwest Asia who ruled Egypt

Red Sea

A sea stretching from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean

Mediterranean Sea

Was used for transportation for merchants and travelers, also used for trade

Isthmus of Suez

Linked to the Mediterranean and Red seas

Desert

Provided barriers for protection to the Egypt Kingdom, or so they thought

Queen Ahhotep

Helped to drive out the Hyksos, she overtook the throne after her husband died

King Kamose

The next pharaoh after Queen Ahhotep, he won great victory over the Hyksos

Role of Israelites

The remaining Israelites after the Hyksos were defeated, stayed in Egypt and were forced into slavery

New Kingdom

When the Hyksos were overthrown

Hatshepsut

One of the rulers of the New Kingdom, unique

Thutmose III

Hatshepsut's stepson

Nubia

A region of Africa that straddled the upper Nile river

Hittites

A group that had moved into Asia Minor

Ramses II

The pharaoh and Hittite King

Amon-Re

Egypt's Chief God

"Sea Peoples'

The attackers of the Egyptian empire and the Hittite Kingdom

Judaism

A monotheistic religion, the belief in one god

Promised Land

Canaan was promised to the Israelites

Torah

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible

Abraham

The "father" of the Jewish people

Monotheism

The belief in one god

Covenant

Mutual promise between two people

Moses

The man who led the Israelites out of slavery

Exodus

The event when the Israelites fled Egypt, Passover, Moses was the Exodus

"Let My People Go"

Moses said that as he lead the Israelites out of slavery

Mount Sinai

The mountain Moses went to pray on and came back down the the Ten Commandments

10 Commandments

A code of moral laws, given to Moses by God

The Arc

Where the Torah is kept in a Synagogue

New Covenant

The ten commandments, God promised to protect the Israelites and they promised to keep God's commandments

Mosaic Law

The Laws of Moses, the Torah

Israel

The new kingdom

Judah

An Israelite kingdom in Canaan

Tribute

A payment made from a lower power to a higher power for protection

Saul

The first of three kings

David

The second king, Saul's son in law

Solomon

The last king of the three and he was the son of David

Babylonian Captivity

Also called Babylonian exile, where the Jews were held captive

The boy who died at 14

Saul

David

Solomon