Egypt

Cairo

Nile River

Cataracts

The Cataracts of the Nile are shallow lengths (or whitewater rapids) of the Nile river, between Khartoum and Aswan

Champollion

French philologist and orientalist, known primarily as the decipherer of Egyptian hieroglyphs and a founding figure in the field of Egyptology.

Herodotus

traveled to Egypt and wrote about its history, religion, and customs

Hyksos

The Hyksos were a Semitic dynasty that ruled parts of Egypt from about 1638-1530 BCE. They were a small group of West Asian rulers who came to power in Egypt, likely through an internal takeover.

Libya

Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east.

mastaba: mudbrick tomb

a type of ancient Egyptian tomb, a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, often constructed of mudbricks or limestone, that served as the burial site for important Egyptians during the Early Dynastic Period and Old Kingdom

Narmer's Palette

a ceremonial object from ancient Egypt, is believed to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under King Narmer and features some of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever found

Nile River

The Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

nomarch

provincial ruler. They were local rulers who were responsible for managing resources, collecting taxes, and maintaining order.

nome

province

Nubia

Nubia Nubia is a region along the Nile river encompassing the confluence of the Blue and White Niles, and the area between the first cataract of the Nile or more strictly, Al Dabbah

Papyrus

was a writing material made from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus

Petrie, Sir Flinders

is considered the "father of scientific archaeology" for his pioneering work in Egypt, including developing a chronology of Ancient Egypt and introducing rigorous archaeological techniques.

Sinai Desert

Egypt's Sinai Peninsula is a sparsely populated desert region between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea

Abydos

one of the oldest cities of ancient Egypt, and also of the eighth nome in Upper Egypt.

Buto

site located in Nile Delta to control trade routes

Amarna

the ancient Egyptian city of Akhetaten, was the capital during the reign of Akhenaten (1353-1336 BCE), a period marked by religious and artistic revolution centered on the worship of the Aten, the sun's disk

Dahshur

Dahshur is an ancient Egyptian pyramid complex and necropolis and shares the name of the nearby village of Manshiyyat Dahshur in markaz Badrashin, Giza

Giza

Giza is an Egyptian city on the west bank of the Nile, near Cairo. The Giza Plateau is home to iconic Egyptian monuments, including 3 tall pyramids and sphynx

Hierakonpolis (city of the hawk)

a major site for the study of Egypt's predynastic and early dynastic periods

Karnak

a vast, ancient temple complex in Luxor, Egypt, dedicated to the Theban Triad (Amun, Mut, and Khonsu), and considered the largest religious site in the world

Luxor

A large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the Nile River in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes)

Maadi

just south of modern Cairo, a site excavated during the first half of the 20th century forms second "type site" for Predynastic "Buto-Maadi" culture. Maadi displays considerable connections with contemporary cultures of southern Levant

Memphis

The capital of Old Kingdom Egypt, near the head of the Nile Delta. Early rulers were interred in the nearby pyramids.

Naqqada

is an archaeological culture of Chalcolithic Predynastic Egypt

Saqqara

Cemetary near Memphis where important officials were buried in mastaba tombs, the predecessors of the pyramids. The earliest pyramid, the Third Dynasty step-pyramid of Djoser, essentially several successively smaller mastabas stacked one upon the other, is at Saqqara.

Thebes

Capital city of Egypt and home of the ruling dynasties during the Middle and New Kingdoms. Amon, patron deity of Thebes, became one of the chief gods of Egypt. Monarchs were buried across the river in the Valley of the Kings. (p. 43)

Scorpion (archaic)

They used the scorpion as a king's name, a name of a nome (county), and a symbol to their goddess, Serqet, that protects the body and the viscera of the dead, and that accompanies them in their journey to the afterlife.

Narmer/Menes (archaic)

Menes was a pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt, credited by classical tradition with having united Upper and Lower Egypt, and as the founder of the First Dynasty.

Djoser (Zoser) (Old Kingdom)

Djoser (also known as Zoser or Netjerikhet), a pharaoh of the Third Dynasty during the Old Kingdom (c. 2650 BCE), is renowned for commissioning the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, the earliest colossal stone building in ancient Egypt, and for his reign's stability and prosperity.

Cheops/Khufu (Old Kingdom)

Khufu, also known as Cheops in Greek, was the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom period (c. 2589 - c. 2566 BC) and is renowned for commissioning the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Kephren (Old Kingdom)

Khafre, also known as Chephren, was a pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty during the Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2558-2532 BC), famous for commissioning the second largest pyramid at Giza and the Great Sphinx.

Mentuhotpe I or II (2061-2010) (Middle Kingdom)

Mentuhotep II, the pharaoh who reigned from roughly 2061 to 2010 BCE, is credited with reuniting Egypt and ushering in the Middle Kingdom era after the First Intermediate Period.

Amenemhet (Middle Kingdom)

was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the first king of the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom.

Senwosret (Middle Kingdom)

several pharaohs named Senwosret (also spelled Senusret) ruled, notably Senwosret I and Senwosret III, who were known for their military campaigns, expansion of territory, and centralized rule.

Nefrusobek (Middle Kingdom)

is the first queen of Egypt that can be verified to actually have ruled as a pharaoh.

Ahmose (New Kingdom)

During his reign, Ahmose completed the conquest and expulsion of the Hyksos from the Nile Delta, restored Theban rule over the whole of Egypt and successfully reasserted Egyptian power in its formerly subject territories of Nubia and Canaan

Thutmosis (New Kingdom)

expanded Egypt's borders to their furthest extent, conquering more land than any pharaoh before or after him

Akhenaten (New Kingdom)

Akhenaten became best known to modern scholars for the new religion he created that centered on the Aten

Nefertiti (New Kingdom)

The most powerful woman in Egypt since the Pharaoh Hatshepsut 100 years earlier, Queen Nefertiti was as influential as she was beautiful, a partner in power with her king, Akenhaten. Although Nefertiti was not born of royal blood, she had grown up close to the royal family

Tutankhamen (New Kingdom)

is famous for his nearly intact tomb discovered in 1922, which provided insights into ancient Egyptian art and funerary practices.

Ramesses (New Kingdom)

During the New Kingdom of Egypt (c. 1550-1070 BCE), a period of great power and prosperity, several pharaohs named Ramesses, most notably Ramesses II, ruled, leaving behind a legacy of monumental architecture, military campaigns, and cultural achievements.

Amun

patron god of Thebes

Anubis

jackal god; mummification

Aten

Disk of the sun god

Horus

Hawk God

Imhotep

defied official of Djoser, patron of scribes

Isis

Egyptian goddess of fertility, wife of Osiris

Osiris

ruler of the netherworld

Ptah

patron god of Memphis (crafting city), described as a craftsman god. Ptah is said to have made everything through heart (mind) and tongue (speech), including Atum and the rest of the Ennead

Ra

Sun God

Seth

god of chaos

Hieroglyphs

"sacred carvings", used for monumental and ornamental inscriptions

cursive hieroglyphs

religious texts, found, e.g., in the Book of Kemyt

hieratic

normal cursive, everyday purposes

demotic

cursive style of the north after 700 bce, all of Egypt after 600