Ancient Egypt Lecture Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering ancient Egyptian geography, culture, religion, architecture, writing, and history based on lecture notes.

Itaru

The name ancient Egyptians actually used to refer to the Nile River, which literally translated to 'river'.

Lower Egypt

The northern region of Egypt encompassing the Nile Delta, where the river flows downhill to empty into the Mediterranean Sea.

Upper Egypt

The southern region of Egypt, located upstream along the Nile River.

Memphis

The ancient Egyptian city where the pharaoh or ruler lived.

Cultural homogeneity

A demographic condition where a population is generally composed of a single ethnicity and ancestral background with very few non-native residents.

Pharaoh

The absolute monarch and king of Egypt, who was viewed as a god in waiting and held complete control over the kingdom.

Dynasty

A genuinely connected, unbroken family line of rulers. Ancient Egypt had 31 separate dynasties throughout its history.

Dozier's Pyramid

One of the earliest step-style pyramids built in Egypt, constructed nearly 2,500 years before Julius Caesar.

Pyramids of Giza

The last surviving wonder of the ancient world, constructed from massive sandstone blocks to serve as royal tombs.

Sarcophagus

An exterior coffin designed to enclose and protect a wrapped mummy inside.

Canoptic jars

Specialized pottery containers used during the mummification process to store specific internal organs such as the liver, lungs, stomach, and kidneys/intestines.

Valley of the Kings

A secret burial site where pharaohs were entombed to prevent grave robbers from stealing their wealth and artifacts.

Hieroglyphics

The intricate, image-based and syllabic written language of ancient Egypt.

Rosetta Stone

A large stone featuring parallel texts in both hieroglyphics and Greek, discovered by Napoleon's expedition, which enabled scholars to translate ancient Egyptian writing.

Sea Peoples

A group of raiders from the Mediterranean Sea who frequently attacked Egypt, often considered one of the earliest examples of piracy in world history.

Theocracy

A system of government where political leadership and religious systems are merged together.