Glossary

Book of the Dead

Definition: Book filled with stories and ideas for how to enjoy the afterlife. Egyptian people believed in an afterlife, and this book was written to help them get there and be ready when they did.

Hieroglyphs

Definition: Symbols that formed a language in ancient Egypt. Originally, a hieroglyph represented a concept or an idea, or a group of words. Eventually, one symbol stood for one letter or one sound. This progression later led to the development of an alphabet. Many hieroglyphs honored pharaohs and gods; others described ordinary life.

Mummy

Definition: Method of preserving pharaohs and other important Egyptians for the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians strongly believed in an afterlife, somewhere they would go after their life here on Earth. The body was preserved as a mummy to keep it ready for the journey into the afterlife. Many mummies were placed in pyramids; others were placed in tombs that were elsewhere.

Papyrus

Definition: Plant used to make many useful things, including a paper-like substance to write on. The Egyptians wrote on rolls of papyrus, using hieroglyphs and other forms of writing. The desert climate of Egypt has preserved many rolls of papyrus even to this today.

Shadoof

Definition: Device used to raise water from one level to another. Operated by hand, this device has a pole that looks like a seesaw. On one end of the pole is a bucket. On the other end is a weight. The Egyptians filled the bucket with water, then let go of the bucket. The weight on the other end would raise the bucket of water.

Pyramids

Definition: Huge, impressive structures that originally housed the bodies of the pharaohs who had them built. The most famous of the Pyramids are at Giza, which has the Great Pyramid. Other Pyramids can be found elsewhere in Egypt. The first pyramids were “Step Pyramids” because they looked like giant steps, or a series of smaller floors set on top of each other. During the Old Kingdom, the pharaohs decreed that the Pyramids would have smooth sides. These look like the ones we are most familiar with. One of the great unsolved mysteries is how the Egyptians got the large stones so high in the air to set on top of the Pyramids. Many people have theories (some of the links below illustrate these), but still no one knows for sure.

Nile River

Definition: Lifeblood of Egyptian civilization. This river gave the Egyptians water for their crops and for the lives as a whole. It flooded every year, roughly at the same time; and each time, it left rich, new soil for new crops. The Egyptians also used the Nile for trade, as trading boats traveled to and from Egypt.

Sphinx

Definition: Giant limestone statue near Giza, near the Pyramids. The sphinx was a legendary creature that was said to have asked a very difficult riddle: “What is it that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs at night?” The legend said that anyone who was asked the riddle but didn’t know the answer would be eaten by the big sphinx. Greek mythology says that Oedipus answered the riddle correctly: “Man, who crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two legs as an adult, and uses a cane (three legs) as an older person.” No one knows who had the sphinx built. Thousands of years of wind erosion have worn away much of the sphinx’s face, but much of its body remains.

Thebes

Definition: Ancient capital of Egypt, from about 2040 B.C. to 1353 B.C., when Akhenaton moved the capital to El-Amarna. It was the center of worship for the god Amen (Amon). Thebes is actually a Greek naming of Waset, the Egyptian name of the capital city.

Elephantine

Definition: City built on an island in the middle of the Nile and named for its unusual rock formations that resemble elephants. For a long time the southernmost city in Egypt, Elephantine was a center for trade between Egypt and Kush, another ancient African civilization.

Memphis

Definition: Important city in ancient Egypt. Memphis was home to many chariot factories, which helped the Egyptian war effort. Memphis was also the site of many huge statues to Ramses II.

El-Amarna

Definition: Named capital city of Egypt by Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV). It thrived as the new capital and lasted for years after the capital was moved again. Also known as Akhetaten.

Heliopolis

Definition: City in northeast Egypt, near Giza. The Egyptians called it Iunu. Heliopolis was the Greek name. This city was the center of the huge sun god cult. The sun god was Ra, or Aten.

Giza

Definition: Site of several large Old Kingdom Pyramids, including the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops). Giza was originally associated with Memphis, which was then the capital city of the Pharaohs. The Sphinx is also nearby.

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