Ancient Egypt
152 flashcards by MentisLibrary
Three thousand years along the Nile: the dynasties, the pharaohs from Narmer to Cleopatra, the gods and the afterlife, pyramid building, mummification, and the hieroglyphs that stayed unreadable until the Rosetta Stone.
- Which river made Egyptian civilization possible?
- The Nile
- What was the Naqada culture?
- The predynastic culture of Upper Egypt whose pottery, burials and trade led directly to the unified state
- What did Egyptians use faience for?
- A glazed non-clay ceramic used for beads, amulets, tiles and figurines
- What were hieroglyphs?
- Egypt's formal writing system, using signs that could stand for sounds, ideas or categories
- Who was the Scorpion King?
- A late predynastic ruler known from a carved macehead showing him opening an irrigation canal
- What were Upper and Lower Egypt?
- Upper Egypt was the southern Nile valley and Lower Egypt the northern delta
- Which two crowns symbolized the unified kingdom?
- The white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown of Lower Egypt, combined as the pschent
- Who is traditionally credited with unifying Upper and Lower Egypt?
- Narmer, often identified with Menes
- What was a mastaba?
- A flat-roofed rectangular tomb with sloping sides, the earlier form of elite burial
- What was a nome?
- An administrative province of Egypt, governed by an official called a nomarch
- Who was Horus?
- The falcon-headed sky god, son of Osiris and Isis
- Who was Set?
- God of the desert, storms and disorder, and the murderer of Osiris
- What is the Narmer Palette?
- A carved ceremonial slate palette showing an early king smiting an enemy
- Where were the first pharaohs buried?
- At Abydos in Upper Egypt, in tomb complexes surrounded by subsidiary graves
- What is the significance of Memphis?
- The capital founded at the junction of Upper and Lower Egypt, controlling both
- Why do Egyptian figures look twisted?
- Each part is drawn from its most recognizable angle: head in profile, eye and shoulders frontal, legs in profile
- What was senet?
- A board game played on thirty squares, later understood as a journey through the afterlife
- Why did Egyptians wear kohl?
- As eye makeup that also cut sun glare and may have reduced eye infection
- What did Egyptians call their country?
- Kemet, meaning the black land
- What is hieratic script?
- A cursive form of hieroglyphs used for everyday writing on papyrus
- What is papyrus?
- A writing material made from the pith of the papyrus reed
- What was a scribe in ancient Egypt?
- A trained writer and administrator, one of the most respected non-royal careers
- What is a nilometer?
- A structure for measuring the height of the Nile flood
- What was the position of women in ancient Egypt?
- Women could own and inherit property, make contracts, testify in court and initiate divorce
- What was the significance of Nubia to Egypt?
- It was a neighbouring region to the south, a source of gold, ivory and troops, and at times a rival power
- What did ordinary Egyptians eat and drink?
- Bread and beer above all, with onions, fish, pulses and dates
- What was Egyptian blue?
- A synthetic calcium copper silicate pigment, the earliest known manufactured pigment
- Why did Egypt use the Nile as its highway?
- The current carries boats north and the prevailing wind pushes them south
- Who was Anubis?
- The jackal-headed god of embalming and the dead
- Who was Ptah?
- The creator god and patron of craftsmen, worshipped at Memphis