The A,B,C’s of Ancient Egypt

By: Mackenzie Michals

Amulet:Good luck charms worn by the

ancient Egyptian peopleA•These Charms were also put on mummies before burial

•Amulets varied in color and size

•Each amulet shape has a different meaning, and brings different luck

Book of the Dead:The book that gave the mummy

spells and help to reach the afterlife

B•Written on papyrus (Egyptian Paper)

•Put into the coffin with the mummy so he or she could pass through to the afterlife

Cartonnage:

The layers of hardened fabric used to cover the mummyC

•These layers were hardened using a glue like substance called stucco or plaster

•These layers could then be painted with different colors and symbols

Embalming:

The steps taken to preserve the body for mummification

E•The people would prepare the body and then wrap it in fabric

•This process was very sacred to the Egyptian people

Hieroglyphics:

The written language of the Ancient EgyptiansH

•Hieroglyphics are considered a “pictographic” writing

•It is said that at any one time the number of hieroglyphic symbols was about 700

Ibu:The place where the person

was taken after they had died

I• This was considered a ‘place of purification’

• This is where the body was cleansed before they started the embalming process

• According to history, the structure of this building was usually a tent

Mourners

People who would cry and weep for the dead M

• This was an important tradition of the Egyptian burial ceremony

• For the rich and the Kings sometimes the mourners would be hired

• During the funeral ceremony the mourners were often accompanied by dancers, musicians, and priests

Pyramid:

The tombs for the burial of the Kings and some Queens

•Another word for the pyramids is “mer”

P•In order to build a single pyramid it took a very large number of workers

•There are over 100 pyramids that have been discovered

Sarcophagus:

The hard coffin in which a mummy was buried inS

•These coffins could be made out of several different materials

•During the different periods of Egyptian history the forms of these coffins changed in their shape and decoration

Tombs:

The places where Egyptians were buried T

•The kings tombs were pyramids, but those who were not royalty were buried in the sides of hills

•The tombs of the common people either had one room or several rooms

•The word tomb can be used to describe several different types of burial sites

Ushabti:

Small figures placed in the tomb with the mummy

•These small figures were considered “servants” to the mummy during the afterlife

•These figures were made out of various materials

•The ushabti are among the most commonly found artifacts from the ancient Egyptians

U

Weighing of the heart:

The ceremony where the mummy is to be judged for his or her life

•The way this ceremony is usually shown is through pictures and hieroglyphics

•During this ceremony the mummy was to stand before Osiris to face judgment

•Only those people whose soul is lighter than the feather of truth could enter the next life

W

Ancient Egypt and the

rituals of the Dead

•As we can see from this vocabulary the Ancient Egyptians placed high value on burial and the afterlife

•They focused on:•How the rituals were performed•Why they were sacred •The importance of being prepared for the afterlife

Bibliography• Slide 1 and 14 Image: by delphaber- CC Artibution

– http://www.flickr.com/photos/delphaber/3994606240/sizes/m/• Slides 2-14 Image: by pareeerica- CC Artibution

– http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/2713656310/• Slides 2-14 Vocabulary words and Definitions:

– http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:0-hOFj-yhm8J:www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/history/egypt/museum/AncientEgyptianVocabulary.pdf+ancient+egypt+vocab&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

• Slide 2 Image: by kotomigd- CC Artibution– http://www.flickr.com/photos/kotomi-jewelry/2355278096/

• Slide 2 Supplementary Info: – http://www.cedarseed.com/air/egyptamulets.html

• Slide 3 image: by soham_pablo- CC Artibution– http://www.flickr.com/photos/soham_pablo/313836701/sizes/m/

Bibliography• Slide 4 image: by KaDeWeGirl- CC Artibution

– http://www.flickr.com/photos/kadewegirl/3307057069/sizes/m/• Slide 4 supplementary info:

– http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/burialcustoms/cartonnage.html• Slide 5 supplementary info:

– http://www.egyptologyonline.com/mummification.htm• Slide 6 image: by pareeerica- CC Artibution

– http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/2834148005/sizes/m/• Slide 6 supplementary info:

– http://www.egyptologyonline.com/hieroglyphs.htm– http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/history-of-hieroglyphics.html

• Slide 7 supplementary info: – http://www2.sptimes.com/Egypt/EgyptCredit.4.3.html

• Slide 8 supplementary info:– http://australianmuseum.net.au/Funerals-in-ancient-Egypt

Bibliography

• Slide 9 Image: by Andrew®- CC Artibution– http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldenpond/4245721502/sizes/l/

• Slide 9 supplementary info:– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/explore/builders.html

• Slide 11 supplementary info:– http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/egypt/tombhistory/

• Slide 11 image: by Son of Groucho- CC Artibution– http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonofgroucho/912501463/sizes/l/

• Slide 12 supplementary info: – http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/religion/ushabti.htm#rem1