VOCABULARY OF ANCIENT EGYPT

TOMBa monument for

housing or honoring a dead person. -

house, chamber, or vault for the dead

TOMB

PHARAOHa ruler of

ancient Egypt, somewhat like

a king

PHARAOH

Hieroglyphics an Egyptian writing

system in which picture symbols

stand for meanings or sounds

HIEROGLYPHICS

SCRIBEan official or public

secretary or clerk. A copier of original pieces of writing

AMULET a charm (as an ornament) often

inscribed with a magic incantation or symbol to aid the wearer or protect

against evil

AMULET

Sarcophagus a stone coffin; usually decorated with jewels and detailed paintings

The mummy goes inside of it

Sarcophagus

Embalming to treat (a dead body) so as to protect from decay. to fill with sweet odors

Pyramids an ancient

Egyptian structure, built

over or around a tomb

PYRAMIDS

Scarabs a stone or ceramic beetle used in ancient Egypt as a talisman, ornament, and a symbol of resurrection

SCARAB

Barter to trade by

exchanging one commodity (item)

for another

Papyrus the stem of the papyrus plant especially when made into strips and pressed into

a material to write on

Ancient Egyptian Paper

PAPYRUS

Sphinx - a winged female monster in Greek mythology having a woman's head and a lion's body and noted for killing anyone unable to answer its riddle

SPHINX

Mummy a body prepared for burial according to ancient Egyptian practice

Preserved for the passage to the afterlife

MUMMY

Natron sodium carbonate used in

ancient times in embalming, in ceramic

pastes, and as a cleansing agent

Silt

fertile soil deposited by a

river

Delta the triangle-shaped deposit of rich soil at a

rivers mouth

DELTA

Dynastya family or group

that rules for several

generations

PolytheismThe belief in many different gods rather than believing in 1 god

Upper EgyptThe portion of Egypt that is in the South. The Nile River starts in Upper Egypt

Upper Egypt

Lower EgyptThe portion of Egypt in the North. The Nile ends in Lower Egypt when it empties out into the Mediterranean Sea

Lower Egypt

Rosetta StoneGiant stone written on with Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Egyptian Demotic Text, and Greek. This is how we learned to decipher (decode) the meaning of hieroglyphics

Rosetta Stone