Ancient Egypt

Papyrus

A reed that grows along the banks of the Nile River in Egypt. From it was produced a coarse, paper-like writing medium. Used by the Egyptians and many other peoples in the ancient Mediterranean and Middle East.

Pyramid

A large, triangular stone monument, used in Egypt and Nubia as a burial place for the King.

The largest pyramids, erected during the Old Kingdom near Memphis with stone tools and compulsory labor, reflect the Egyptian belief that the proper and spectacular burial of the divine ruler would guarantee the continued prosperity of the land.

Pharaoh

A king of ancient Egypt, considered a god as well as a political and military leader.

Hieroglyphics

An ancient Egyptian writing system in which pictures were used to represent ideas and sounds

Re

The Sun God, Egyptians thought that the Pharaoh was a living son of his.

Isis

Egyptian goddess who appealed especially to women. She promised life after death to people who were faithful

Hatshepsut

A female ruler who was responsible for many trade expeditions sent out during the Middle Kingdom

Tutankhamen

A pharaoh, or king of Egypt, who lived about 1400 B.C. His reign was relatively unimportant, but the discovery of his unplundered tomb in the 1920s is numbered among the great archaeological discoveries of all time.

Nile River

The world's longest river, which flows northward through East Africa into the Mediterranean Sea

mummifying

The act of preserving the bodies of the dead; practiced in Egypt to preserve the body for enjoyment in the afterlife.