Nile River: Long river whose yearly flood made Egyptian farmland rich Delta: Fan-shaped land where the Nile meets the Mediterranean Sea Upper and Lower Egypt: The two regions joined as one kingdom around 3100 BCE Narmer: King traditionally credited with uniting Egypt Pharaoh: Ruler of ancient Egypt, seen as a god-king Dynasty: A line of rulers from the same family Old Kingdom: Period of the great pyramids, about 2686-2181 BCE Middle Kingdom: Period of reunified and strong rule, about 2055-1650 BCE New Kingdom: Period of Egypt's greatest power, about 1550-1070 BCE Pyramid: Huge stone tomb built for a pharaoh Great Pyramid of Giza: Built for Khufu; the tallest human-made structure for thousands of years Khufu: Pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid Sphinx: Giant statue with a lion's body and a human head at Giza Giza: Site near Cairo with the three famous pyramids Imhotep: Architect of the first step pyramid, later honored as a god of healing Step Pyramid of Djoser: Egypt's first large stone pyramid, at Saqqara Mummy: A preserved body wrapped in cloth Mummification: Process of drying and wrapping a body so it would last Embalmer: Priest who prepared a body for burial Canopic jars: Jars that held organs removed from a mummy Sarcophagus: Stone coffin Afterlife: Life believed to follow death Book of the Dead: Spells and prayers placed in tombs to guide the dead Valley of the Kings: Burial place of New Kingdom pharaohs near Luxor Tutankhamun: Boy pharaoh whose nearly untouched tomb was found in 1922 Howard Carter: British archaeologist who found Tutankhamun's tomb Hatshepsut: Female pharaoh who sent a famous trading expedition to Punt Ramses II: Pharaoh who ruled for 66 years and built many monuments Akhenaten: Pharaoh who promoted worship of one sun disk, Aten Nefertiti: Queen and wife of Akhenaten, known for a famous bust Cleopatra VII: Last active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt Ptolemaic Dynasty: Greek-speaking family that ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great Hieroglyphs: Egyptian picture writing Rosetta Stone: Slab with the same text in three scripts, which helped decode hieroglyphs Jean-Francois Champollion: French scholar who deciphered hieroglyphs in 1822 Papyrus: Paper-like writing material made from a river plant Scribe: Trained writer who recorded information Cartouche: Oval ring around a royal name in hieroglyphs Ra: Sun god, one of the most important Egyptian gods Osiris: God of the afterlife and rebirth Isis: Goddess of magic and motherhood Horus: Sky god shown as a falcon Anubis: Jackal-headed god of embalming Thoth: God of writing and wisdom Hathor: Goddess of music, joy and love Bastet: Cat goddess Amun: God who became the king of gods in the New Kingdom Ma'at: Goddess and idea of truth, balance and justice Temple of Karnak: Giant temple complex in Thebes Abu Simbel: Temples carved into a cliff by Ramses II Thebes: Important southern capital, now Luxor Memphis: Ancient capital near modern Cairo Obelisk: Tall four-sided stone pillar topped with a point Inundation: The Nile's yearly flood Silt: Fine, rich soil left behind by the flood Shaduf: Tool with a bucket on a pole used to lift water for fields Irrigation: Bringing water to crops by canals Emmer wheat: Ancient grain used to make bread Linen: Cloth made from flax, common in Egyptian clothing Kohl: Dark eye makeup that also helped reduce glare Senet: Popular Egyptian board game Cataracts of the Nile: Rocky rapids that made some stretches hard to sail Nubia: Land to Egypt's south, a trade partner and sometimes rival Kush: Powerful Nubian kingdom whose rulers once ruled Egypt Hyksos: Foreign rulers who controlled northern Egypt around 1650 BCE Chariot: Light two-wheeled cart pulled by horses, used in war Sea Peoples: Groups of raiders who troubled Mediterranean lands around 1200 BCE Alexander the Great: Conquered Egypt in 332 BCE Alexandria: City founded by Alexander; home of a famous library and lighthouse Pharos of Alexandria: Great lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders Roman conquest of Egypt: Egypt became part of the Roman Empire in 30 BCE Cat in Egypt: Cats were honored and protected Deben: Weight unit used in trading goods Barter: Trading goods without coins, as Egyptians often did Social pyramid: Pharaoh at the top, then nobles and priests, scribes, craftspeople, farmers Soldier: Army member; some became wealthy in the New Kingdom Peasant farmers: Most people; worked the land and helped build monuments in the flood season Pyramid workers: Paid, fed Egyptians who built the pyramids, not slaves as is commonly said Ankh: Symbol meaning life Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/world-ancient-egypt