Essential Vocabulary - Egypt
1. Dynastic system or
DYNASTY
2. Nile River – below is
the Egyptian hieroglyph
for the Nile
3. Delta
(See picture of Nile Delta on
back)
4. Three seasons of the
Nile



5.
Flooding Season
Growing Season
Harvest Season
Silt
6. Pharoah
The Pharoah’s power was
passed down from
generation to generation.
A dynastic system is a “dynasty” or a system where a family or group
maintains power over a region for many generations. Ancient Egypt had a
dynastic system.
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa, generally
regarded as the longest river in the world. It consists of the White Nile and
the Blue Nile. The Nile River flows over several large waterfalls called
“cataracts”.
A river delta is a landform that forms at the mouth of a river, where the river
flows into an ocean, sea or other. Deltas form from sediment that is carried
by a river and then deposited . The largest groups of Egyptians settled the
Nile delta where silt carried by the Nile formed islands of rich, fertile soil.
The Three Seasons of the Nile allowed Egypt to develop a very advanced
civilization that allowed them to have a stable and reliable economy and
society.
Finely ground fertile soil that is good for growing crops. Land along rivers
have rich soil good for farming because of the deposits of silt. Annual
(yearly) flooding deposited silt from the rivers to the riverbanks.
The most powerful person in ancient Egypt was the Pharoah. The pharaoh
was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the
titles: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple'.
As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower
Egypt. He owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes, and defended
Egypt against foreigners.
As 'High Priest of Every Temple', the pharaoh represented the gods on Earth
and performed rituals and built temples to honor the gods.
NOTE: Egyptians, just like the Sumerians, believed their rulers were gods
and they had a polytheistic belief system , believing in many gods. The
Pharoahs only represented gods – they were not gods themselves.
7. Economics
A kind of “social science” that describes the production of goods and
services, the consumption of goods and services and how these goods and
services are distributed. Growth in economics contributes to the wealth of a
society.
8. Irrigation System
Irrigation is when water is applied to the land or soil in man-made ways.
Irrigation is used to assist in the growing of crops and maintaining
vegetation in dry areas ESPECIALLY during periods of no rainfall.
9. Heiroglyphs
The Egyptian's written language had thousands of symbols called
Hieroglyphs. They can still be found painted on the walls of buildings and
their interior walls of the pyramids. These symbols were often used to
record religious text and records on papyrus.
(see picture on back)
PAPYRUS
Papyrus is a material prepared in ancient Egypt from the stem of a water
plant. This material was used in sheets to write or paint on. Papyrus could
also be used for making rope, sandals, and boats
10. Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is a text written by a group of priests in Egypt to honor the
Egyptian pharaoh. The stone was carved in 196BC and found in a small village in the
Nile Delta called Rosetta (Rashid). It was found in 1799 by French Soldiers. It lists
all of the things that the pharaoh has done that are good for the priests and the
people of Egypt.
Many people worked on translating hieroglyphs over several hundred years.
However, the structure of the script was very difficult to work out.
After many years of studying the Rosetta Stone and other examples of ancient
Egyptian writing, Jean-François Champollion was able to translate the hieroglyphs in
1822.
11. Judaism
Judaism represents the first known monotheistic religion or belief in ONE
GOD. Judaism began about 4000 years ago with the Hebrew people in the
Middle East. Abraham, a Hebrew man, is considered the father of the Jewish
faith because he promoted the central idea of the Jewish faith: that there is
one God. At the time many people in the Middle East worshipped many
gods.
Moses is perhaps the most well known figure in Judaism. According to
belief, he was chosen to lead the Jews out of Egypt on their 40-year journey
through the desert to Israel.
The Jewish holy book (Torah) tells about the journey led by Moses and
includes Judaism's central beliefs and laws. Included in these laws are the
Ten Commandments and the holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
The Phoenicians created what is thought to be the first alphabet, using
symbols to represent phonic sounds. This alphabet evolved over time to
become the modern English alphabet used in America today. The
Phoenicians built the world's finest harbors to enhance trade over the
waterways.
A form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme
civil ruler. This can also be called “Theocracy”. You can also call this a
system of government by priests worshipping a divine ruler (God).
12. Moses
13. Torah
14. Phoenicians
15. Theocratic System or
THEOCRACY
16. Mummification
17. Obelisk
Mummification is the preservation of a body, either animal or human. The Egyptians
believed that there were six important aspects that made up a human being. Each
one of these elements played an important role in the well being of an individual.
Each was necessary to achieve rebirth into the afterlife.
The obelisk is a stone column with four sides thinning towards the upper part and
ending with a pointed, pyramidal top. The oldest obelisks are 4,000 years old, while
the "youngest" about 2,000. Most obelisks are made of red granite carved by
ancient Egyptians
Left:
images of the Nile
River Delta
and
Egyptian
Heiroglyphics