Ancient Egypt Unit – Study Guide
Directions: The following questions and topics are taken from the Ancient Egypt Unit. They are all topics we
have learned about either by reading the book, reading article/handout, presentation or in class activities. If
you can answer the following questions and understand the topic you should do well on the Unit Test.
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Know the following Vocab words
o Vegetation, Nile River, Egypt, Kush, Mediterranean Sea, Pharaoh, Treaty, Social Pyramid, Social
Class, Status, Noble, Peasant, Scribe, Artisans, Priests, Afterlife, Hieroglyph.Hieroglyphics,
Meroe, Dynasty, Mummification, Natron, Sarcophagus, Sphinx.
Social Structure/Social Pyramid of Ancient Egypt (be able to fill out each level of social pyramid)
Know what the pyramids were, what they were used for and how they might have been built.
o Especially know the Pyramids at Giza
Know the following Pharaohs
o Ramses II, King Tut, Hatshepsut, Djoser, Snefuru, Khafre, Khufu
Know the following People
o Queen Nefertiti, Imhotep
Egyptian daily life
o How did each of the social groups live? What were there houses like? What did they do for
fun? Were they well respected? How much wealth would they have had?
Mummification Process
o Be able to identify and describe the mummification process steps
Be able to describe the geography and topography of Egypt
Why did the Egyptians settle along the Nile River?
How did the desert help the people of Egypt and Kush?
How did the yearly flooding of the Nile River affect the people of Egypt and Kush?
Useful vegetation along the Nile River included
Why is King Tut one of the most well- known pharaohs?
Why did the ancient Egyptians make mummies?
What was a major purpose for building the pyramids?
What is one characteristic for which Egypt’s Middle Kingdom is especially famous?
Which period is often called the Golden Age, a time when Egypt had reached the height of its power?
What was one method Khufu used to ensure that his power would be accepted?
Why did archaeologists reconstruct the White Chapel?
Hatshepsut was the first pharaoh who was
Answer the riddle below. I ruled Egypt for more than 60 years. I was a famous military leader. I had hundreds of
statues of me built - all over Egypt! Who was I?
Who signed the world’s first peace treaty?
Who built the giant temples of the pharaohs?
Which of these activities was permitted only to men?
 A. owning land
 B. running a business
 C. working as a scribe
 D. asking for a divorce
How did most government officials get their jobs?
What was an important duty of the vizier?
Which sentence best describes the role of women in religion?
 A. They were worshiped as gods.
 B. They could become priestesses.
 C. They ran all religious ceremonies.
 D. They were not allowed in temples.
What was in the sanctuary of a temple?
Why did Egyptians bury some bread and beer with their dead?
What was one of the few ways that a boy from a peasant family could rise to a higher social class?
Why did it take many years to become a scribe?
Skilled scribes wrote on papyrus, which was made from
How does the work of ancient Egyptian artisans help us learn today about life in ancient Egypt?
In the life of a peasant, which season came next after the flooding season?
Most peasants lived in
In what form did many farmers pay their taxes?
Kush was also called Nubia because of its
For what achievement is King Piye of Kush remembered?
How did Kush regain its independence from Egypt?
What technology enabled Assyria to defeat Kush?
Worship of a lion-god in Kush reflected which influence on Kushite culture?
How do records left by the Kushites after their separation from Egypt differ from earlier records of Kush?
ESSAY Questions:
Explain how and why the ancient Egyptians depended on the Nile River?
Explain why the ancient Egyptians mummified their dead and built elaborate tombs for them?