Name ____________________________
Date ______________
Pd _________
Ancient Egypt Study Guide
Define the following terms:
Delta- a triangular shaped area of fertile soil that forms at the end of the river near the Mediterranean
Sea
Papyrus- reed plants used for many things like paper and sandals
Nilometer- measuring device used to help predict the height of the coming flood water of the Nile
River
Shaduf- device that raised the water from the river into irrigation channels
Inundation- Season of Flooding “Shait” when not much farm work is done and other jobs like building
projects for the pharaoh, travel and trade and marking of the Nilometer were done
Cataract- rocky, waterfall areas in the Nile that made navigating the river difficult
Vizier- highest government official who supervised the running of the country
Overseer- assisted the Vizier by being responsible for one particular part of government (flood
control, commander of armed forces, keeper of granaries)
Nomarch- controlled their home nome (city) much like a governor of today
Rosetta Stone- An artifact (stone) with three languages that was discovered to help crack the code
of hieroglyphics
Cartouche- loop (oval) used to surround king’s names in ancient Egypt
Papyrus- reed plants used for many things like paper and sandals
Match each pharaoh to his/her description:
__D___ Akhenaten
A. A young ruler who returned religion to polytheism
__A___ King Tut
B. A woman ruler who kept peace in her empire
__E___ Cleopatra
C. Established the first treaty with the Hittites
__B___ Hatshepsut
D. Forced everyone to worship only one god
__C___ Ramses
E. Became involved in conflicts with Rome
Describe the role of each god in the ancient Egyptian religion:
Osiris- god of the underworld (god of the dead)
Isis- represented love, caring, and protection in life after death
Amon-Re- sun god
Answer the following questions:
Why did ancient Egyptians preserve their bodies after death?
Ancient Egyptians preserved their bodies so that their spirits would recognize its body and
use it as a home in the afterlife.
How was the mummification process different for wealthy and poor?
● Poor people were buried in the desert and sand preserved the body
● Wealthy people were mummified
Why was the Rosetta Stone an important artifact to historians?
It helped to crack the code of Heiroglyphics and allowed historians to understand more about
ancient Egypt
What two men helped to translate hieroglyphics?
Jean-Fracois Champollion and Thomas Young
What two countries have held possession of the Rosetta Stone?
France and England
Why was the star Sirius so important to the ancient Egyptians?
The star came up when the Nile was going to flood which allowed them to plan their planting
How did the Egyptians become so advanced in medicine and anatomy?
Due to the mummification process of opening the body and taking out the organs they began
to understand how the body worked
Why did the Egyptians use papyrus as writing material instead of clay tablets?
Papyrus was easier to transport and it was easier than pressing into hard wet clay. It also
lasted longer.
Fill in the Social Pyramid of Egypt below: