TIME LINE for the Ancient Egyptian civilisation.
This sophisticated civilization lasted for a very long time! Archaeologists think it lasted for about 3000 years.
Starting around 3000 BC the time is divided up into three main periods,
i.e. the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom.
Times before 3150 BC are referred to as Pre-dynastic times,
i.e. before the important Dynasties (families) really became established.
Times after 713 BC are known as the Late Period,
This was closely followed by the Graeco-Roman Period when first the Greeks and then the Romans controlled Egypt,
from 30BC until 359AD.
Pre –
InterOld
Dynastic mediate Kingdom
InterMiddle
mediate Kingdom
InterNew
mediate Kingdom
Sand
mummies
buried in
the
desert.
Pyramids at Giza
and the Sphinx
were built during
this period.
Egypt conquered
Nubia, and
became a strong
trading power
during this
period.
Tutankhamun
and Rameses II
reigned
during this
period.
-3150BC
2613-2160BC
2040-1750BC
1550-1070BC
N.B. Discrepancies remain over the exact dates of the various periods, depending on the sources consulted.
These dates represent the most typical.
Intermediate
Late
Period
Mummy of
Shepenmut
made in
Thebes
c 870BC
Alexander
The Great
and later
Cleopatra
Ruled.
713-30BC
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GLOSSARY
Amulet
A small charm, believed to have magical powers. They were worn as jewellery or wrapped in the
bandages of mummies to protect its wearer from evil.
Afterlife
A place that the Ancient Egyptians believed the soul of a person would go to, after their body had
died, in order to live on forever in a second life.
Archaeologist
A person who responsibly excavates records and studies ancient ruins and remains.
Book of the Dead
A book of about 200 spells and prayers to help the dead person in the Afterlife.
Canopic Jar
A container that held the preserved internal organs (stomach, liver, intestines and lungs) of a dead
person. These jars had special lids that were carved to look either like human heads or like the
heads of the Four Sons of the god Horus – falcon, baboon, jackal and human.
Chamber
A small room, as found in a pyramid or tomb.
Crook and flail
Symbols of the god Osiris, often shown held in his hands. Also used by pharaohs, and frequently
painted on royal mummy cases.
Egyptology
The study of everything connected with Ancient Egypt.
Embalmer
A person involved in the treatment and preservation of dead bodies before burial so that they do
not rot away.
Faience
A type of pottery made from or glazed with a mix of powdered quartz in various shades of blue and
green.
Hieroglyphs
A type of writing used in Ancient Egypt that was made up of tiny pictures and symbols. The term
comes from a Greek word and means ‘sacred writing’. It was used in temples, tombs, statues and
on papyrus.
Jackal
A wild dog found living in Africa and Asia, many of which were common in Egypt in ancient times.
Ka
The soul or spirit of a person that the Egyptians believed could live on after the body had died.
Mummy
A preserved body, made either by natural processes (extreme cold or dry heat) or deliberately by
humans. The term comes from an Arabic word ‘mummiya’ meaning bitumen or pitch, once thought
to have been used to help preserve bodies.
Natron
A natural mineral salt, found in ancient Egypt in dried up lakebeds, used to dry out the body in the
mummification process.
Necropolis
An area where dead bodies were embalmed and buried usually found on the west bank of the
River Nile. From a Greek word meaning ‘city of the dead’.
Opening the Mouth
A special ceremony during the ancient Egyptian burial service that involved touching the mummy
with a special tool to symbolically open the mouth, in order that the mummy could breath and talk
and walk again in the Afterlife.
Pharaoh
A king or ruler of Ancient Egypt.
Pyramid
A large, square-based, pointed stone monument marking the tomb of a pharaoh.
Sarcophagus
A large stone box, rectangular or mummiform in shape, in which a coffin was placed.
Scarab
A type of dung beetle that was sacred to the Ancient Egyptians because they thought it
represented rebirth after death.
Shabti
A small figure in the shape of a mummified person, usually made of faience or stone. Placed in
tombs and in mummy wrappings they were thought to act as servants or little helpers in the
Afterlife. Also known as ushabti.