The A,B,C’s of
Ancient Egypt
By: Mackenzie Michals
Amulet:
Good luck charms worn by the
ancient Egyptian people
•These Charms were also put on
mummies before burial
•Amulets varied in color and size
•Each amulet shape has a different
meaning, and brings different luck
Book of the Dead:
The book that gave the mummy
spells and help to reach the
afterlife
•Written on papyrus (Egyptian
Paper)
•Put into the coffin with the
mummy so he or she could pass
through to the afterlife
Cartonnage:
The layers of hardened fabric
used to cover the mummy
•These layers were hardened using a
glue like substance called stucco or
plaster
•These layers could then be painted
with different colors and symbols
Embalming:
The steps taken to preserve
the body for
mummification
•The people would prepare the body and then wrap
it in fabric
•This process was very sacred to the Egyptian
people
Hieroglyphics:
The written language of the
Ancient Egyptians
•Hieroglyphics are considered a
“pictographic” writing
•It is said that at any one time
the number of hieroglyphic
symbols was about 700
Ibu:
The place where the person
was taken after they had
died
• This was considered a ‘place of purification’
• This is where the body was cleansed before they
started the embalming process
• According to history, the structure of this building was
usually a tent
Mourners
People who would cry and
weep for the dead
• This was an important tradition of the Egyptian burial
ceremony
• For the rich and the Kings sometimes the mourners would
be hired
• During the funeral ceremony the mourners were often
accompanied by dancers, musicians, and priests
Pyramid:
The tombs for the burial of the
Kings and some Queens
•Another word for the pyramids is “mer”
•In order to build a single pyramid
it took a very large number of
workers
•There are over 100 pyramids that
have been discovered
Sarcophagus:
The hard coffin in which a
mummy was buried in
•These coffins could be made out of
several different materials
•During the different periods of
Egyptian history the forms of these
coffins changed in their shape and
decoration
Tombs:
The places where Egyptians
were buried
•The word tomb can be used to describe several different
types of burial sites
•The kings tombs were pyramids, but
those who were not royalty were
buried in the sides of hills
•The tombs of the common people
either had one room or several rooms
Ushabti:
Small figures placed in the
tomb with the mummy
•These small figures were considered “servants” to the
mummy during the afterlife
•These figures were made out of various materials
•The ushabti are among the most commonly found
artifacts from the ancient Egyptians
Weighing of the heart:
The ceremony where the
mummy is to be judged for
his or her life
•The way this ceremony is usually shown is through pictures
and hieroglyphics
•During this ceremony the mummy was to stand before Osiris
to face judgment
•Only those people whose soul is lighter than the feather of
truth could enter the next life
Ancient
Egypt and
the rituals of
the Dead
•As we can see from this vocabulary the Ancient
Egyptians placed high value on burial and the afterlife
•They focused on:
•How the rituals were performed
•Why they were sacred
•The importance of being prepared for the afterlife
Bibliography
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Slide 1 and 14 Image: by delphaber- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/delphaber/3994606240/sizes/m/
Slides 2-14 Image: by pareeerica- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/2713656310/
Slides 2-14 Vocabulary words and Definitions:
– http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:0-hOFjyhm8J:www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/history/egypt/muse
um/AncientEgyptianVocabulary.pdf+ancient+egypt+vocab&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&g
l=us&client=firefox-a
Slide 2 Image: by kotomigd- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/kotomi-jewelry/2355278096/
Slide 2 Supplementary Info:
– http://www.cedarseed.com/air/egyptamulets.html
Slide 3 image: by soham_pablo- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/soham_pablo/313836701/sizes/m/
Bibliography
• Slide 4 image: by KaDeWeGirl- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/kadewegirl/3307057069/sizes/m/
• Slide 4 supplementary info:
– http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/burialcustoms/cartonnage.html
• Slide 5 supplementary info:
– http://www.egyptologyonline.com/mummification.htm
• Slide 6 image: by pareeerica- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/2834148005/sizes/m/
• Slide 6 supplementary info:
– http://www.egyptologyonline.com/hieroglyphs.htm
– http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/history-of-hieroglyphics.html
• Slide 7 supplementary info:
– http://www2.sptimes.com/Egypt/EgyptCredit.4.3.html
• Slide 8 supplementary info:
– http://australianmuseum.net.au/Funerals-in-ancient-Egypt
Bibliography
• Slide 9 Image: by Andrew®- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldenpond/4245721502/sizes/l/
• Slide 9 supplementary info:
– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/explore/builders.html
• Slide 11 supplementary info:
– http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/egypt/tombhistory/
• Slide 11 image: by Son of Groucho- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonofgroucho/912501463/sizes/l/
• Slide 12 supplementary info:
– http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/religion/ushabti.htm#rem1