Study Guide

sahara- the world's largest desert; in Africa.
nile - the world's longest river; in Africa.
egypt-in the northeast corner of Africa; called the "seedbed of African culture."
mizraim- most ancient name of Egypt; name of one of Ham's sons.
land of ham- what the Bible calls Egypt.
nomes- small states in Egypt.
pharaohs- strong rulers; kings of Egypt.
menes- the 1st pharaoh of Egypt and united Upper and Lower Egypt.
"The Gift of the Nile"- what Herodotus called Egypt.
Hieroglypiccs- the writing system of Egypt; has over 700 characters.
Book of the Dead- most important Egyptian work; placed in tombs.
Memphis- one of the most important cities in Egypt; Known as Noph in the Hebrew Bible; nothing remains of the city except two granite colossi and one alabaster sphinx.
Thebes- one of the most important cities in Egypt; nothing remains except the vast necropolis.
Necropolis-means "City of the Dead"(one big cemetery).
Pyramid- best symbolizes Egyptian government; Pharaoh at the top, priests and officials in the middle and everyones else on the bottom(including slaves); used as tombs or caskets.
Monarchy- when a country or nation is under one absolute ruler like a king or queen.
Theocracy- when a country or nation is ruled by a god(under god).
humanism- the worship of humans
naturalism- the worship of nature
polytheism- more than more god. ( Egypt had many gods and goddesses).
Egyptian Tombs- they spend a lot of time preparing them for the afterlife; they are pyramids.
Great Pyramids of Cheops- one of the wonders of the world; took 20 yrs. to build.
King Tut- teenage pharoah who died at the age of 18; his tomb was one of the greatest archaelogical discoveries of all time( found in 1922 by Howard Carter); it was filled with exquisite treasures.
Mummification- the preservation of the bodies of the dead.
30 dynasties- what ancient Egyptian history is divided into.
Old Kingdom- dynasties 3-6
Pyramids of Giza- built by Cheops,Khafre and Menkaure; a wonder of the world.
Great Sphinx- head of a man body of a lion; bears the likeness of Khafre.
Middle Kingdom- 11th dynasty; King Mentuhotep I; around time Abraham was living.
King Menuhotep I- established capital at Thebes.
Hyksos- Asiatic warriors ; conquered the Middle Kingdom; had chariots and horses- Egyptians were easy prey.
Ahmose I- drove the hyksos out of Egypt in the New Kingdom.
New Kingdom- 18th -20th dynasty; see Ahmose I.
Hatshepshut- may have been Moses' mom; the only female pharaoh.
Amenhotep II- may have been pharaoh during the Exodus; Thutmose III's son.
Later New Kingdom- Ramses II.
Ramses II- most outstanding Egyptian monarch.
Alexander the Great- A macedonian king who was declared a god in Egypt; conquered the entire Persian empire; named a city in Egypt after himself.
Alexandria- one of the most important cities in the ancient world, named after Alexander the Great; in the western delta of Egypt.
Lighthouse of Alexandria- one of the (7) ancient wonders of the world; maybe burned.