Politics and Government
What do we call the ruler of Egypt?
Pharaoh
What is polytheism vs. monotheism? Which did the Ancient Egyptians believe?
Polytheism is the belief of multiple gods while monotheism is the belief of just one god. Ancient Egyptians were polytheists.
What was the most important land form in Ancient Egypt?
The Nile River
What was the Egyptian writing system called?
Hieroglyphics
Define deity/deities.
Deity is a word we use for a god or goddess, we use this in religions with more than one god or goddess
Before Egypt was united, what were the two separate kingdoms called?
Upper and Lower Egypt
What do we call the process where bodies of rulers were preserved after death?
Mummifaction
What city that was also on your ancient Mesopotamia map is located on the Nile River?
Thebes
In Mesopotamia, people wrote using stone and clay. What writing surface was used in Ancient Egypt?
Papyrus
What made the Nile River different than the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers of Mesopotamia? How were they viewed differently?
The Tigris and Euphrates had unpredictable flooding while The Nile flooded annually. This made much of Egyptian society revolve around the river and it was viewed as a "Gift"
Define theocracy.
a form of government where it is believed that a god, deity, or group of deities, or a deity is in charge.
a form of governement focused around religion.
How was the Egyptian view of death different from the Mesopotamian view of death?
Mesopotamians believed in a bleak afterlife called the "land of no return" where elaborate tombs and monuments were not really important. Egyptians believed that the soul lived on after death and went on an important journey using pyramids to house dead nobles.
What is a cataract?
A rocky and often dangerous part of the river with harsh rapids making it difficult to travel to other areas.
What did the Ancient Egyptians base their calendar off of?
The flooding of the Nile River
In order to refer to something as a civilization, we have been using the acronym P.R.A.I.S.E. What does this stand for? You must get at least 3 correct in order to get full points.
Politics and Government
Religion
Art and Culture
Innovation and Technology
Social Organization
Economy
Who were the kings of ancient Egypt considered to be representatives of?
The gods
What was "ka" and why was it important?
Ka is like the "soul" in Ancient Egypt that would live on after a person's physical body died.
Since ka lived on after death, many objects were left in tombs for the souls to use in the afterlife and death became a large part of Egyptian culture.
Name the three environmental challenges the Egyptian farmers faced. How was one of these challenges also a positive? (100 points each)
1. When the Nile's floodwaters were shorter than normal less slit was produce and crops had less water, leading to famine.
2. When floodwaters were higher than normal, water could destroy villages
3. The deserts on either side of the Nile were natural barriers to other lands and people
4. These barriers also protected the Egyptians
True or False: Women could not be pharaoh in Ancient Egypt and were viewed as totally below men in social status with no exception. How do you know this?
False: There were female pharaohs, one of which has a statue that is the same height as the male pharaohs showing she was seen as equal, at least more equal than many other women in Ancient societies.
Ancient Egyptians were very innovative. Name one technological advancement of the Egyptian empire and explain its purpose.
Possible answers
- A system of wirtten numbers and early arithmetic for collecting taxes
- Astronomy in order to create an accurate calendar to reflect the Nile flooding
- Early forms of geometry in order to keep track of property lines after a flood
- General mathematics in order to properly engineer pyramid temples, and homes
- Early medicine like checking heart rate, repairing bones, and healing fevers
Who was the first ruler of a unified Egypt?
Namer
What was The Book of the Dead?
Scrolls that contained hymns, prayers, and magical spells to "guide the soul" into the afterlife
The Nile was a reliable source of transportation between upper and lower Egypt. Why could ships go north and south so easily?
The current of the river went from the south to the north while the wind carried boats from the north to the south, making it easy to travel in either direction.
True or False: Egyptian social status was locked, meaning people could not change their social standing. How do you know this?
Who was Osiris?
Possible answers:
- One of the Egyptian gods
- Egyptian god who was "King of the Dead"
- The Egyptian god who would judge nobles in the afterlife