Ancient Egyptian Religion
The Egyptians were polytheistic. What does this mean?
They believed in many gods.
The Nile River is the longest river in the world. Each summer in ancient Egypt, the Nile overflowed its banks. How long would it flood?
The flood typically lasted for four months.
Large tombs called pyramids were built. How many were built in Egypt?
At least eighty pyramids were built.
Ancient Egyptian writing is called hieroglyphics. For hundreds of years Egyptian Hieroglyphics were unreadable until what was discovered?
The Rosetta stone.
Joseph, a son of Israel, was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers in the Middle Kingdom period, under two great rulers. They both have the same name. What was their name?
Sesostris II (1897-1878 B.C.) and Sesostris III (1878-1843 B.C.).
Who was Ra?
Egyptians believed that Ra, the sun god, created and ruled the world.
Why was the Nile flooding a good thing?
Silt would settle from the water and fertilize the ground.
What was up with the Pyramids? Who did they put in them?
Pharaohs and other high ranking officials were buried in the Pyramids.
The Rosetta stone was discovered in 1799. It contained an inscription written in Egyptian hieroglyphics, common Egyptian, and Greek.
Who is credited with figuring out how to read Hieroglyphics?
Jean-François Champollion is credited with figuring out how to read Hieroglyphics.
Joseph will rise to become second in command over all of Egypt and will save the world from famine.
After Joseph dies the Israelites will be slaves for how long?
The Israelites will be slaves for 400 years.
Who had control over the worship system?
Having control over the worship system made the priests very powerful.
How did the fertile ground help Egyptians economically?
Egypt became the storehouse of the ancient world due to the abundance of crops grown along the Nile.
Where were the most famous pyramids found?
The most famous pyramids were built at the Giza Necropolis.
The Valley of the Kings is another place where the Pharaohs were buried.
This place was chosen to prevent grave robbers from breaking in.
How many Tombs do we know of so far?
There are 62 known tombs.
The Exodus (the Israelites escaping slavery in Egypt) happened around what year?
1450 BC
What regular human was treated like a god?
Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, was worshipped by the Egyptians.
Many events recorded in the Old Testament took place in Egypt. Name 2 of these event
The book of Genesis records that God sent the Pharaoh a warning of a famine in a vision.
Joseph interpreted the dream and was appointed to oversee the program to prepare for the famine.
Joseph was put second in command of all of Egypt to make plans for the coming famine.
Jacob/Israel brought his family to Egypt to escape the famine.
Eventually Israelites will become slaves of the Egyptians for 400 years.
What does Necropolis mean?
Necropolis means the City of the Dead.
Tutankhamun was a pharaoh of Egypt at the age of nine; died around age eighteen.
He is known for his tomb of treasures.
What is his nickname?
Kin Tut
A people group called the Hyksos gradually migrated into Egypt and eventually took over. They probably were probably taking advantage of all destruction caused by all of the plagues that struck the Egyptians at the time of the Exodus in 1450 BC. What was the name of the Egyptian prince who eventually drove out the Hyksos?
Ahmose eventually drove out the Hyksos.
What body of water was worshipped as a god?
Egyptians worshipped the Nile River as a god.
The Egyptians used a nilometer to measure the Nile’s water levels. Why?
The measurements affected how much the people owed in taxes.
Who was the Great pyramid built for?
The Great Pyramid is the largest of the three pyramids in the valley of Giza; built for the pharaoh Khufu.
Egyptians structured their year into three seasons. Name them.
Akhet (Inundation, the flooding time)
Peret (Growth)
Shemu (Harvest)
Rameses II was one of the last pharaohs who kept the empire strong.
Whom did Rameses II defeat?
The Hittites.