Writing & The Basics
What did ancient Egyptians write on?
Papyrus
Who was the first pharaoh to unite Upper and Lower Egypt? What does his name mean? Which other pharaoh mentioned in the documentaries could he be...?
Narmer; "angry catfish;" Menes
What archaeologist was interviewed about his excavations at Abydos at the end of Ch. 5?
David O'Connor
Egyptians were ___________________________; they believed the soul would live on after death and, if the Egyptian followed the proper rules, could live in eternity in the ________________ of ______________.
resurrectionists; Field of Reeds
What preservative was used by embalmers to help the body last a long time looking "alive?"
Natron
What did Egyptians call their writing? What did Greeks call it?
Which pharaoh commissioned the Step Pyramid to be build? Who was its architect? What document is attributed to him, one of the earliest-known medical documents in the world?
Djoser; Imhotep; Edwin Smith Papyrus
How did ancient Egyptian priests purify themselves physically? What "advantage" did priests have?
plucking eyelashes, shaving their bodies (every 3 days); not paying taxes
How many minor gods appeared in the Egyptian "Hall of Judgment?"
42
What are mummies wrapped with? How long does it take to wrap a mummy? What is painted on the wrappings?
Linen cloth; 2 weeks; mummy mask (so the Ka can recognize its body).
What percentage of the population do historians estimate could read and write hieroglyphs?
1%
What cities are the capitals of upper and lower Egypt? What creatures are said to represent these two regions?
Memphis (Lower) and Thebes (Upper); Upper = vulture, Lower = cobra.
Which Egyptian pharaoh paid special attention to the mastabas at Abydos, according to Ch. 5?
King Neferhotep
According to the documentaries, would famous cemetery during the New Kingdom period contained the tombs of Tutankamun and Seti I?
Valley of the Kings
What particular mummy is shown in detail as a large picture in Ch. 5?
Ramesses II
What is a "cartouche?" What was the purpose of the ancient Egyptian story of the Satire of the Trades?
Ovals containing the pharaoh's hieroglyphic name usually found in tombs; to encourage students to persevere through scribal school by mocking other professions.
Name 3 specific pyramids built by Snefru:
Meydum, Bent, Red Pyramids
Who is the:
sun god (head of a hawk)?
goddess of war (head of a lioness)?
goddess of magic, wife of Osiris?
Re
Bastet
Isis
What are the three parts to the soul? What do they do after a person dies?
Ba, Ka, Akh; Ba is the personality and can travel and interact with other living people (hieroglyphs it is pictured as a human head attached to a bird), Ka stays in the tomb and must be nourished, Akh travels through the underworld in order to gain access to the Field of Reeds.
Egyptians remove all important organs from the body during mummification, but they leave the heart. Why? Was there anything placed on the heart?
The heart was viewed as the most important organ. The Egyptians believed that people "thought" in the heart. A scarab amulet was placed on each Egyptian's heart to prevent them from lying to the gods in the afterlife.
Rosetta Stone; Napoleon; hieroglyphs, Greek, demotic; Thomas Young and Jean Franois Champollion
Answers will vary; examples include the shaduff, nilometer, A-tool, chisel, toothless saw, etc.
Give a basic plot summary of both the Legend of Osiris and the Myth of Re:
Answers will vary - points awarded at my discretion.
What do we call the "cheat sheets" Egyptians used in the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms in order to gain access to the Field of Reeds?
Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and Book of the Dead
What are the Egyptian names for each stage of mummification?
Ibu, Per nefer & Wabet