Egypt-Review

A. Reviewing Key Terms

1. cataract: point in a river where boulders turn it into churning rapids.
2. delta: broad, marshy, triangular area in Lower Egypt formed by deposits of silt.
3. nome: territorial divisions each ruled by a nomarch--an administration official.
4. dynasty: series of rulers that descended from the same family.
5. pharaoh: god-king in theocracy ruling; based on religious authority.
6. ka: eternal life force even after death.
7. pyramid: immense structures where kings' tombs were buried.
8. maat: concepts of truth, balance, order harmony, law, morality, and justice--sometimes presented as a goddess.
9. hieroglyphics: comes from the Greek words hieros ("sacred") and glyph ("writing") that mean "sacred carving".
10. papyrus: papyrus reeds are plants that, when processed, make paper-like sheets that are easier to write on than slabs.

B. Identifying Key Facts

1. I was the British archaeologist who discovered Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922. My name is ______ ______.
2. The ____ _____ provided Egypt with a reliable system of transportation and with an annual deposit of fertile soil.
3. In about 3,100 BC, a strong-willed king of Upper Egypt named ______ united all of Egypt.
4. Asian nomads known as the ______ ("rulers of foreign lands") ruled much of Egypt from 1630 to 1523 BC.
5. I was the linguist who deciphered the hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone. My name is ____ ________ ___________.

C. Checking for Understanding

• Three ways in which the Nile river influenced Egyptian life:
1. Yearly flooding that brings rich soil (i.e. silt) and allowed settlements to grow.
2. Provided reliable system of transportation.
3. Trade between Lower and Upper Egypt established.
• Purpose of the pyramids.
• stone tombs to accommodate royalty.

B. Identifying Key Facts Answers

1. Howard Carter
2. Nile river
3. Narmer
4. Hyksos
5. Jean François Champollion

Terms and Names
1.

• delta: Lower Egypt includes the Nile delta region--a broad, marshy triangular area formed by deposits of silt at the mouth of the Nile river.
• Narmer: The king thought to have united both Lower and Upper Egypt is king Narmer; especially since he was depicted in Narmer Palette wearing both Lower and Upper Egypt crowns, creating one crown that had attributes from both crowns.
• pharaoh: The Egyptian god-kings, otherwise known as pharaohs, care more about their tombs than they do about their palaces.
• theocracy: The type of government used in Egypt is called a theocracy--government in which rule is based on religious authority.
• pyramid: A pyramid is an immense structure for resting after death.
• mummification: The process of embalming and drying of a corpse to prevent it from decaying is called mummification.
• hieroglyphic: Hieroglyphics comes from the Greek words hieros and glyph meaning "sacred carving".
• papyrus: When papyrus dries, the plant's sap glues narrow strips of itself into a paper-like sheet.

Main Ideas
3. How did being surrounded by deserts benefit Egypt? The deserts shut out invaders, which led to Egyptians living a peaceful life with confidence and optimism.
4. How did the Egyptians view the pharaoh? They thought of pharaohs as god-kings; they were the connection between Egyptians and god.
5. Why did Egyptians mummify bodies? Egyptians mummified bodies to prevent them from decaying. This method is especially used to preserve royal and elite Egyptians' bodies.