glossary library

 

The Ancient Egyptian Glossary can help you understand some of the terms associated with Egyptian history. Learn key terms to better understand this influential age of history.

Featured Article:  Was there really a curse on King Tutankhamen's tomb?

Did King Tut put a hex on a group of archaeologists and dignitaries? Or is a mosquito to blame for mysterious their mysterious deaths? See more »

5 Egyptian Mummy Videos

5 Egyptian Mummy Videos

Mummification preserves the bodies of the deceased. The Egyptians mummified so well that we have found bodies intact after thousands of years.

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Did Cleopatra really lose the Battle of Actium?

Did Cleopatra really lose the Battle of Actium?

Before Billary, the ultimate political power couple was Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Their hopes of building a massive of empire hinged on the fateful Battle of Actium.

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How did ancient civilizations use sundials to tell time?

How did ancient civilizations use sundials to tell time?

The ability to tell time has been around for centuries. What began as a fairly simple practice has evolved into a complex system of time, daylight savings and leap years. But where did it all start, and what was the role of sundials?

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How the Rosetta Stone Works

How the Rosetta Stone Works

Hieroglyphics used to be a language that no one -- Egyptian or otherwise -- could decipher. With the help of the Rosetta Stone, that all changed.

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Was there really a curse on King Tutankhamen's tomb?

Was there really a curse on King Tutankhamen's tomb?

Did King Tut put a hex on a group of archaeologists and dignitaries? Or is a mosquito to blame for mysterious their mysterious deaths?

See more »
Were ancient Egyptians the first feminists?

Were ancient Egyptians the first feminists?

Thanks to smoky-eyed Cleopatra, the notion of liberated women in ancient Egypt isn't that hard to accept. Even the delicate features of Nefertiti's bust exude an air of authority and confidence. But was feminism alive and well along the Nile?

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What if I wanted to build a Great Pyramid today?

What if I wanted to build a Great Pyramid today?

If you wanted to build a Great Pyramid in today's market, you would need to take into consideration a lot of factors. How much labor would you need? What about materials? And how much would it cost you?

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Why did ancient Egyptian men wear cosmetics?

Why did ancient Egyptian men wear cosmetics?

We can't quite figure out why rock stars such as Pete Wentz wear eye liner. But ancient Egyptian men had good reason to apply eye makeup, pluck their brows and don hair extensions.

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Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt

Egypt, Ancient. More than 3,000 years before the Christian Era, a highly developed civilization existed in Egypt.

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Valley of the Kings

Valley of the Kings

Valley of the Kings, a low-lying area on the west bank of the Nile River, in Egypt.

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Akhnaton

Akhnaton, or Ikhnaton, a pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, reigning from about 1379 to 1362 B.C.

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Alexandrian School

Alexandrian School, a name given to various groups of persons engaged in artistic and intellectual activities in Alexandria, Egypt, during the Hellenistic and Roman eras.

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Ammon

Ammon, the Greek and Roman name for the ancient Egyptian god Amen, ä'měn. The name is also written Amon and Amun.

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Book of the Dead

Book of the Dead, an ancient Egyptian religious work. It was a collection of magic spells, prayers, and hymns intended for use by the soul in its journey beyond the grave into the underworld.

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Cleopatra

Cleopatra (in full: Cleopatra VII Phil-opator), a queen of Egypt of the Ptolemaic dynasty.

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Cleopatra's Needles

Cleopatra's Needles , two ancient Egyptian obelisks—tall, slender monuments—of rose-red granite.

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Exodus

Exodus, the second book of the Old Testament. The name means “going out.” The subject is the departure of the Israelites from Egypt.

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Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut, (1560-1482 B.C.), an Egyptian ruler, the first woman to become a pharaoh.

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Heliopolis

Heliopolis, the center of sun worship in ancient Egypt, called On in the Bible. Heliopolis, a Greek word, means “city of the sun.” (The Greeks applied this name also to Baalbek in Syria.) Heliopolis was near the site of modern Cairo.

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Hyksos

Hyksosa foreign people who ruled in ancient Egypt. Their name means “rulers of foreign lands.” Late in the 18th century B.C.

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