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Egypt
Term | Definition |
---|---|
hieroglyphics | writing that uses pictures for sounds, words and ideas; used to record religious events |
papyrus | reed plant that was dried and woven to create sheets; improved communication and record keeping |
pyramids | largest stone structures in the world; a square base with triangular sides that come to a point; tombs for rulers to reach afterlife |
mummification | preserving the body after death; rulers believed they needed their bodies in the afterlife |
irrigation | waterways (dams, reservoirs & canals) built using dirt and mud; able to control the flooding |
kemet | fresh soil deposited by the river |
shaduf | a container attached to a lever and balanced by stones; allowed them to move buckets of water quicker and easier |
sail boats & barges | first made of bundle of reeds; later made of wood planks; made travel easier; forced cultural diversity |
cultural diversity | blending of ideas |
calendar | created based on the night sky; 365 day calendar into 3 seasons; used to predict when river would flood |
inundation | flood season; start of the new year |
emergence | growing season |
harvest | gathering season |
Why Nile River was important | provided rich soil that allowed growth of crops; easy travel to other lands for trade; fresh water for animal life |
Upper Class | Pharaohs, government officials, priests |
Middle Class | soldiers, scribes, skilled craftsman |
Lower Class | peasant farmers, workers and slaves (largest population of people were in the lower class) |
deity | god |
afterlife | live again after death; rulers mummified themselves to have body in afterlife |
dynasty | line of rulers from the same family |
nation-state | region with a united group of people and a single government |
prosperity | growth and wealth |
vizier | high government official; chief advisor |
cataracts | waterfalls |
nome | district in early Egypt |
heir | person who inherits property after owner dies |
decipher | decode |
annexing | joining of lands to an empire |
pharaoh | ruler of ancient Egypt; thought to be god in human form |