Ancient Egypt Vocabulary Words

Ancient Egypt, civilization in northeastern Africa dating from the 4th millennium BCE. Many of its achievements, preserved in art and monuments, have captured the growing enthusiasm as archeology reveals its secrets.

The country was also occupied by other powers — the Persians, Nubians, Greeks and Romans all conquered the country at different points in time.

Ancient Egypt Vocabulary

Following are common terms associated with ancient Egypt:

1. Ancient Egypt

An ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River. It was divided into two regions, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.

2. Papyrus

A thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant. Ancient Egyptians used this plant as a writing material and for boats, mattresses, mats, rope, sandals, and baskets.

3. Mastaba

An ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with outward sloping sides that marked the burial site of many eminent Egyptians of Egypt’s ancient period. These were constructed out of mud-bricks or stone.

4. Sarcophagus

The external layer of protection for a royal mummy, with several layers of coffins nested within

5. Pharaoh

The title given to kings of ancient Egypt. The title was first officially used in the New Kingdom after Hatshepsut’s reign.

6. Hieroglyphics

A form of writing used in ancient Egypt, in which pictures represent words and sounds.

7. Osiris

An Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead

8. Ra

The ancient Egyptian sun god, the supreme deity represented as a man with the head of a hawk crowned with a solar disk and uraeus. He was worshiped as the creator of life.

9. Amulet

A small object worn to ward off evil, harm, or illness or to bring good fortune; a protecting charm.

10. Ankh

A cross having a loop for its upper vertical arm and serving especially in ancient Egypt as an emblem of life. It can also be called an ansate cross.

11. Canopic Jars

Wide necked funerary jars designed to contain the large human organs called the viscera which were extracted during the process of mummification. The heart was left in the body as the Ancient Egyptians believed the heart held the spirit, understanding and senses and would be needed on the Day of Judgement in the Underworld.

12. Pyramids

A massive monument of ancient Egypt having a rectangular base and four triangular faces culminating in a single apex, built over or around a crypt or tomb.

13. Obelisk

A tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk.

14. Cartouche

An oval with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name, which first into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu.

15. Thebes

An ancient city in Upper Egypt, on the Nile, whose ruins are located in the modern towns of Karnak and Luxor, a former capital of Egypt.

16. Rosetta Stone

A stone slab, found in 1799 near Rosetta, bearing parallel inscriptions in Greek, Egyptian hieroglyphic, and demotic characters, making possible the decipherment of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics

17. Registers

Horizontal lines that divide a painting into sections. The ancient Egyptians used these to separate artwork on walls.

18. Tutankhamen

An Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty, who became ruler at age 8. During his reign the traditional religion was restored after the changes made by Akhenaten.

19. Valley of the Kings

A valley on the west bank of the Nile near the site of Thebes: the necropolis of many of the kings and queens of the 18th and 19th dynasties of ancient Egypt, c1350-c1200 b.c.

20. Nile River

The world’s longest river (4150 miles) which flows northward through eastern Africa into the Mediterranean

Quick Links

  1. History Vocabulary Words – A to Z List