The A,B,C’s of

Ancient Egypt

By: Mackenzie Michals

A Amulet:
Good luck charms worn by the
ancient Egyptian people

•These Charms were also put on

mummies before burial

•Amulets varied in color and size

•Each amulet shape has a different

meaning, and brings different luck
B Book of the Dead:
The book that gave the mummy
spells and help to reach the
afterlife

•Written on papyrus (Egyptian

Paper)

•Put into the coffin with the

mummy so he or she could pass
through to the afterlife
C Cartonnage:
The layers of hardened fabric
used to cover the mummy

•These layers were hardened using a

glue like substance called stucco or
plaster

•These layers could then be painted

with different colors and symbols
E Embalming:
The steps taken to preserve
the body for
mummification
•The people would prepare the body and then
wrap it in fabric

•This process was very sacred to the Egyptian

people
 H Hieroglyphics:
The written language of the
Ancient Egyptians

•Hieroglyphics are considered a

“pictographic” writing

•It is said that at any one time

the number of hieroglyphic
symbols was about 700
 I Ibu:
The place where the person
was taken after they had
died

• This was considered a ‘place of purification’

• This is where the body was cleansed before they started

the embalming process

• According to history, the structure of this building was

usually a tent
M Mourners
People who would cry and
weep for the dead

• This was an important tradition of the Egyptian burial

ceremony

• For the rich and the Kings sometimes the mourners would
be hired

• During the funeral ceremony the mourners were often

accompanied by dancers, musicians, and priests
 P Pyramid:
The tombs for the burial of the
Kings and some Queens

•Another word for the pyramids is “mer”

•In order to build a single pyramid
it took a very large number of
workers
•There are over 100 pyramids that
have been discovered
 S Sarcophagus:
The hard coffin in which a
mummy was buried in

•These coffins could be made out of

several different materials
•During the different periods of
Egyptian history the forms of these
coffins changed in their shape and
decoration
 T Tombs:
The places where Egyptians
were buried

•The word tomb can be used to describe several different

types of burial sites
•The kings tombs were pyramids, but
those who were not royalty were
buried in the sides of hills

•The tombs of the common people

either had one room or several rooms
U Ushabti:
Small figures placed in the
tomb with the mummy

•These small figures were considered “servants” to the

mummy during the afterlife

•These figures were made out of various materials

•The ushabti are among the most commonly found

artifacts from the ancient Egyptians
W Weighing of the heart:
The ceremony where the
mummy is to be judged for
his or her life
•The way this ceremony is usually shown is through pictures
and hieroglyphics

•During this ceremony the mummy was to stand before Osiris

to face judgment

•Only those people whose soul is lighter than the feather of

truth could enter the next life
 Ancient Egypt
and the rituals
of the Dead
•As we can see from this vocabulary the Ancient Egyptians
placed high value on burial and the afterlife

•They focused on:

•How the rituals were performed
•Why they were sacred
•The importance of being prepared for the afterlife
 Bibliography
• Slide 1 and 14 Image: by delphaber- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/delphaber/3994606240/sizes/m/
• Slides 2-14 Image: by pareeerica- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/2713656310/
• Slides 2-14 Vocabulary words and Definitions:
– http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:0-hOFj-
yhm8J:www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/history/egypt/
museum/
AncientEgyptianVocabulary.pdf+ancient+egypt+vocab&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
&client=firefox-a
• Slide 2 Image: by kotomigd- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/kotomi-jewelry/2355278096/
• Slide 2 Supplementary Info:
– http://www.cedarseed.com/air/egyptamulets.html
• Slide 3 image: by soham_pablo- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/soham_pablo/313836701/sizes/m/
 Bibliography
• Slide 4 image: by KaDeWeGirl- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/kadewegirl/3307057069/sizes/m/
• Slide 4 supplementary info:
– http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/burialcustoms/cartonnage.html
• Slide 5 supplementary info:
– http://www.egyptologyonline.com/mummification.htm
• Slide 6 image: by pareeerica- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/8078381@N03/2834148005/sizes/m/
• Slide 6 supplementary info:
– http://www.egyptologyonline.com/hieroglyphs.htm
– http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/history-of-hieroglyphics.html
• Slide 7 supplementary info:
– http://www2.sptimes.com/Egypt/EgyptCredit.4.3.html
• Slide 8 supplementary info:
– http://australianmuseum.net.au/Funerals-in-ancient-Egypt
 Bibliography
• Slide 9 Image: by Andrew®- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/waldenpond/4245721502/sizes/l/
• Slide 9 supplementary info:
– http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/explore/builders.html
• Slide 11 supplementary info:
– http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/egypt/tombhistory/
• Slide 11 image: by Son of Groucho- CC Artibution
– http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonofgroucho/912501463/sizes/l/
• Slide 12 supplementary info:
– http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/religion/ushabti.htm#rem1