Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Aah, Iah
Moon sacred to Osiris, Djehuty (Thoth) and Khonsu
Abdu Heba
Ruler of Jerusalem, contemporary of Akhenaten
Achotep, Ahhotep, Ahotep
Apparently two queens, although it has been suggested that there may have
been just one:
1) Queen, daughter of Tao I, sister/wife of Tao II Sekenenre
2) Queen, possibly wife of Kamose
Achenaten, Akhenaten, Akhenaton, Akhnaten, Akhnaton
Amenhotep IV, a New Kingdom pharaoh, 18th dynasty
Aegis (Greek)
Ornamental collar, menat
Ahmose, Amasis
1) Two pharaohs - Ahmose I 18th dynasty and Ahmose II, 26th dynasty;
2) Ahmose-Nefertiri, Queen of the 18th Dynasty;
3) Ahmose Son of Ebana, admiral under king Ahmose I (Autobiography)
4) Ahmose Pen-nekhbet, high official under Ahmose I (Autobiography)
Akhet (Ax.t [1]), Shait
Season of inundation, from mid-July to mid-November in Ptolemaic times
Akhetaten, Al Amarna, El Amarna
Capital of Akhenaten, 18th dynasty
Akh (Ax)
at times translated as 'soul', cf. Body and Soul
Akhu, akhet (Ax.t): The blessed dead, ancestors
Akhtoy, Kheti
Alashia, Alasyia
Probably Cyprus
Amen, Ammon, Amon, Amun, Amoun, Amun-Re or Amen-Re
Main God during the New Kingdom, identified with Zeus by the Greeks
Amenemhab, Amenemheb
War companion of Thutmose III (Amenemhab's Biography)
Amenemhet, Amenemhat
Four pharaohs of the 12th dynasty
Amenhotep
1) 4 New Kingdom pharaohs, 18th dynasty, often called by the (incorrect)
Greek form Amenophis;
2) Son of Hapu, scribe, favourite of Amenhotep III (Autobiographical
inscription)
Amenemope, Amenemopet
1) Family of high New Kingdom officials;
2) Vice-roy of Kush under Seti I;
3) Vizier under Amenhotep II
Amenirdis
Wife of the God (High priestess of Amen)
Amenmes
New Kingdom pharaoh, 19th dynasty
Amenmose
1) Son of Thutmose I and Ahmose, general;
2) Brother of Nefertari, mayor of Thebes;
3) Son of Bekenptah, officer under the Ramessides
Amenophis
according to Manetho Greek for Amenhotep and still often used in this sense;
see Osiris
Aset, Ast, Auset
see Isis
Ashur-Uballit
King of Assyria, contemporary of Akhenaten
Atef
Crown worn by Osiris
Aten, Aton
The sun disk, unique god of Akhenaten
Avaris, Awaris
Capital of the Hyksos kings in the Delta
Ay
1) Merneferre, pharaoh of the 13th dynasty;
2) Ay, Aye, Ai, Kheperkheperure
Vizier of Tutankhamen and pharaoh of the 18th dynasty
B
Ba (bA)
The "soul"
Spiritual force such as an anonymous divinity
Manifestation of a god
The king's power to rule
The eternal forces of a human, depicted in tombs as a bird with a human
head.
Ba'ah, Seba-djai
The planet Venus
Badarian
Early pre-dynastic period, 3800 to 3500 BCE, also Fayum A or Merimda
Bai, Bay
Chancellor of Ramses Siptah, 19th dynasty
Bakare
Listed in the Turin King list as successor of Khafre
Bakenkhons, Bakenkhonsu, Bekenkhonsu
High Priest of Amen under Ramses II, possibly father of Nefertari, member of
the Amenemope clan, block statue
Bast, Bastet, Ubasti, Pasht
Goddess of the home, Artemis to the Greeks. Her cultural centre was at
Bubastis
Bat
Goddess with the form of a cow, from the Middle Kingdom on merged with
Hathor
Bau
Messenger or appearance of a deity
Benben
1) The first land to rise from the primordial waters.
2) Pyramid shaped sacred stone at Heliopolis
Bennu bird (bnw)
see Phoenix
Bes, Bisu
Dwarf god
Biridiya
Ruler of Megiddo, contemporary of Akhenaten
Book of the Dead
Better The Book of Going Forth by Day. A collection of magical writings placed
in tombs since the New Kingdom with the intention of helping the deceased
in the after-life.
Burnaburiash
Kassite king of Babylonia, contemporary of Akhenaten
Byblos (Greek), Gebal, Gubla, Kubna (Egyptian)
City in Lebanon, important to Egyptian trade
byssus
fr. Greek bussos, fine linen
C
Cambyses, Kambyses
Persian king, conqueror of Egypt, founder of the 27th dynasty
Canaan
Today's Israel and southern Lebanon, above all the coastal region
Canobic, Heracleotic (from Latin, Greek)
The westernmost arm of the Nile, after the city of Canobus (Canopus)
Canopic jars (from Latin, Greek)
Vessels containing the inner organs of the deceased, generally four, in the
form of the sons of Horus (from Canopus, see above)
Cartonnage (French)
Expression used by Egyptologists for the masks and coffins made of
cardboard like materials.
Cartouche (French)
The name of a pharaoh in hieroglyphs surrounded by an oval band denoting
eternity
Cataract (from Greek kataraktes down-rushing)
Rapids, waterfall. The first Nile cataract was Egypt's southern border
Chadouf (Arabic)
see Shadouf
Chafre, Chefren
see Khafre
Chamudi
see Khamudi
Cheops, Chufu
see Khufu
Choachyte
Greek for Egyptian wAH mw, lit. Dispenser of water, Priest in charge of the
cult of the dead who, for a fee, carried out the role of undertaker
Chons, Chonsu
see Khons
Chthonic (Greek)
from the earth. Chthonic deities: Sepa, Heqet etc
Cippus (Latin)
Pointed rectangular pillar, in Egyptology: Amulet or stela showing Horus
triumphing over dangerous beasts
Circumcision
The surgical modification of the genitals of boys and men
Coffin Texts
Magical writings written on coffins since the FIP.
Corbel (from Latin)
Projection jutting out from wall, supporting structure above it. Used to make
false arches
Corve (French)
Tax in the form of labour
Crook, heka
Originally a shepherd's staff it became a symbol of power carried by pharaohs
and high officials
Cubit (Origninally from Latin)
Linear measure.
1) Short cubit: 6 palms = 24 fingers;
2) Royal cubit : 7 palms = 28 digits - 52.3 cm
D
Darius
2 Persian kings and Egyptian pharaohs (27th dynasty)
Deben, (dbn)
Weight, equal to 10 kit, originally 27gr (copper), 13gr (gold), from NK on
about 91 grammes
Greek period: monetary unit worth 20 silver drachmas, later 20 copper
drachmas
Decans (from Latin decem, ten)
36 star constellations, each rising above the horizon at sunrise during ten
days every year, used by the ancient Egyptian calendar
Demotic (Greek)
the last stage of development of the ancient Egyptian script
Demurrage
Charge paid by the depositors of grain in the state granaries, see credit
Dendarah, Denderah
Site of Hathor's main temple
Deshret (dSr.t)
1) The red crown of Lower Egypt;
2) The red land, i.e. the desert
Dionysos
Greek god, identified with Osiris
Djahi, Zahi
Ill defined coastal region in Canaan
A gold and silver alloy, used for covering the tips of obelisks
Encaustic (from Greek)
paint based on wax
Ennead (from Greek enneas, nine)
A group of nine deities, such as the Ennead of Heliopolis
All the gods of a locality
Execration texts
Texts containing curses against (state) enemies, cf. Execration rituals
Eye of Re
See Hathor
F
Faience (from French, after the Italian town of Faenza)
Glazed ceramics, often blue or green
Faiyoum, Faiyum, Fayoum, Fayum, Fayyoum, Fayyum
Fertile low-lying region west of the Nile
False door
symbolic door for the ka, painted or carved on a tomb wall
FIP
First Intermediate Period
Flail, flagellum (from Latin flagrum, scourge), nekhekh, nekhakha
A flail carried by the pharaoh symbolizing his power; attribute of Osiris and
Min.
G
Geb, Keb
Earth god
Gebal, Gubla
see Byblos
Genital mutilation
The surgical modification of the genitals of girls and women
Gerzean
Late pre-dynastic and protodynastic periods, 3400 to 3050 BCE, divided into
Early Gerzean, 3400 to 3300 BCE (Naqada IC, IIA, IIB)
Middle Gerzean, 3300 to 3200 BCE (Naqada IIC)
Late Gerzean, 3200 to 3050 (Naqada IID1, IID2)
Gesso (Italian)
Mixture of plaster of Paris and glue, used as a kind of putty
God's Father
Priest of intermediate rank.
God's Land, Egyptian tA nTr (Ta netjer)
Term used for some foreign, generally wooded regions: Punt in the south, but
also regions in Syria etc.
Great Green (literal translation of wAD-wr )
Generally supposed to denote the Sea, especially the Mediterranean. It has
also been proposed to stand for the Nile (delta) or the Fayum.
Griffin
Chimaera with a lion's body and a falcon's head, since the OK symbol of the
victorious ruler
H
Hah
Personification of eternity, props up the heavens
Hamamat, Hammamat
Wadi connecting the Nile valley to the Red Sea near Thebes
Hannu
see Henenu
Hapi, Hapy
1) God of the Nile;
2) One of the Four Sons of Horus
Hapiru, Apiru, Habiru
Nomadic asiatics of the 2nd millennium BCE, often considered outlaws. Used
to be wrongly identified with the Hebrews
Harakhte
God, see also Horus, Re
Harem (Arabic), Egyptian ipet
institution run by the pharaoh's first wife for the benefit of the pharaoh's
wives and female relatives, not to be confounded with the muslim harem of
later times
Haremhab
see Horemheb
Hathor
Goddess of sky, love, mirth, beauty and fertility
Hatshepsut, Hatshepsowe
Female pharaoh, 18th dynasty
Hatti, Kheta
Anatolian nation, in conflict with the Egyptians during the New Kingdom
Heb Sed (Hb-sd)
festival (Hb) celebrated after 30 years of rule or more frequently. Its precise
purpose is unknown, but is supposed to have to do with the pharaoh's
rejuvenation.
Hedjet, nefer-hedjet (nfr-D.t)
the white crown of Upper Egypt
Heka (HkA)
Magic
Heka-khase (HqA-xAsw.t )
see Hyksos
Hekat, Heket
see Heqat
Heliopolis, On
Main temple of the sun god Re
Hemaka
Royal sealbearer (chancellor) under Den (1st dynasty)
Henenu, Hannu, Henu
Steward and overseer of herds, 11th dynasty
Henku
Nomarch, late OK (Inscription)
Hephaestos, Hephaistos
The Greek equivalent of Ptah
Hepu
Vizier under Thutmose IV
Hepuseneb
First prophet of Amen under Hatshepsut
Heqa (HqA.t)
Crook, symbol of pharaonic authority
Heqat (HqA.t)
Measure of volume of varying size:
1) Barrel, bushel. Divided into 10 hin, c. 4.8 litres, used throughout history
2) Common bushel, double barrel, c. 9.6 litres, Middle to New Kingdom
3) Large bushel, also called oipe, about 19.2 litres
Heqat, Heqet, Hekt, Hekat, Heket (Hq.t)
together with the being: the "life force", continuity of existence. Cf. Body and
Soul.
To go to his ka: to die
Kadashman Enlil
King of Babylon, contemporary of Amenhotep III
Kadesh, Kedesh, Qadesh
1) Fortified town in Retenu, site of famous battle
2) Goddess
Kagemni
1) Vizier under Snefru, author of the Instructions of Kagemni;
2) Vizier under Teti (6th dynasty) with famous mastaba
Kahun, Lahun, Illahun (Arabic)
Middle Kingdom planned town near the site of Hotep Senusret
Kambyses
see Cambyses
Kamutef
Lit. 'Bull of his Mother'. Name of the ithyphallic, self-created Amen and Min
Kanofer
Architect under Khasekhemwy (2nd dynasty), speculatively Imhotep's father
Karnak, Al Karnak (Arabic)
modern village, occupying the northern half of pharaonic Thebes, Ipet isut,
the site of many ancient temples
Kawab
Son of Khufu (4th dynasty)
Keftiu
described as a place in the midst of the Great Green, i.e. the Mediterranean,
possibly Crete, sometimes identified with Cyprus or with the whole of the
Aegean
Kemet (km.t)
The black (land)
The fertile soil of the Nile flood plain
Egypt which is also called the Two Lands
Kenbet (qnb.t)
Judicial commission or court
Kezweden, Kizzuwadna
Hurrian vassal state of the Hittites in southern Anatolia
Khafre, Chafre, Chefren
Old Kingdom Pharaoh, 4th dynasty
Khaemwaset
Son of Ramses II, high priest of Ptah
Khamudi, Chamudi, Apepi II
Hyksos king
Khar (XAr)
Lit. sack, measure of capacity
1) Deka-heqat, 10 heqat, ca.48 litres. (OK, MK)
2) Deka-heqat, khar, equals 4 oipe, i.e. 16 heqat, ca. 96 litres (MK-SIP)
3) Khar, 4 oipe, 76 litres (NK-TIP)
Kheker sign (Xkr)
architectural decoration
Khekheperre-sonbu
Priest (Admonitions)
Khentamenti, Khenty-Imentiu, Chontamenti
see Anubis, also Osiris
Kheops
see Khufu
Khepresh, Kheperesh (xprS)
The blue crown
Khet (xt), khet-en-nu
Linear measure, 100 cubits, about 50 metres
Kheta
see Hatti
Kheti, Akhtoy
A number of kings ruling at Heracleopolis during the First Intermediate Period
A number of nomarchs during the First Intermediate Period:
1) Kheti son of Tefibi (inscription)
2) Kheti son of Sit (inscription)
Khnumhotep, Khnumhotpe
1) Khnumhotep I, nomarch (Inscription)
2) Khnumhotep II, grandson of Khnumhotep I, nomarch (Inscription)
Khons, Khonsu
1) Moon God, son of Amen and Mut, his main temple was at Karnak;
2) Called To: First prophet of Menkheperra under Ramses II
Khufu, Cheops
Old Kingdom Pharaoh, 4th dynasty
Kiosk (from French kiosque, Turkish ksk)
A roof supported by columns or poles
Kit, kite, qite, (qd.t)
weight, one tenth of a deben, about 9 grammes (during the New Kingdom)
Greek period: monetary unit worth one tenth of a deben = 2 drachmas
Kohl (fom Arabic kuhl )
see Meshwesh
Maa-kheru (mAa-xrw )
True of voice, justified. Used for
1) the winning party in a trial,
2) the dead whose heart weighed less than a feather
Maat, Ma'at, Mayet (maA.t)
Goddess of Truth; the world order, justice, proper conduct.
Mafdet
Goddess, symbolizing judicial authority and the execution apparatus
Mammisi (Coptic)
lit. House of Birth, sanctuary attached to a temple; dedicated to the birth of
the child deity of a triad
Mastaba (Arabic mastaba, bench)
Old Kingdom, underground tomb with above ground structure
Maziqda
38 hin, about 19 litres
Medjay
Nubian mercenaries since the First Intermediary Period, police under Ahmose
I and his successors
Megiddo
Important Canaanite town, site of battle
Meh-ta (mH-tA)
Area measure, 100 cubits squared, ca.27 m, New Kingdom
Memphis (Greek), Mennefer, Mof
Old Kingdom capital of Egypt (near Cairo)
Menat (mnj.t)
1) Musical instrument, castanet;
Nekhakha (nxx)
see flagellum
Nekhbet
Goddess of Upper Egypt represented in the form of a vulture
Nekhekh (nxx)
see flagellum
Nekhen, Hierakonpolis
Ancient southern capital
Nephthys, Nepthys, Nebt-Het
Goddess, wife of Seth
Neshmet (nSm.t)
The barque of Osiris
Nilometer
Place, generally with column, where the height of the Nile could be measured
Nitocris, Nitokris
daughter of Psammetic I, 26th dynasty, Wife of the God Amen
NK
New Kingdom
Nomarch (Greek)
Ruler of a nome
Nome (from Greek nomos division)
Administrative region
Nub (nb)
Gold
Nubia, Wawat
Region above the first cataract, occupied by Egypt during the 2nd Millennium
BCE
Nun
Primordial god of water and fertility, depicted as a green or blue man
Nut
Goddess of the sky
O
Obol
Greek coin, one sixth of a drachma, divided into 8 chalkoi
Ogdoad (from Latin, Greek for eight)
The eight primeval gods of creation: Nun and Naunet, Kuk and Kauket, Huh
and Hauhet, Amen and Amaunet
Oipe (jp.t)
Measure of capacity, 4 heqat, about 20 litres (NK to Roman times)
OK
Old Kingdom
On, Heliopolis (Greek)
Main temple of the sun god Re
Opening of the Mouth
ceremony performed for a deceased person
Osiris, Asr, Ausar
God of Duat, consort of Isis. Equated with the Greek Dionysos
Ostracon, Ostrakon (Greek)
a pottery sherd used for writing or sketching on, plural ostraka
P
Pabi
Ruler of Lachish, contemporary of Akhenaten
Paramon (Greek)
In the Hellenist culture the obligation of a freed slave to perform services for
Pre-dynastic, predynastic
Prehistoric period, 5500 to 3050 BCE
Prehirwonnef
Son of Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari, served in the army
Pronaos (from Greek)
Room leading to the naos
Proto-dynastic, protodynastic
Period 3200 to 3050, also called Late Gerzean
Prophet (from Greek)
Hm nTr, lit. servant of the god, Head priest
Psammetichos, Psammetic, Psamtek, Psamtik
Three pharaohs, 26th dynasty
Pseudoepigrapha (Greek)
Writings of a later date than purported, often attributed to an ancient
authority like a pharaoh
Pshent
the double crown of the united Egypt
Ptach, Ptah
Creator god, Hephaestos to the Greeks
Ptahhotep
vizier under Djedkare (5th dynasty), putative author of instructions of wisdom
Punt
Apparently a region in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia and/or southern Arabia. At
times identified with God's Land.
Pylon
Massive structure at the entrance of a temple complex
Pyramid texts
Red crown
Deshret (dSr.t), the crown of Lower Egypt
Rekhmire
Mayor and vizier under Thutmose III and Amenhotep II, famous tomb
(Regulation laid upon the vizier)
Remen (rmn)
1) Square measure, Ta, divided into two heseb ;
2) Linear measure. above all as Double remen, divided into 40 digits - almost
75 cm
3) Linear measure. 50 cubits
Rensi
governor, possibly fictional, mentioned in the story of the Eloquent Peasant
Retenu, Rezenu
The region occupied today by Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel
Rib-Addi
Ruler of Byblos, contemporary of Akhenaten
Rosetau, Rasetjau
Place in the Afterlife, the Underworld, realm of Sokar
S
Sabgu
The planet Mercury
Sah (sAH)
The constellation of Orion, associated with Osiris
Sakkara, Saqqara
Burial ground near Memphis
Sarcophagus (Greek sarx + phagos, flesh eating)
Stone coffin
Sau
Apotropaic amulet
Scarab
1) Dung beetle
2) Amulet in the form of a dung beetle
Sebakhin, Sebbakhin (Arabic)
Decayed mud brick used as fertilizer by modern fellahin
Sechmet, Sekhmet
Goddess of love and protection, cf. Hathor
Sed Festival, Heb Sed (Hb-sd)
Celebration of the 30th anniversary of a pharaoh's rule, sometimes
celebrated after a shorter time period
Senet (zn.t)
Board game
Seniu (sniw, until the New Kingdom Sna)
Weight, one twelfth of a deben, 7.6 grammes (New Kingdom)
Senmut, Senemut
Minister and favourite of Queen Hatshepsut
Senusert, Senusret, Senwosret, Sesostris
Three Middle Kingdom pharaohs, 12th dynasty
Serdab (cellar in Arabic)
Old Kingdom underground funerary chapel with a statue of the deceased,
contains small openings possibly to enable the ka to participate in the
prayers and sacrifices.
Serekh (srx)
Written symbol of kingship in the shape of a palace (see the Narmer Palette)
Serpopards (from Greek)
5 pharaohs reigning during the 3rd Intermediate Period, 22th and 23th
dynasty
Shu
God, often identified with Heracles by the Greeks
Shuwardata
Ruler of Keilah, contemporary of Akhenaten
Sile
Town on the eastern border of the Delta (Tell Abu Seify), possibly identical
with Zaru
SIP
Second Intermediate Period
Sistrum, Seistron
Musical instrument, rattle
Snefru, Sneferu, Snofru
Old Kingdom Pharaoh, 4th dynasty
Solar boat, ~ ship, ~ barque
Boat used by the sun god to cross the sky
Sopdet (spd.t), Greek Sothis
Goddess, embodiment of the star Sirius
Speos (Greek for 'cave')
Temple cut into rock
Sphinx (Greek)
Statue with lion's body and human or animal head
Stat (sTA.t)
see Setchat
Stater
Also tetradrachma, Greek 4 drachma coin
Teti
6th dynasty pharaoh
Thebes, No, Waset, Wese
New Kingdom capital of Egypt, centre of the Amen cult
Thoth, Thot, Toth, Tehuti, Djehuti
God of wisdom, his main temple was at Hermopolis, Hermes Trismegistus to
the Greeks
Thuthmose, Thutmose, Thutmosis, Tuthmosis
1) Four New Kingdom pharaohs, 18th dynasty;
2) Famous artist active under Akhenaten (Bust of Nefertiti)
TIP
Third Intermediate Period
Tiye
Wife of Amenhotep III, daughter of Yuya and Tuyu, mother of Akhenaten
Triad (from Greek 'trias' for three)
Three related gods - the Theban Triad, the Triad of Abydos, the Triad of
Memphis
TT
Theban Tomb, together with a number used by archaeologists to identify
ancient tombs at Thebes
Tumilat, Tamilat
Wadi connecting the easternmost arm of the Nile to the Bitter Lakes
Tushratta
King of Mitanni, first half of the 14th century BCE
Tutanchamen, Tutanchamun, Tutankhamen, Tutankhaten, Tutankhamun
New Kingdom pharaoh, 18th dynasty
Two lands
The united land of Upper and Lower Egypt, since the New Kingdom also
referred to as Kemet
Tyet, Tet, The Blood of Isis, The Buckle of Isis
Symbol associated with Isis, amulet made of red semi-precious stone
U
Uat. Uto
Goddess identified with the Greek Leto, her centre of worship was Buto
Ubasti
see Bast
Udjat, Wedjat (wAD.t)
The eye of Horus, amulet
Unas, Weni, Wenis
Old Kingdom pharaoh, 5th dynasty
Uni
see Weni
Upuaut, Wepwawet
Guardian god in the shape of a canine
Uraeus (from Greek, from Egyptian jAr.t )
Symbolic cobra, part of the headdress of pharaohs and gods.
Userkaf
First king of the fifth dynasty
Usertesen
See Senusret
Ushabti
see shabti
V
Valley of the Kings
Pharaonic burial site near Thebes during the New Kingdom, modern name for
ancient "The Great and Majestic Necropolis of the Millions of Years of the
Pharaoh, L.P.H., in the West of Thebes" or "The Great Field"
Valley of the Queens
Burial site of queens near Thebes
Vizier (from Arabic wazeer)
Egyptian tjati, the Arabic word for the chief minister, generally used in the
context of pharaonic Egypt
Voussoir (French from Latin volsorium)
Wedge shaped stone used for building arches
W
Wadjet (wAD.t), also wedjat, uzat
Lunar eye of Horus. The uraeus of Re. Often used in amulet form to protect
from the evil eye
Was sceptre (wAs)
Symbol of well-being and happiness
Waset, Wese
see Thebes
Wawat
see Nubia
Wedjahorresnet
Physician, Persian period
Wenamen, Wenamun, Wen-Amun, Wen-Amen, Wen-amen
20th dynasty priest sent to Byblos to buy timber
Weni, Wenis
see Unas
Weni, Uni
6th dynasty official, governor of Upper Egypt, served under a number of
pharaohs
Wepwawet
Upuaut
White crown
the crown of Upper Egypt
X
Xerxes
Persian king and pharaoh of Egypt (585-546 BCE)
Y
Yarsu
Syrian, sometimes identified with Merneptah Siptah's chancellor Bay.(19th
dynasty)
Yuya
high official under Thutmose IV, husband of Tuyu
Z
Zaphnathpaaneah, Zaphnath-paaneah
according to the bible the Egyptian name of Joseph
Zaru, Thalu, Tjaru
A town in the Delta on the eastern frontier, possibly identical with Sile
Zoser
see Djoser