Special Sub-Topic: Act Like an Egyptian Click Here To Play: Act Like an Egyptian

The word "Aigyptos" is the root from which the Western name for Egypt originated, but what did the Egyptians themselves call their land?

Khemet. Aigyptos is Greek and is actually derived from the Egyptian name for the city of Memphis, Hiku-Ptah. Kush is an area below the third cataract of the Nile that was intermittenly part of the Egyptian empire. It is also called Nubia. Misr or Masr is the Arabic word for Egypt.

We all know what "appearing" means, but what did it mean to the Ancient Egyptians?

Dawning of a god or coronation of king. It was also known as a Window of Appearance and it was often included in New Kingdom palaces and buildings. From it the pharoah would "appear" and greet the people as well as give out honors to those who were worthy. And as it represented the manifestation of a deity, it was often included in the naming of buildings or important objects.

In all Egyptian burials, the pharoah is seen holding a crook and a flail to denote his divinity and power over the people. What was the crook called?

Awet. The Awet was regarded as a way of symbolizing the pharoah watching over his flock and protecting them from harm. It came from the shepherd god Andjeti and the god Osiris.

Akhenaten was known as the "heretic pharaoh" due to his rejection of the traditional Egyptian pantheon. He even went as far as to change his given name to accomodate his new religion. What was his original name?

Amenhotep IV. He was the son of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiy. He was the first monotheistic pharoah, worshipping one god, the Aten, and no others. He ordered attacks on the cults of other deities and destroyed their temples. He moved the capital from Thebes and established it at another city called Akhetaten (modern Tell-el-Amarna). His name means "He who is of service to Aten".

This is the site of Ramesses II's famous mortuary temple that was dedicated to the gods Re-Horakthy and Amon.

Abu Simbel. Looking at this shrine, it is obvious that Ramesses II had a very high opinion of himself. The temple boasts four, 65ft tall statues of Ramesses at the entrance as well as a hall 58 by 54ft within. This monument actually had to be relocated after the construction of the Aswan Dam flooded the Abu Simbel site. The whole structure was moved piece by piece to a higher site.

"Amenemhet's Instructions" is a famous commemorative, written by the 12th Dynasty pharoah and dedicated to his son. Just what were they instructions for?

The duties of a king. This was an interesting and somewhat extraordinary document. It took the form of a dead king counseling his son on how to rule. It was the first document in the world to explicitly state the duties of a king and royal obligations. It particularly emphasized the dangers of being a weak king. His son and heir was Senwosret I, who heeded his instructions and was a successful ruler of Egypt for 45 years.

Are Re and Amon-Re the same god?

y. Amon was the only god to have created himself and then formed all of the other gods. When he left the earth to reside in heaven, he became Re. This joining took place in the New Kingdom, where he became the most powerful deity. He was revered throughout Egypt as is apparent in the names of many of the pharoahs: Tutankhamun, Amunmesses, Amenhotep, etc.

The ankh was a symbol of eternal life and, like Amon, was included in names of important personages. Unfortunately for Tutankhamun, having it as part of his name didn't save him from an early death. What was the name of the boy king's equally "ankh-ish" wife?

Ankhesenamon. She was thirteen when Tutankhamun became king (he was only eight). Not much is known of her after his death. She offered the throne of Egypt to one of the sons of King Shuppiluliumash of the Hittites, but the son was murdered on the borders of Egypt. She was then married to Aya, a master of horses in Thebes (who may have been her grandfather). She disappeared from history before Aya's death in 1319 BCE and nothing more is known of her.

The auta was a part of the headdress worn by the kings. It was meant to threaten the enemies of Egypt and was therefore worn on the top of the headdress so it was easily seen. In the shape of what animal was the auta?

cobra & the cobra & snake & a snake. The coiled cobra at the top of the headdress was always shown ready to strike with its hood open. It was a representation of the goddess Wadjet, who was a protector goddess of Lower Egypt.

Akhet was one of the three major seasons of the Egyptian calendar. It was the first of the three. What part of the season did it signify?

The flooding of the Nile. Akhet was the time of the year when the Nile flooded and receded, leaving behind nutrient-rich silt over its floodplains. Next came the growing season, called Proyet. The final part of the season was the harvesting of the crops and was called Shomu.