Authors: Gill Harvey
Next World
The place ancient Egyptians believed they would go after death. It would be better than this world, of course, but quite similar – which was why they needed to take their bodies and many possessions with them.
Nubian
Someone from the region of Nubia, directly to the south of Egypt.
papyrus
A kind of reed that used to grow in the marshes alongside the Nile, especially in the Delta region to the north. It was made into many things – mats, baskets, sandals and even boats – but it is most famous for the flat sheets of ‘paper’ made from it, which are named after the reed.
pharaoh
The ancient Egyptian term for their king. It was only used by the Egyptians themselves in the later stages of their history, but we now use it to refer to any ancient Egyptian king.
Red Land
The desert, the land of the dangerous god Seth. It was greatly feared by the Egyptians because it was impossible to live there.
scarab
A kind of dung beetle that was worshipped by the Egyptians. Scarab amulets were thought to give great protection. The scarab was the creature of the god Khepri (see the Gods and Goddesses section).
Sea People
The name given to waves of people who tried to invade Egypt from the Mediterranean Sea during the New Kingdom.
senet
A popular board game in ancient Egypt. Players had to throw sticks to decide how many squares they could move their pieces.
side-lock
The tuft of hair that boys kept long as part of their hairstyle. The rest of the head was shaved. Once they grew up, the side-lock was shaved off.
temple
Temples were a very important focus for the ancient Egyptian religion. There were cult temples for the worship of a particular god, and mortuary temples for the worship of a king after his death.
terebinth
A small tree that produces a substance called turpentine (a kind of resin with many uses).
turquoise
A green-blue semi-precious stone that was mined by the Egyptians in Sinai. They used it to make beautiful objects, inlays and jewellery.