Authors: Paul Sussman
Manetho
A Graeco-Egyptian priest whose
Aegyptiaca,
or History of Egypt, is a crucial source for the study of ancient Egypt. The original work has not survived and it is only known from passages quoted by other ancient writers. Almost nothing is known about Manetho himself save that he lived in the city of Sebennytos in the Nile Delta in the third century
BC
.
Manshiet Nasser
A district of Cairo, at the eastern extremity of the city. Home to the Zabbaleen, Cairo’s rubbish collectors. It is one of the few places in the city where you will see pigs.
Mashhad
Second-largest city in Iran and one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam.
Meh-nsw
(pl.
meh-nswt
) An ancient Egyptian measurement, the Royal Cubit, equivalent to 525 mm.
Midan Tahrir
Literally, ‘Liberation Square’. A vast open space in central Cairo and the hub of the city.
Middle Kingdom
One of the three great Kingdoms of ancient Egypt. Comprising Dynasties 11-14, it lasted
c.
2040-1640
BC.
Mnevis Bull
A bull worshipped at the sun temple of Iunu. Seen as the embodiment of the supreme god Ra-Atum.
Molocchia
An Egyptian dish made from stewed mallow leaves. Similar to spinach.
Mubarak, Hosni
President of Egypt since 1981. Born 1928. His wife, Susan, is a well-known philanthropist.
Muezzin
Mosque official who summons the Islamic faithful to prayer five times daily.
Nakht
An ancient Egyptian scribe whose tomb on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor is painted with beautiful scenes of Egyptian daily life, including female musicians and dancers.
Naqada
A pre-dynastic culture named after the town of Naqada – ancient Nubt – where its remains were first identified (by English archaeologist Flinders Petrie). The Naqada era lasted
c.
4400-3000
BC
and was crucial to the development of a unified Egypt.
Nasser, Gamal Abdel
Second President of Egypt, from 1956 to 1970. He was one of the leaders of the Egyptian Revolution of 23 July 1952, and a key figure in twentieth-century Arab politics. Lived 1918-1970.
Necropolis
Literally, ‘city of the dead’. A burial ground.
Nefertiti
Great royal wife of the Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten. The name means ‘The Beautiful One has Come’.
Neith
Principal royal wife – and half-sister and cousin – of the Sixth Dynasty pharaoh Pepi II. Neith is also the name of an ancient Egyptian war goddess.
Neolithic
Literally, ‘new stone’. The final and most recent phase of the Stone Age era. In Egypt it lasted
c.
6000-3500
BC,
although there remains considerable debate about exact dating.
Newbold, Sir Douglas
British explorer who travelled extensively through the Libyan desert while serving with the Sudan Political Service in the 1920s and 1930s. Lived 1894-1944.
New Kingdom
The last of the three great Kingdoms of ancient Egypt. Comprising Dynasties 18-20, it lasted
c.
1550-1070
BC.
Some of the most famous pharaohs of Egyptian history such as Tutankhamun and Ramesses II ruled during the New Kingdom.
New Valley Governate
One of the administrative/governmental regions of Egypt, covering the south-west of the country and including the oases of Kharga, Dakhla and al-Farafra, as well as the Gilf Kebir. Its capital is at Kharga.
Nine Bows
The traditional enemies of ancient Egypt.
Nisu
The word used by ancient Egyptians to denote a king or ruler. Pharaoh – from
Per-aa,
’Great House’ – only started to be used during the Eighteenth Dynasty (
c.
1550-1307
BC
).
Nomarch
Ancient Egypt was divided into forty-two
nomes,
or administrative districts, each presided over by a nomarch. In times of governmental collapse nomarchs often broke from central authority and ruled as lords in their own right.
The Nose
A climbing route up El-Capitan in Yosemite National Park. One of, if not the most famous rock climbs in the world.
Nut
Ancient Egyptian goddess of the heavens and the sky.
Old Kingdom
The first of the three great Kingdoms of ancient Egypt. Comprising Dynasties 4-8, it lasted
c.
2575-2134
BC.
It was during the Old Kingdom that the Pyramids were built.
Omm
Arabic for mother.
Osiris
Ancient Egyptian god of the underworld.
Ostracon
(pl.
ostraca
) Piece of pottery or limestone bearing an image or text. The ancient equivalent of a doodle-pad or Post-It note.
Oxyrhynchus
A unique archaeological site near modern el-Bahnasa in Middle Egypt. Ancient rubbish dumps have yielded huge numbers of Greek papyri from the Late Period of Egyptian history, including previously lost or unknown fragments of ancient plays, poems and early Christian writings.
Palaeolithic
Literally, ‘old stone’. The earliest phase of the Stone Age of human development, when humans were still itinerant hunter-gatherers. In Egypt it lasted
c.
700,000-10,000
BC,
although there remains considerable discussion on precise dating.
Pepi II
Sixth Dynasty pharaoh. Last great ruler of the Old Kingdom. His full royal title was Nefer-ka-Re Pepi. Ruled
c.
2246-2152
BC,
the longest recorded rule of any monarch in history.
Peret
One of the three seasons into which the ancient Egyptian year was divided (the others were
Akhet
and
Shemu
).
Peret
was the season of planting and growth, and lasted roughly from October to February.
Petrie, William Matthew Flinders
Archaeologist and Egyptologist. Worked extensively in Egypt and Palestine and established many of the basic ground rules of modern archaeology. Nicknamed ‘the father of pots’ for his interest in ancient pottery. Lived 1853-1942.
Petroglyph
An image or symbol inscribed into rock.
Piastre
Basic unit of Egyptian currency. A hundred piastres make one Egyptian pound.
Pitch
A section of a climb between two ‘belays’ or secure anchoring points.
Piton
A steel or alloy peg driven into a rock crack to provide support and protection for climbers.
Pre-dynastic
The period immediately prior to the emergence of pharaonic Egypt, when the basic elements of Egyptian civilization gradually developed and coalesced.
Ptah
Ancient Egyptian god of craftsmen and artisans, sacred to the city of Mennefer (Memphis). In some Egyptian mythologies he is considered the supreme creator god. Represented as mummiform figure with a beard and tight-fitting skullcap.
Pylon
Monumental entrance or gateway with trapezium-shaped towers standing in front of a temple.
Ra
(or
Re
) Ancient Egyptian sun god. The supreme deity.
Ra-Atum
A conflation of the sun god Ra and the creator god Atum.
Re-Horakhty
Ancient Egyptian god combining the attributes of Ra and Horus, one of the state gods of the New Kingdom. Usually depicted as a man with the head of a hawk or falcon.
Relief
An image or text carved from a flat stone surface. In bas – or raised-relief the image stands out from the stone. In sunken relief it is cut into the stone.
Rohlfs, Friedrich Gerhard
German geographer, adventurer and explorer. Travelled extensively in the Sahara, making a landmark south-north crossing of the Great Sand Sea in 1874. Lived 1831-1896.
Sahebee
My friend (from
Saheb,
friend).
Saidi
A native of Upper (or southern) Egypt. Saidis tend to be darker skinned than those from Lower (northern) Egypt.
Sais
Word often placed before names in Egyptian Arabic as a form of polite address.
Sanusi
A Muslim religious order founded in the nineteenth century and centred mainly in Libya.
Sarcophagus
Literally, ‘flesh eater’. A large stone receptacle in which a corpse or coffin is placed.
Scarab
A dung beetle. Considered sacred in ancient Egypt.
Selima Sand Sheet
A vast area of mainly flat sand covering some 60,000 sq. km in southern Egypt and northern Sudan.
Senwosret I
Twelfth Dynasty (Middle Kingdom) pharaoh. Ruled
c.
1971-1926
BC.
Seshat
Ancient Egyptian goddess of writing, arithmetic, architecture and astronomy.
Set
God of storms, chaos, darkness and the desert. Depicted with a human body and the head of some indeterminate animal.
Seti I
Nineteenth Dynasty (New Kingdom) pharaoh, father of Ramesses II. Ruled
c.
1306-1290
BC.
Shaal
A large scarf, similar to a shawl.
Shedeh
A form of wine made from red grapes. Highly prized in ancient Egypt.
Shepen
The opium poppy. Used medicinally by the ancient Egyptians to induce drowsiness.
Shia
One of the two main denominations of Islam (the other being Sunni Islam). While Shias and Sunnis share the same basic precepts of faith, there are certain key differences. Primarily the Shia believe that on the death of the Prophet Muhammad leadership of the Muslim community should have passed to his cousin/son-in-law Ali, rather than his friend and adviser Abu Bakr. For the Shia, spiritual authority resides solely with the immediate family of the Prophet Muhammad, and with imams appointed directly by God. The name is a shortening of the Arabic
shia’atu ali –
the followers, or party of Ali. Only about 10-15 per cent of Muslims are Shia, although they are a majority in Iran and Iraq.
Shisha
A water pipe. Found in cafés and private homes throughout Egypt and the Middle East.
Shukran awi
Thank you very much.
SMIEEE
Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Sobek
Ancient Egyptian deity depicted with the body of a man and the head of a crocodile. As well as being the god of the Nile, Sobek was regarded as the protector of the pharaoh and the gods Ra and Set.
Solo
Climbing alone, without companions.
Stark, Freya
Female traveller, explorer and writer, famous for her ground-breaking journeys through the Middle East and Arabia. She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1972. Lived 1893-1993.
Stele
Upright block of stone or wood carrying images and inscriptions.
Sunni
The larger of the two main denominations of Islam, accounting for about 85 per cent of Muslims worldwide. Sunnis regard Abu Bakr, the First Caliph, as the legitimate successor of the Prophet Muhammad, and believe that any worthy man can lead the faithful, irrespective of lineage or background.
Supreme Council of Antiquities
Part of Egypt’s Ministry of Culture. Responsible for all archaeology, monuments and conservation within Egypt.
Taamiya
A form of Egyptian falafel.
Talatat
Standardized blocks of decorated stone used in the temple-building programme of the pharaoh Akhenaten (
c.
1353-1335
BC
). Later pharaohs tore down Akhenaten’s temples and re-used the constituent blocks in their own monuments. Almost 40,000 talatat have been recovered from inside the pylons and beneath the floors of the temple complex at Karnak.
Tamam
Good.
Tasian
A Neolithic farming culture, named after Deir Tasa, the site in Upper Egypt where it was first identified. Flourished around 4500
BC.
Tebu
A tribe of Saharan nomads found in Libya and Chad.
Tehran Embassy siege
On 4 November 1979, 300 militant Iranian students stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, rounding up 66 American hostages. A small number were subsequently released, but 52 remained in captivity for 444 days. They were eventually freed on 21 January 1981.
Third Dynasty
The last of the three dynasties of the Early Dynastic period. Lasted
c.
2649-2575
BC.
Tin Hinan
A mythical queen of the Tuareg tribe.
Tjaty
Vizier. The highest official in ancient Egypt.
Torly
An Egyptian casserole of meat – usually lamb or beef – and vegetables.
Touria
Hoe. Used extensively in Egyptian agriculture and archaeology.
Tuareg
A nomadic tribe descended from the Berbers of North Africa. They inhabit the desert regions of Mali, Niger and southern Algeria and are distinguished by their blue robes.
Tura
A large prison just outside Cairo.
Turin King List
A hieratic papyrus, thought to date from the reign of Ramesses II (1290-1224
BC
), containing a list of all the rulers of ancient Egypt up to the New Kingdom. Although badly damaged and incomplete it is a crucial tool for the chronology of Egyptian kings. It was discovered in 1822 by the Italian traveller Bernardino Drovetti and is displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Turin.
Tutankhamun
Eighteenth Dynasty (New Kingdom) boy-king who ruled
c.
1333-1323
BC.
His almost intact tomb, found in 1922 by English archaeologist Howard Carter, is the greatest discovery in the history of Egyptian archaeology.
UAV
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
USAID
United States Agency for International Development. US government organization that offers financial and infrastructure assistance to the world’s poorer countries.
Wadi
Arabic word for a valley and/or a dried-up river bed.
Wadjet
An Egyptian protective symbol representing the eye of the hawk-god Horus.