Vocabulary: ancient egypt
Know and use the key vocabulary of ancient Egypt — pharaoh, pyramid, tomb, mummy/mummification, hieroglyphs, papyrus, sarcophagus, canopic jar, natron, archaeologist, artefact, Nile, delta, irrigation, shaduf, scribe, vizier, obelisk, sphinx, cartouche — and apply these terms accurately when describing Egyptian society, religion, and material culture
What a learner can do afterwards
- Use 'pharaoh', 'pyramid', and 'hieroglyphs' correctly and naturally in a spoken or written account of ancient Egypt
- Explain what mummification is and why the Egyptians did it, using 'sarcophagus', 'canopic jar', and 'natron'
- Use 'archaeologist' and 'artefact' correctly when discussing how we know about ancient Egypt
The lesson
Ancient Egypt used special words we still use today. A pharaoh was the king. A vizier helped him rule. Scribes wrote in hieroglyphs on papyrus. A ruler's name went inside an oval called a cartouche.
When a pharaoh died, his body became a mummy. Priests dried it with a salt called natron. Then they wrapped it in cloth. The body went inside a stone sarcophagus. His organs were kept safe in canopic jars.
Farmers used the Nile River to grow food in Egypt. Its delta had rich soil near the sea. They used a shaduf to lift water for irrigation. Tall stone towers called obelisks stood near temples. The sphinx was a huge statue with a lion's body.
Archaeologists dig up old things from the ground. Each old object is called an artefact. Artefacts help us learn about ancient Egypt today.
Pharaohs, pyramids, and hieroglyphs are your keys to ancient Egypt.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.