Difference between revisions of "Fellowship of the Secret Word/Glossary"

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==A==
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* [http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/religion/iah.htm| Aah] Iah - Moon sacred to Osiris, Djehuty (Thoth) and Khonsu
 
* Akh (Ax) - at times translated as 'soul', cf. Body and Soul
 
* Akhu, akhet (Ax.t): The blessed dead, ancestors
 
* Amen, Ammon, Amon, Amun, Amoun, Amun-Re or Amen-Re - Main God during the New Kingdom, identified with Zeus by the Greeks
 
* Amenirdis - Wife of the God (High priestess of Amen)
 
* Amenti - Realm of the Dead, cf Duat
 
* Ammit, Ammut -  Chimaera, destroyer of the hearts of dead who were not justified
 
* Amulet - charm or talisman
 
* Anch, ankh (anx) - Symbol of enduring life
 
* Anubis, Anpu, Khenty-Imentiu, Hermanubis - God, conductor of souls
 
* Apis, Serapis, Osiris-Apis - Bull symbolizing fertility venerated at Memphis
 
* Apophis, Apopis, Apep -  The serpent of Chaos, sometimes equated with Seth
 
* Apotropaic (from Greek) - Having the power to avert evil
 
* Atef - Crown worn by Osiris
 
* Aten, Aton - The sun disk, unique god of Akhenaten
 
 
 
==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
 
* 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
 
* Bes, Bisu - Dwarf god
 
* 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.
 
* 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
 
==D ==
 
* 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
 
* Djehuti, Thoth - God of knowledge and wisdom, moon god, identified with Hermes Trismegistus by the Greeks;
 
* Djet (Dt) - Eternity, continuous and linear as opposed to neheh
 
* Duat (dwA.t)
 
    Originally the starry sky.
 
    The Realm of the Dead, populated by the deceased who have become stars. Often somewhat misleadingly referred to as Underworld or Netherworld.
 
==E==
 
* Ennead (from Greek enneas, nine)
 
    A group of nine deities, such as the Ennead of Heliopolis
 
    All the gods of a locality
 
==F==
 
* False door - symbolic door for the ka, painted or carved on a tomb wall
 
==G ==
 
* Geb, Keb - Earth god
 
* 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
 
* Hapi, Hapy
 
    1) God of the Nile;
 
    2) One of the Four Sons of Horus
 
* Hathor - Goddess of sky, love, mirth, beauty and fertility
 
* Heka (HkA) Magic
 
* Horus, Hor, Heru, Hru - Sun god, son of Isis and Osiris
 
* House of Life - Repositories for knowledge in temples
 
==I==
 
* Isfet - disorder, chaos, opposed to Maat
 
* Isis, Auset, Aset, Ast - Goddess of fertility and nature, consort of Osiris. Identified with Demeter and Aphrodite
 
==J==
 
* Judgment of the Dead
 
* Justified - maa-kheru, lit. True of voice, dead person judged favourably Decision by the gods on the afterlife of a person
 
==K==
 
* Ka - Immortal part of a being, but needing nourishment, coming into existence together with the being: the "life force", continuity of existence. Cf. Body and Soul. To go to his ka: to die
 
* 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
 
* 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
 
==L==
 
* Lector priest - Priest reading ritual texts
 
==M==
 
* 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
 
* Menat (mnj.t)
 
    1) Musical instrument, castanet;
 
    2) Broad collar or necklace, attribute of Hathor
 
* Montu, Mont - War god
 
* Mut
 
    1) Mother goddess, often equated with Isis
 
    2) Deceased with often malicious intentions
 
==N==
 
* Natron (from Spanish, originally Greek) - Carbonate salt mixture used in mummifying, found at Wadi Natrun
 
* Necropolis (Greek) - Greek lit. City of the dead, cemetery
 
* Nefer (nfr) - Amulet made of gold, good luck charm
 
* Neheh (nHH) - Eternity, perpetual renewal of cycles, as opposed to djet
 
* Nekhbet - Goddess of Upper Egypt represented in the form of a vulture
 
* Nephthys, Nepthys, Nebt-Het - Goddess, wife of Seth
 
* Neshmet (nSm.t) - The barque of Osiris
 
* Nun - Primordial god of water and fertility, depicted as a green or blue man
 
* Nut - Goddess of the sky
 
==O==
 
* Ogdoad (from Latin, Greek for eight) - The eight primeval gods of creation: Nun and Naunet, Kuk and Kauket, Huh and Hauhet, Amen and Amaunet
 
* 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==
 
* Phoenix (Greek), Bennu bird - Mythological bird (see Bestiary)
 
* Ptach, Ptah - Creator god, Hephaestos to the Greeks
 
==Q==
 
* Qebehsenuef, Kebhsenuf etc - One of the four sons of Horus
 
==R==
 
 
Glossary of ancient Egyptian terms and names
 
The word form in bold type is the one generally used on this site.
 
Some remarks concerning transliteration and pronunciation of ancient Egyptian
 
 
 
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 
 
 
 
A
 
 
 
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; philologically correct for Amenemope (imn-m-ipt)
 
 
 
Amenti
 
    Realm of the Dead, cf Duat
 
 
 
Ammit, Ammut
 
    Chimaera, destroyer of the hearts of dead who were not justified
 
 
 
Amorites, Amurru
 
    People in Retenu (Today's Lebanon and western Syria)
 
 
 
Amratian
 
    Middle pre-dynastic period, 3550 to 3400 BCE, also called Naqada IA and IB
 
 
 
Amulet
 
    Charm
 
 
 
Anch, ankh (anx)
 
    Symbol of enduring life
 
 
 
Anchesenamen, Anchesenamun, Ankhesenamen, Ankhesenamun, Ankhesenaten, Ankhesenpaaten
 
    Wife of Tutankhamen, 18th dynasty
 
 
 
Anchnesmerire, Ankhnesmeryre
 
    Queen, Mother of Pepi II
 
 
 
Anhuret, Anhur, Onuris
 
    Identified with the Greek Ares. His main cult was at Papremis
 
 
 
Ankh
 
    Life, its hieroglyph was often worn as an amulet
 
 
 
Ankhmahor
 
    6th dynasty vizier
 
 
 
Ankhtifi
 
    nomarch in Upper Egypt during the FIP
 
 
 
Anubis, Anpu, Khenty-Imentiu, Hermanubis
 
    God, conductor of souls
 
 
 
Antef
 
    see Intef
 
 
 
Antefoker
 
    Mayor and vizier under Senusret I
 
 
 
Anubis, Anpu
 
    God of the necropolis
 
 
 
Apep
 
    see Apopis
 
 
 
Apepi
 
    Two Hyksos kings
 
 
 
Aphrodite
 
    the Greek equivalent of Hathor
 
 
 
Apis, Serapis, Osiris-Apis
 
    Bull symbolizing fertility venerated at Memphis
 
 
 
Apophis, Apopis, Apep
 
    The serpent of Chaos, sometimes equated with Seth
 
 
 
Apotropaic (from Greek)
 
    Having the power to avert evil
 
 
 
Artaxerxes
 
    2 Persian kings and Egyptian pharaohs (27th dynasty)
 
 
 
Arura, aroura (Greek)
 
    The ground covered by a yoke of ploughing oxen in one day, about 2700 m²
 
 
 
Artaba (Persian)
 
    Dry measure, about 36 litres in classical times, about 27 litres under the Ptolemies.
 
 
 
Aser, Asr, Ausas
 
    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
 
 
 
Corvée (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
 
 
 
Djed pillar, djet pillar (Dd)
 
    Hieroglyph often carried as an amulet, linked to the Osiris myth
 
 
 
Djehuti, Thoth
 
    1) God of knowledge and wisdom, moon god, identified with Hermes Trismegistus by the Greeks;
 
    2) Scribe, general and viceroy under Thutmose III
 
 
 
Djet (Dt)
 
    Eternity, continuous and linear as opposed to neheh
 
 
 
Djoser, Zoser
 
    Old Kingdom pharaoh, 3rd dynasty
 
 
 
Drachma
 
    Greek monetary unit, divided into 6 obols. The standard coin in use was the silver tetradrachma worth four drachmas.
 
 
 
Duat (dwA.t)
 
    Originally the starry sky.
 
    The Realm of the Dead, populated by the deceased who have become stars. Often somewhat misleadingly referred to as Underworld or Netherworld.
 
 
 
Dynasty (from Greek)
 
    Line of hereditary rulers
 
 
 
E
 
 
 
Early dynastic
 
    Historic period, 3050 to 2600 BCE, also called Naqada IIIA1 to IIIC1
 
 
 
Echnaton
 
    see Akhenaten
 
 
 
El Amarna, Al Amarna (Arabic), Akhetaten
 
    Capital of Egypt under Akhenaten, 18th dynasty
 
 
 
Electrum (from Greek)
 
    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)
 
    Goddess of birth in the form of a frog
 
 
 
Her-ka-pet
 
    The planet Saturn
 
 
 
Hermanubis, Anpu, Khenty-Imentiu
 
    see Anubis
 
 
 
Heru
 
    see Horus
 
 
 
Heru-deshret
 
    The planet Mars
 
 
 
Her-wepes-tawy
 
    The planet Jupiter
 
 
 
Heseb (Hsb)
 
    Square measure: One quarter of a tA, divided into 2 sA
 
 
 
Hesire
 
    Overseer over the royal scribes under Djoser (3rd dynasty), physician and dentist
 
 
 
Hierakonpolis (Greek), Nekhen
 
    Ancient southern capital
 
 
 
Hieratic (from Greek hieratikos, priest)
 
    Cursive writing of Hieroglyphs
 
 
 
Hieroglyphics (from Greek hierogluphicos, sacred writing
 
    Egyptian writing using stylized pictures (hieroglyphs)
 
 
 
Hin (hnw)
 
    lit. jar, one tenth of a heqat, about half a litre
 
 
 
Hittites
 
    People of Hatti
 
 
 
Hor
 
    1) Hor, pharaoh, probably 13th dynasty;
 
    2) Hor, priest during the Late Period;
 
    3) Hor, mountain in northern Canaan;
 
    4) see Horus
 
 
 
Horbaf
 
    Son of Khufu (4th dynasty), vizier
 
 
 
Hordjedef, Djedefhor
 
    Son of Khufu (4th dynasty)
 
 
 
Horemheb
 
    New Kingdom general and pharaoh, 18th dynasty
 
 
 
Horus, Hor, Heru, Hru
 
    Sun god, son of Isis and Osiris
 
 
 
Horus name
 
    First of the pharaonic titles, often written in a serekh
 
 
 
Hotep Senusret (Kahun)
 
    Middle Kingdom planned town
 
 
 
House of Life
 
    Repositories for knowledge in temples
 
 
 
Hyksos
 
    The Heqa-khasut, wrongly translated as Shepherd Kings, an Asiatic people, founded a kingdom in Northern Egypt, 15th and 16th dynasties
 
 
 
Hypostyle
 
    (Greek hupostulos, under columns) Building with roof supported by pillars
 
 
 
I
 
 
 
Ikhernofret
 
    Chancellor under Senusret III, (Stela)
 
 
 
Imhotep
 
    High official under of Djoser (3rd dynasty), later deified.
 
 
 
Intef, Antef, Inyotef
 
    Pharaohs of the 11th dynasty
 
 
 
IP
 
    Intermediary Period
 
 
 
Ipet
 
    see harem
 
 
 
Isfet
 
    disorder, chaos, opposed to Maat
 
 
 
Isis, Auset, Aset, Ast
 
    Goddess of fertility and nature, consort of Osiris. Identified with Demeter and Aphrodite
 
 
 
Iteru (jtrw)
 
    1) River-unit, measure of length, 20000 cubits, ca. 10 km, Greek skhoine
 
    2) ca. 2km according to Breasted
 
    3) River, Nile
 
 
 
Ithyphallic (from Greek ithuphallicos)
 
    Having an erect penis, a sign of fertility (depictions of ba-birds, Osiris, Min or Amen, etc)
 
 
 
J
 
 
 
Judgment of the Dead
 
    Decision by the gods on the afterlife of a person
 
 
 
Justified
 
    maa-kheru, lit. True of voice, dead person judged favourably
 
 
 
K
 
 
 
Ka
 
    Immortal part of a being, but needing nourishment, coming into existence 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 kösk)
 
    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 )
 
    Black eyeliner (cf. Cosmetics)
 
 
 
Kubna, Gepen
 
    Egyptian name for Byblos
 
 
 
Kush, Kash
 
    Nubian region above the second cataract
 
 
 
KV
 
    Used by archaeologists together with a number to identify tombs in the Valley of the Kings
 
 
 
L
 
 
 
Labayu
 
    Ruler of Shechem, contemporary of Akhenaten (cf. Amarna Letters)
 
 
 
Lector priest
 
    Priest reading ritual texts
 
 
 
Libu, Ribu
 
    Libyans
 
 
 
Lesonis
 
    Greek for Egyptian mr-Sn, an elected official in charge of the economic management of a temple
 
 
 
LP
 
    Late Period
 
 
 
L.P.H.
 
    Life, prosperity, health (anx wDA snb) [1] - Wish for well-being, added after the names of pharaohs, "prosperity" should rather be "soundness"
 
 
 
Luxor (Arabic el Uksor)
 
    modern village, occupying the southern half of ancient Thebes, Ipet resyt
 
 
 
M
 
 
 
Ma
 
    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 m², New Kingdom
 
 
 
Memphis (Greek), Mennefer, Mof
 
    Old Kingdom capital of Egypt (near Cairo)
 
 
 
Menat (mnj.t)
 
    1) Musical instrument, castanet;
 
    2) Broad collar or necklace, attribute of Hathor
 
 
 
Men, Menes, Min
 
    First pharaoh of the united kingdom according to Herodotus, identified as Hor-aha
 
 
 
Menkaure, Mykerinos
 
    Old Kingdom Pharaoh, 4th dynasty
 
 
 
Menkheperreseneb
 
    High priest of Amon at Karnak, 18th dynasty
 
 
 
Mentuhotep, Montuhotep
 
    4 pharaohs of the 11th dynasty
 
 
 
Mereruka
 
    vizier under Teti (6th dynasty), successor of Kagemni
 
 
 
Meryre, Pepi I, Pepy I
 
    Old Kingdom pharaoh, 6th dynasty
 
 
 
Meryt-Amen
 
    Daughter of Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, wife of Smenkhkare(?)
 
 
 
Meskhenet
 
    Goddess personification of the birthing stone, two bricks placed under the feet of the woman giving birth in a crouching position
 
 
 
Meshwesh (mSwS), Ma
 
    Libyans settled in the Delta during the Third Intermediary Period, mercenaries
 
 
 
Metjen
 
    Official under Snofru (Biography)
 
 
 
Min
 
    Fertility god
 
    Pharaoh, see Menes
 
 
 
Mitanni
 
    Hurrian people living in Naharin (western Mesopotamia), disappeared as an independent nation during the Egyptian New Kingdom
 
 
 
MK
 
    Middle Kingdom
 
 
 
Moeris, Moiris
 
    1) possibly Amenemhet III.
 
    2) Lake Moeris - lake in the Fayum excavated according to Herodotus by Moeris
 
 
 
Montu, Mont
 
    War god
 
 
 
Montuhotep
 
    see Mentuhotep
 
 
 
Mut
 
    1) Mother goddess, often equated with Isis
 
    2) Deceased with often malicious intentions
 
 
 
N
 
 
 
Nagada, Naqada
 
    Settlement 30 km northwest of Thebes. Name for predynastic periods from 3550 to 2600 BCE
 
 
 
Naharin, Naharina
 
    Region in Syria or Lebanon, at times identified with Aram Naharaim, the region between western Tigris and the Euphrates, at others with the region between the Litani and the Orontes.
 
 
 
Naos (Greek naos, temple)
 
    The sanctuary with the divine statues
 
 
 
Narmer
 
    King, thought by many to be the uniter of Upper and Lower Egypt
 
 
 
Natron (from Spanish, originally Greek)
 
    Carbonate salt mixture used in mummifying, found at Wadi Natrun
 
 
 
Naucratis, Naukratis (Greek)
 
    Ionian city in the Delta
 
 
 
Nebamen, Nebamon, Nebamun
 
    Chief of police in western Thebes under Thutmose IV and Amenhoteop III
 
    Superintendent of the grain stores under Thutmose III (cf. Abbott papyrus)
 
 
 
Nebwawi
 
    High Priest of Osiris under Thutmose III (Inscription)
 
 
 
Necho, Neco, Necos, Nekhau
 
    Two pharaohs of the Late Dynastic Period, 26th dynasty
 
 
 
Necropolis (Greek)
 
    Greek lit. City of the dead, cemetery
 
 
 
Nefer (nfr)
 
    Amulet made of gold, good luck charm
 
 
 
Neferkare, Pepi II, Pepy II
 
    Old Kingdom pharaoh, 6th dynasty
 
 
 
Nefertari, Nefertari-Mery-Mut
 
    Main wife of Ramses II
 
 
 
Nefertiti, Nefertete, Nofretete
 
    Wife of Akhenaten
 
 
 
Neferty
 
    Prophet
 
 
 
Neheh (nHH)
 
    Eternity, perpetual renewal of cycles, as opposed to djet
 
 
 
Nehes
 
    see Nubia
 
 
 
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
 
 
 
Paramoné (Greek)
 
    In the Hellenist culture the obligation of a freed slave to perform services for his former master
 
 
 
Paser
 
    1) Viceroy under Ay and Horemheb
 
    2) Mayor and vizier under Sethi I and Ramses II
 
 
 
Pectoral (Latin)
 
    Piece of jewellery covering upper chest
 
 
 
Pelusiac, Pelusian (from Greek)
 
    The easternmost arm of the Nile, named after the town Pelusium
 
 
 
Pediese, Petiese, Pediaset
 
    A number of Late Period priests, cf. The Petition of Pediese
 
 
 
Pepi
 
    Two Old Kingdom pharaohs, 6th dynasty:
 
    1)  Pepi I, Pepy I, Meryre
 
    2)  Pepi II, Pepy II, Neferkare, Son of Pepi I
 
 
 
Peleset
 
    One of the Sea Peoples, the Philistines, settled in Canaan
 
 
 
Peret, Pert, Proit (pr.t)
 
    Season of Growth, from mid November to mid March in Ptolemaic times
 
 
 
Pesesh-kaf (psS-kf)
 
    Ceremonial instrument used in the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony
 
 
 
Pharaoh (via Greek and Hebrew (par'oh) from Egyptian pr-aA - 'Great House')
 
    Since the first millennium BCE king of Egypt,
 
 
 
Phoenix (Greek), Bennu bird
 
    Mythological bird (see Bestiary)
 
 
 
Piankhi, Piye
 
    Pharaoh of the Late Dynastic Period, 25th dynasty
 
 
 
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
 
    Texts written inside pyramids concerning the afterlife of the deceased
 
 
 
Pyramidion (from Greek)
 
    Capstone of a pyramid
 
 
 
Q
 
 
 
Qa'a
 
    Last pharaoh of the first dynasty
 
 
 
Qa'a
 
    High-roofed reception room in Egyptian houses (see The House of Djehutinefer )
 
 
 
Qadesh
 
    see Kadesh
 
 
 
Qebehsenuef, Kebhsenuf etc
 
    One of the four sons of Horus
 
 
 
Qenbet (qnb.t)
 
    Judicial court
 
 
 
Qoseir, Quseir
 
    Port on the Red Sea coast
 
 
 
==R==
 
* Re, Ra - Sun god, Helios to the Greeks, with the cult centre at Heliopolis
 
 
 
==S==
 
* Sabgu - The planet Mercury
 
* Sah (sAH) - The constellation of Orion, associated with Osiris
 
* Sarcophagus (Greek sarx + phagos, flesh eating) - Stone coffin
 
* Sau - Apotropaic amulet
 
* Scarab
 
    1) Dung beetle
 
    2) Amulet in the form of a dung beetle
 
* Sechmet, Sekhmet - Goddess of love and protection, cf. Hathor
 
* Serpopards (from Greek) - Long-necked chimaera of Mesopotamian origin
 
* Seshat - Goddess, her name means 'female scribe'. Perhaps a form of Nephthys
 
* Set, Seth - God of chaos, brother of Osiris
 
* Shabti, Shawabti (?) (mainly New Kingdom), Ushabti (mainly Late Period) - Mummyform statuette of the deceased placed since the Middle Kingdom in tombs to do manual labour
 
* Shu - God, often identified with Heracles by the Greeks
 
* 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
 
* Sphinx (Greek) - Statue with lion's body and human or animal head
 
* Stela, stele (plural stelae or steles) (from Greek) - Monumental stone slab with carvings
 
==T==
 
* Tauret, Taweret, Tauwret - fertility goddess
 
* Tefnut - Goddess of dew and rain
 
* Thoth, Thot, Toth, Tehuti, Djehuti - God of wisdom, his main temple was at Hermopolis, Hermes Trismegistus to the Greeks
 

Latest revision as of 20:25, 5 April 2019

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