first civilisations quiz Flashcards
gilgamesh
legendary Sumerian king who was the hero of an epic collection of mythic stories
enkidu
companion and friend of gilgamesh
hairy-bodied and brawny
he was raised by animals
ishtar
mesopotamian goddess of love, sex, prostitution, and war
humbaba
the fearsome demon who guards the Cedar Forest forbidden to mortals
uta-napishti
survived great flood
was granted immortality by the gods
tells Gilgamesh how to get plant that bestows immortality
bull of heaven
sent by ishtar to earth to harm gilgamesh and enkidu, but is instead killed by the two heroes
tigris and euphrates
two rivers that form the outside border of mesopotamia
helped form the Fertile Crescent
urshanabi
ferryman who travels daily across the sea of death to the home of uta-napishti
uruk
one of the first and largest cities of ancient mesopotamia
gilgamesh built the walls surrounding it
nun
the god of the primordial waters
said to be the source of the nile
amun
god of air and wind, fertility god, eventually merges with the god, Ra
ra
the sun god
famous for his battles with Apep
later merges with the god Amun
horus
God of the sky, son of Osiris and Isis, defeats his uncle, Set, in an epic battle for the throne
set
God of deserts, disorder, and violence, brother of Osiris, battles his nephew, Horus, for the throne
osiris
Egyptian god of the underworld and judge of the dead, his death and resurrection are closely tied to the flooding of the Nile
isis
goddess of motherhood, wife of Osiris, resurrects Osiris when he is killed by Set
anubis
God of mummification and embalming, dwells in the underworld, Duat, depicted with the head of a jackal
thoth
God of wisdom, knowledge and writing, depicted with the head of an Ibis
ma’at
Embodiment of truth, balance, and order, oversees the weighing of the heart ceremony, directly in opposition to Apep
ptah
God of craftsmen and architects, speaks the universe into existence in the Memphite creation myth
Sobek
God of power and military prowess, seen as a protective deity, depicted with the head of a crocodile
Hathor
Goddess of love, the mother of pharoahs and kings, often depicted as a cow
Nut, Shu, and Geb
Egyptian gods of sky, air and earth, respectively
Ammitt
Demoness, devourer of souls, punisher of the wicked, eats the heart of those who are denied entry into Aaru (Field of Reeds)
Ka
Part of the soul that represents one’s vital essence, lost in death, is rejoined with the Ba after navigating the Duat to form the Akh
Ba
Part of the soul that represents one’s personality, travels through the Duat after death, depicted as a bird with a human head, joins with Ka to form the Akh
The Weighing of the Heart
The ceremony that Egyptians believed decided whether a person’s soul moved onto the afterlife, overseen by Ma’at and other gods
Duat
Egyptian underworld, depicted as a winding river or labyrinth
Apep
The serpent of chaos, tries to kill Ra every night as he crosses the Duat, directly in opposition to Ma’at
Aaru (Field of reeds)
Egyptian paradise, the Ka of the Nile River, depicted as a lush and fertile land, originally reserved only for pharoahs
Akh
Combination of Ba and Ka, represents the final and perfect form of the soul
Ra’s Crossing of the Duat
The sun god, Ra’s nightly journey across the duat, must fight off Apep in order to rise again for the next day
Forty-Two Assessors of Ma’at
The judgement panel that hears the soul’s negative confession, helps determine the fate of one’s soul
Lake of Fire
One of several gates of Duat, surrounded by baboons and braziers, Ra must travel through it on his journey across the Duat
Hermopolitan Creation Myth
Creation myth associated with the Ogdoad, begins with Ra emerging from a lotus flower
Heliopolitan Creation Myth
Creation myth associated with Atum and his bodily fluids, the Ennead is the focal group of gods
Memphite myth
Creation myth associated with Ptah as he speaks the universe into existence, Found inscribed onto the Shabaka Stone
Theban creation myth
The Creation myth associated with Amun, largely follows the Hermopolitan myth
Osiris’ death
Occurs when Set tricks this god into a coffin and tosses him into the Nile
Hippopotamus Challenge
Occurs when Set and Horus turn into animals, dive into the Nile, and see who can hold their breath the longest, ends when Isis starts throwing spears at them
Isis and Horus’s Trick
Occurs when Isis spikes Set’s lettuce with Horus’s semen, this is what eventually allows Horus to defeat Set for the kingship
The Nile river
The lifeblood of Ancient Egypt
