Midterm Study Flashcards
what part of ancient egypt is Asyut located?
Upper Egypt
what distinguishes upper from lower egypt?
Upper Egypt is a valley, lower egypt a broad expanse
what distinction is important to the ancient Egyptian world view?
the ideal was the unification between upper egypt and lower egypt
who is horus?
falcon god
who is manetho?
priest in the ptolemaic period who wrote a history of egypt in greek
what languages are written on the rosetta stone?
Middle Egyptian, demotic, greek
what is an ostracon?
a piece of stone or potsherd
what is a state?
a state political organization with certain characteristics
what are the characteristics of a state?
defined territory, population, government, sovereignty, independence, and legitimacy.
does ancient egypt qualify as a state?
yes
when did ancient egypt become a state?
around 3000 bc at the start of the “dynastic period”
what makes egypt unusual among the early states in world history?
it rapidly developed into a large territorial state
what crown does king scorpion wear?
white crown of upper egypt
when did the first unification of egypt happen?
ca. 3000 BCE
why are cemeteries the primary source for the study of social transformations in prehistoric egypt?
their size and contents show differences in wealth and social status
what term is used to indicate administrative subdivisions of egypt?
nome
what is the title used to indicate the highest official in the nome?
nomarch
can nomarchs present a challenge to the unified state?
yes, they can establish local fiefdoms
true or false: the competition between nomes and the unified state is one of the central features of ancient Egyptian history
True
true or false: in kingdom periods the nomes dominate, in intermediate periods the state does
false
does the “state” complicate social interactions or simplify them?
both
when we look at ancient egyptians remains, what do we find?
both
does that mean that state was all powerful in ancient Egypt?
Yes
true or false: only states accomplished “great” things in the ancient Egypt world
false
where were the royal tombs of egypt located?
near the capital city in the westen desert
where was egypt’s old kingdom capital located?
Memphis, which is located in the north of modern-day Cairo, near the Nile delta.
who is merer?
inspector in charge of stone transport
why is merer’s journal important for the study of khufu’s pyramid?
it documents daily how the stons were transported
it reveals how the nile gave access to the pyramid plateau
it shows the organization of the labor force
where is giza located?
Giza is located in Egypt, on the west bank of the Nile River, approximately 20 kilometers southwest of the center of modern-day Cairo
who built the pyramids?
recruited men and women
true or false: the pyramid complex is only for the burial of the King
true
what other elements need to be included in a pyramid complex?
subsidiary burials, valley temple, mortuary temple, causeway
what are characteristics of the old kingdom in egypt?
centralization of power in the person of the king
focus of building activities in area of the capital city
large bureaucracy
ideological harmony
all the above
where is hierakonpolis?
Hierakonpolis, also known as Nekhen, is an ancient city located in Upper Egypt, near the modern-day city of Edfu. It is situated on the west bank of the Nile River, about 100 kilometers south of Luxor.
where is memphis?
located in the north of the country, south of the Nile Delta region.
in what context does the use of force appear in early egyptian royal imagery?
in the context of the unification of upper and lower egypt
what was the political organization of the area south of egypt (nubia) starting in the first intermediate period?
the region was not politically unified at all
what is the purpose of an execration text?
to ward off the potential threats of foreigners magically
what is the basic attitude toward the foreign shown in execration texts?
the foreign is considered a threat
during the 2nd intermediate period what was the political situation in egypt?
the power was held by 3 competing groups: thebans, hyksos, and nubians
why did gold play a central role in egypts interactions with its peers?
egypt had a monopoly on gold mining
how deos the acknowledgment of equals, “brothers”, among foreign rulers present a challenge to the Egyptian ideal of kingship?
in egyptian ideology there could only be one king at a time, so the diplomatic language was for international use only
what major state did egypt encounter in northern Syria during its expansion in the early 18th dynasty?
Mittanni
what was the political orgaization in the syro-palestinian region, between egypt and mitanni? choose the correct answer below
divided into small kingdoms
what are the amarna letters?
clay tablets with the royal correspondence of egypt written in babylonian
who controlled the 2nd cataract forts during the 2nd intermediate period?
nubians
what is the meaning of the term C-group?
the archaeological culture in lower nubia during the 1st intermediate period and the middle kingdom
