Egyptian-Glossary-of-Terms.pdf

EGYPTIAN GLOSSARY OF TERMS Afterlife - the ancient Egyptians believed that after death they would live on a perfect world, it they traveled safely through the underworld. Amulet - a piece of jewelry worn as a magical charm to protect the wearer against evil or illness. Ankh - or key of life is an...

EGYPTIAN GLOSSARY OF TERMS Afterlife - the ancient Egyptians believed that after death they would live on a perfect world, it they traveled safely through the underworld. Amulet - a piece of jewelry worn as a magical charm to protect the wearer against evil or illness. Ankh - or key of life is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol used to represent the word for "life" and, by extension, as a symbol of life itself. Book of Dead - a scroll made from papyrus reeds that was buried with the dead. It contained instructions and spells that would ensure a safe passage through the underworld. Canopic Jars - jars used to store internal organs that were removed from the embalmed body of the dead Egyptians to protect them from spells. Cartouche - in Egyptian hieroglyphics and derivatives, an oval frame or frame around the Pharoah's name. Coptic Church - the Christian Church of Egypt, established in the fourth century A.D Crook - a hooked staff which looks very similar to that of a shepherd's. It was one of the pharachs symbols of office (along with the flail and scepter) and it represented kingship Delta- a place at the mouth of a river where the river splits into smaller channels, forming a triangular shape. Demotic - a form of Egyptian writing which replaced hieratic script around the seventh century BC. It was quicker to use than hieratic and was used for legal documents, Embalming - treating a dead body using spices and ointments to preserve it as a mummy. Faience - a glasslike substance made by heating powdered quartz or sand. The ancient Egyptians used faience to make colorful jewelry. Flail- a tool used for threshing grain, which was one of the pharaoh's symbol of office, The fail represented the fertility of ancient Egypt Flax - a plant that is used to make linen cloth, Linen cloth used to wrap the mummified body of the dead. Henna - a reddish hair dye made from a plant that was thought to ward off danger Hieratic - a simple form of hieroglyphics used for everyday by Egyptians for everyday business, letters, and stories. Hieroglyphics - an ancient form of Egyptian writing which uses pictorial symbols to represent objects, ideas, and sounds. In Egyptian writing there were about 700 symbols, mainly used for religious inscriptions and monuments. Kohl - a black powder made from lead ore (known as galena) which was used as make up for the eyes of by the Egyptians. Lotus bud and flower – symbols of purity Mummy - the dead body of an animal which has been preserved by embalming. Natron - a type of salt used to dry out bodies they were embalmed. Necropolis - A cemetery or burial ground of the Ancient Egyptians often near a large city. Anubis was the god of the Necropolis, as well as the god of the embalming and death. Obelisk - a tall stone pillar with four flat sides and a pyramid - shaped top used as a monument. Papyrus - a tall reed-like plant which grew along the bank of the Nile. The Ancient Egyptians used it to make a form of paper, as well as sandals, baskets, ropes, and even boats. Pharaoh - a king of ancient Egypt, The word pharaoh' means 'great house' Pyramid - a large burial tomb with four sloping triangular sides which was built for a pharaoh. Sarcophagus - a stone box containing a coffin. Scarab - a magic symbol in the shape of a dung beetle. It was one of the most powerful symbols because it represented the sun and the rebirth. Serpent – was the badge of royalty Scribe - a person who wrote and read for a living. Scribes often traveled around on behalf of the government, recording information on progress of building projects and the harvest. Senet - an Ancient Egyptian board game. Shaduf - a device used by the Egyptians for raising water from a channel in order to irrigate the land. Silt- a sand, clay, or other soild that is left behind by flowing waters. Sphinx - a mythical monster that combines a human head and woman's bust with the body of a lion, it wan originally an ancient Egyptian motif Underworld - a dangerous land that the Egyptians believed they would have to pass through atter death, before they reach that land they would spend the afterlife. Vulture with Outstretched Wings – symbol of protection. THE ESSENCE OF EGYPTIAN COLOR USAGE (three to four color combinations hinged on red or yellow) Three stylized imagery and limited palette in human's earliest recorded wall decorations were also to become the defining characteristic of the formalized narrative tomb paintings of ancient Egypt, dating from c. 3000 BC. While the hieroglyphics and the Nat human profiles defined the graphic aspect of ancient Egyptian murals for three millennia, color provided the flavor and much of the symbolism. Men's skin almost invariably depicted in red ochre, and women's in yellow ochre; similarly, the landscape of the Nile Valley is repeatedly reduced to simple chromatic elements, yellow desert, green papyrus, and bleached blue sky. In addition to the basic red, yellow, and brown earth colors, white obtained from gypsum and black from soot, the pigments employed by the ancient Egyptians included strong yellow and brown earth colors, white obtain from orpiment (a sulfide arsenic) , blue from lapis lazuli or a high temperature fusion of silica, copper, and powdered calcium; and green from malachite and chrysocolla, or a mixture of the aforementioned yellow and blue pigments - a combination that gave the resulting green a distinctive blue cast Suspended in water soluble gum to create tempera paints and applied as thin washes within red ochre outline drawings on plaster, these pigments dried flat and usually opaque - qualities, like the addiction of black key lines to make figures standout, that were typical of ancient Egyptian decoration. PAINT COLORS were made from powdered minerals and other natural materials. These are just some examples: Black - charcoal Red -ochre White - powdered limestone Blue -copper / cobalt Green -malachite Yellow - iron oxide