Ancient Egypt: Archaic Period and Old Kingdom 3 Quiz

Answer: Scribe

In ancient Egypt the people who wrote for a living were called scribes. Hieroglyphics, perhaps the best known written language that was used in ancient times, was very difficult to learn how to write - and draw! In fact, the word used for "scribe" in ancient Egypt was "sesh", which means "to draw". Due to the nature of the language, a scribe did have to also have artistic ability.

This was a job that was in high demand, as the ancient Egyptians recorded all sorts of information. Even though the position required a lot of learning and education, there were some perks. Being a scribe was a good paying job, and, in addition, scribes did not have to pay taxes or serve in the military.

Answer: Sphinx

Statues of sphinxes in ancient Egypt were typically used to guard entrances to temples or other important places beginning with the Old Kingdom. Perhaps the most famous, the Great Sphinx, stands on the Giza Plateau, and appears to be guarding the pyramid of Khafre, son of the famous (or infamous) Khufu, Smasher of Foreheads.

Some even believe that the man's image on the Great Sphinx is, in fact, the image of Pharaoh Khafre, and that the message given by the giant guardian is that Khafre had the strength and courage of a lion.

While the Great Sphinx, measuring 240 feet long and 66 feet high, may be the largest constructed in ancient Egypt, it was not the only one made. Several smaller versions were sculpted during its long history.

Answer: Scarab

The dung beetle, or scarab, thrives all along the Mediterranean basin. The ancient Egyptians observed the female beetle laying her egg into a ball of dung and rolling the dung ball to a location where it was then buried; when the egg was ready to hatch, the young would then eat its way out of the dung ball. During the Archaic Age, and maybe even before, the ancients formulated a belief that the ball of dung represented the sun (the legs of the beetle do look a bit like sun rays) and the beetle was the force that caused the sun to move across the sky.

The ancient god Khepri, usually pictured with the head of a scarab and body of a man, represented that force that signified not only creation, but also rebirth.

Answer: Ankh

The use of the ankh, a symbol used in hieroglyphic writing, dates to the time of the First Dynasty in ancient Egypt. Visually it is described as a cross with a loop at the top and is sometimes called the "cross of life" or "key of life". The ancient Egyptians believed that if one lived a good life on earth, he would be granted eternal life after death. Tomb art shows that the ankh was carried by gods like Osiris and Isis, and presented to mortals, typically by touching their nose or lips, if they were to be resurrected in the afterlife.

Its presence was believed to have blessed a person with good health and a long life on earth.

Answer: Pyramid

The Old Kingdom in ancient Egypt is also called the Age of Pyramids because of all the pyramid building that took place. Did you know the oldest type of pyramid built was the step pyramid? It looks like a stairway, with seven levels of stone, including the base, that get progressively smaller as they rise up.

The first pyramid, constructed during the Old Kingdom for Third Dynasty Pharaoh Djoser, was intended to serve as his tomb. It was during the Fourth Dynasty that the three famous triangular-shaped pyramids were constructed at Giza.

Although many sources will state that they were also intended to be tombs, there is really no archeological evidence to support this idea as no grave goods or bodies of pharaohs have ever been discovered there.

Answer: Mummy

For centuries the dry climate and hot sands of ancient Egypt created mummies; commoners were typically buried in the sand and their bodies naturally dried. The problem was, however, that this type of burial offered no protection to the body. Ancient Egyptians believed that the physical body had to remain intact in order to have eternal life after death. Once the body was destroyed, perhaps by jackals who dug up its remains, it was not possible to dwell in the afterlife. During the Old Kingdom the ancient Egyptians began to dry out the bodies of those who could afford mummification, using chemicals and other methods to keep it safe, intact, and preserved for the afterlife.

Answer: Polytheism

Historians believe that ancient Egyptian religious beliefs began to develop in prehistoric times, even before the Archaic Period. Each nome, or political division, worshiped its own deity (or deities), and, as they were conquered or united, different gods became part of their religious belief.

In approximately 3100 BC, which is the date that Narmer unified Egypt and the Archaic Period began, priests began to organize the worship of many gods, and by the time of the Old Kingdom, there was a profound belief in Ra, the sun god, as the state religion, and others, such as Osiris, Aten, Isis, and Set.

The polytheistic religion eventually featured many gods, each with their own function, with complex relationships and stories that were believed for over three thousand years.

Answer: Cartouche

The oldest example of a cartouche dates to the Old Kingdom's Third Dynasty; by the time of the Fourth Dynasty it became common practice for kings to enclose the hieroglyphic symbols that spelled their names in an oval in order to mark their property and protect them in life and after death from evil spirits. Those early writers of hieroglyphics had few rules to follow when it came to designing a pharaoh's cartouche; it could be drawn either horizontally or vertically, depending on how its maker thought it looked best. Typically the presence of a cartouche on objects from ancient Egypt mean that they once belonged to royalty. Ancient Egyptians believed that as long as a person's name was written down, he would not be forgotten.

Answer: Linen

There is evidence of a linen cloth industry existing in ancient Egypt around 4,000 years ago during the Archaic Period, so it is safe to assume that the weaving of the cloth goes back even further; the oldest example of linen cloth found so far dates to about 5000 BC.

The ancient Egyptians spun thread from the fibers of the plant, and then wove the threads into cloth. Linen was the perfect cloth for them because it was lightweight and cool. All classes of people wore the same style of clothes, with the main difference being that the wealthy could afford clothes of softer linen, while everyone else wore clothes made of coarser linen. Linen was also used in mummification. Yards and yards of linen, made from recycled clothing, sheets, and the like, would be wrapped around the body after being dipped into preservatives to protect the body in the afterlife.

Answer: Ka

Ancient Egyptians believed that a person's soul was divided into parts; the ba, typically depicted as a bird with a human head, was the part of the soul that was able to pass back and forth between the worlds of the living and dead. It helped to protect living family members.

The ka, sometimes shown as two extended arms, was the part that enjoyed a happy existence in the afterlife, often called the Land of Two Fields, and even consumed food and drink - at least in a figurative way. Each night the ba and the ka would return to the person's tomb; if the body was not intact, the ba and ka could very well be lost, and the person would be forgotten forever.