Cities and Sites of Ancient Egypt Quiz

Answer: Saqqara

In early Egypt, many pharaohs remained buried at Abydos (the traditional burial site before the unification of Egypt). However, they would leave a cenotaph, such as a pyramid or mastaba, at Saqqara.

Answer: Hierakonpolis

Hierakonpolis is also known as Nekhen. Few buildings or structures remain there because they were mostly made of mud brick and did not weather 6,000 years of time. Despite this, there have been many archaeological finds--particularly ancient pottery.

Answer: Memphis

Memphis can be found at the mouth of the Nile Delta just outside of the modern capital of Cairo. During its time it was very powerful commercially and culturally.

Answer: Heliopolis

Heliopolis is actually the Greek name for the city representing its association with sun worship. The most famous monuments taken from the Heliopolis site are Cleopatra's Needles, which are now in New York, London, and Paris. Like other sites in this area, much of Heliopolis was destroyed by later inhabitants of the Nile delta.

Answer: Karnak

Karnak actually consists of four temples. The main one is dedicated to Amun-Ra. The other three are dedicated to Mut (his consort), Mentju and a dismantled one built by Akhenaton.

Answer: Avaris

This site was only identified in the mid to late 1900s. There is not much left of the city. These ruins are found near the city of Tell-el-Daba. The later city of Pi-Ramesses is believed to be one of the Egyptian cities mentioned in the Bible.

Answer: Elephantine

The origin of the name is disputed, but there are guesses that it was named so because it is shaped like an elephant or because it used to be a major trading point for ivory. This city was both a place of worship as well as a defensive fortress. Some of the ruins of this city have survived.

Answer: Crocodilopolis

Crocodilopolis was the center of worship for the god Sobek who was depicted as a crocodile. In ancient times, the city always kept a sacred crocodile called Petsuchos. When the Petsuchos died it was mummified and buried at a special site.

Answer: Deir el-Bahri

Hatshepsut was an 18th Dynasty pharaoh and Mentjuhotep was an 11th dynasty pharaoh. Hatshepsut's tomb is far more impressive and larger. It, however, was designed around the same basis as Mentjuhotep's. Mentjuhotep's tomb was also used as a model for the temple complex at Karnak.

Answer: Amarna

This city is also known as El-Amarna or Akhetaten. It appears to have been abandoned shortly after Akhenaton's reign and has been mostly left alone since then. This site includes open air temples which were symbolic of Akhenaton's reign since he focused his religion on the worship of the sun aspect of the Theban god Amun, called Aten.