SOCIAL STUDIES VOCABULARY CHAPTER 3: ANCIENT EGYPT AND NUBIA
1. Nubia: An ancient region in the Nile River Valley on the site of present-day
southern Egypt and northern Sudan
2. Cataract: A large waterfall; any strong flood or rush of water
3. Delta: A plain at the mouth of a river formed when sediment is deposited by
flowing water
4. Silt: Fine soil found on the bottom of a river
5. Pharaoh: The title of the kings of ancient Egypt
6. Dynasty: A series of rulers from the same family or ethnic group
7. Absolute Power: Complete control over someone or something
8. Regent: Someone who rules for a child until the child is old enough to rule.
9. Afterlife: A life after death
10. Mummy: A dead body preserved in life-like condition
11. Pyramid: A huge building with four sloping triangle-shaped sides; pyramids
were built as royal tombs in Egypt
12. Giza: An ancient Egyptian city; the site of the Great Pyramid
13. Hieroglyphs: Pictures and other written symbols that stand for ideas, things, or
sounds
14. Papyrus: An early form of paper made from a reed plant found in the marshy
areas of the Nile delta; the plant used to make this paper.
15. Astronomer: A scientist who studies the stars and other objects in the sky
16. Ore: A mineral or combination of minerals mined for the production of metals
17. Lower Nubia: The region of ancient Nubia between the first and second Nile
cataracts
18. Upper Nubia: The region of ancient Nubia between the second and sixth Nile
cataracts
19. Artisan: A worker who is skilled in crafting goods by hand