Egyptian Burial Structures

Pyramids Burial sturctures during the Old Kingdom Located in Lower Egypt Were tombs for Pharaohs Khufu’s is the largest

Mastabas Burial structures during the New and Middle Kingdoms Arabic word for bench b/c of their shape Located in the Valley of the Kings Royal cemetary

Grave Robbers Greatest threat to a Pharoah’s tomb and any other tomb Would rob the tomb of its treasures Usually the robbers would be people who helped build the tomb

What was the first tomb to be discovered untouched? King Tut

Discovered in 1920 by Howard Carter

Was Tut a Great King? What does the placement of Tut’s tomb tell us of the people’s opinion of him at the time of his death?

Shabti Small statues buried with important people that would serve them in the afterlife

Egyptian Cultural Acheivments

Writing and Paper Paper was called papyrus Made from thinly cut strips of reed and dried them The strips would be glued together and rolled into scrolls

Hieroglyphics Egyptian picture writing Featured 6,000 symbols Names written in a “Cartouche”

Rosetta Stone Found by French soldiers in Egypt in 1799 Helped archeologist decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics Contains three languages