The Curse of the Pharaohs' Tombs

by Harrison Paul

  Amenmes – New Kingdom pharaoh, 19th dynasty.

  Amenmose – 1) Son of Thutmose I and Ahmose, general; 2) Brother of Nefertari, mayor of Thebes; 3) Son of Bekenptah, officer under the Ramessides.

  Amenophis – According to Manetho Greek for Amenhotep and still often used in this sense; philologically correct for Amenemope.

  Amenti – Realm of the Dead, cf Duat.

  Ammit, Ammut – Chimera, destroyer of the hearts of the dead who were sinners. Goddess called Devouress of the Dead, who sits at the weighing of the heart at the entrance to the underworld.

  Amratian – Middle pre-dynastic period, 3550 to 3400.

  Amulets – Good luck charms, often in the form of hieroglyphs

  Amun – Amun is the most important and powerful of all the Egyptian gods in ancient Egyptian history. Amun, whose name means ‘hidden’, was originally worshipped locally in Thebes. Among all the Egyptian gods and goddesses, Amun is considered the most important. He is also referred to as a creator god, with generations of pharaohs adopting him as their patron deity. He was declared King of the Gods, with many temples erected bearing his name, such as those found in Karnak and Luxor. Amun’s title has also been combined with that of the sun god Ra to form Amun-Ra – the almighty god of the sun and creation.

  Amunet – Amunet was a fertility goddess.

  Anat – Anat was a goddess of fertility, sexual love, hunting, and war of Canaanite.

  Anch, ankh – Symbol of enduring life, its hieroglyph was occasionally worn as an amulet.

  Anchesenamen, Anchesenamun, Ankhesenamen, Ankhesenamun, Ankhesenaten, Ankhesenpaaten – Wife of Tutankhamen, 18th dynasty.

  Anchnesmerire, Ankhnesmeryre – Queen, the mother of Pepi II.

  Anhur – Anhur was a foreign god of war and hunting, worshipped in Thinis.

  Ankhmahor – 6th dynasty Vizier.

  Ankhtifi – Nomarch in Upper Egypt.

  Ant-fish – A mythological fish that accompanies the boat of Ra at sunrise.

  Anubis, Anpu, Khenty-Imentiu, Hermanubis – Jackal/dog-headed god of the underworld and necropolis, the conductor of souls. Anubis is believed to be the one who embalmed Osiris, the first ever mummy. The work of Anubis is said to form the basis of the Egyptian mummification process. As an early Egyptian god, he was worshipped as the ultimate god of the dead. As the number of Egyptian gods and goddesses increased, Osiris took this mantle. Ultimately, Anubis is widely considered as the god of embalming and mummification. During the final judgement, when death arrives, Anubis guides the deceased to the Scales of Ma’at. There, he oversees the weighing of the deceased’s heart, balanced against the feather of Ma’at.

  Anuket – Anuket was an ancient Egyptian goddess of the Nile.

  Apep – Apep was regarded as an ancient spirit of evil and destruction, the deification of darkness and chaos.

  Apis, Serapis, Osiris-Apis – A bull sacred to Osiris, who symbolises fertility, venerated at Memphis.

  Apophis, Apopis, Apep – The serpent of Chaos.

  Apotropaic – Having the power to avert evil.

  Artaxerxes – Two Persian kings and Egyptian pharaohs of the 27th dynasty.

  Ashur-Uballit – King of Assyria and contemporary of Akhenaten.

  Astarte – A Syrian goddess, whose name is found occasionally in Egyptian inscriptions.

  Atef – The crown worn by Osiris.

  Aten, Aton – The sun disk and unique god of Akhenaten. Also known as Aton, the original aspect of Ra.

  Atmu – An early name of the solar deity worshipped at Heliopolis.

  Atum – Atum was known as the god of creation.

  Ay – Merneferre, pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. Vizier of Tutankhamun.

  Ba – Spiritual force such as an anonymous divinity. Manifestation of a god. The eternal forces of a human that is depicted in tombs as a bird with a human head.

  Ba’ah, Seba-djai – The planet Venus.

  Baal – Baal was a god of thunder.

  Bai, Bay – Chancellor of Ramses Siptah, 19th dynasty.

  Bakenkhons, Bakenkhonsu, Bekenkhonsu – The High Priest of Amen under Ramses II; it has been said he was the father of Nefertari.

  Banebdjedet – The ram god of Lower Egypt.

  Bast, Bastet, Ubasti, Pasht – Cat goddess. The goddess of the home. Bastet is the daughter of Ra. She had a huge cult following in the city of Bubastis in the Nile delta. The goddess Bastet was depicted as a lioness. She was often associated with vengeance, ferocity and war. Through time, Bastet bore the less aggressive and sacred character of a domestic cat. Cats were treated as holy creatures, and were often mummified in death.

  Bat – A goddess in the form of a cow, merged with Hathor.

  Bau – Messenger or appearance of a deity.

  Bes – A squat, grotesque goddess, Bes was the protector of pregnant women, children and households. She was usually depicted as a dwarf with an over-large head, small stumpy legs and an altogether ugly appearance.

  Besa – A spirit of the corn.

  Biridiya – Ruler of Megiddo and contemporary of Akhenaten.

  Book of the Dead – Also referred to as The Book of Going Forth by Day. It is a collection of magical writings that was placed in tombs with the aim of helping the deceased in the afterlife.

  Burnaburiash – Kassite king of Babylonia and contemporary of Akhenaten.

  Cambyses, Kambyses – Persian king, conqueror of Egypt and founder of the 27th dynasty.

  Canopic jars – The vessels containing the inner organs of the deceased person; generally there were four, in the form of the sons of Horus.

  Cartonnage – Expression used by Egyptologists for the masks and coffins made of cardboard-like materials. Also referred to as a mummy mask.

  Cartouche – The name of a pharaoh in hieroglyphs surrounded by an oval band denoting eternity.

  Cataract – Rapids, waterfall. The first Nile cataract was Egypt’s southern border.

  Choachyte – Priest in charge of the cult of the dead who, for a fee, carried out the role of the undertaker.

  Cippus – Amulet or stela showing Horus triumphing over dangerous beasts.

  Coffin texts – Magical writings or spells written on wooden coffins to direct the souls of the dead beyond the dangers and perils of the afterlife.

  Crook, heka – Originally a shepherd’s staff, it became a symbol of power carried by pharaohs and high officials.

  Cult temple – Temple for the worship of a God.

  Darius – Two Persian kings and Egyptian pharaohs (27th dynasty).

  Decans – 36 star constellations, each rising above the horizon at sunrise for ten days every year, used by the ancient Egyptian calendar.

  Demotic – The last stage of development of the ancient Egyptian script.

  Dendarah, Denderah – Site of Hathor’s main temple.

  Deshret – 1) The red crown of Lower Egypt; 2) The red land, i.e. the desert

  Dionysus – Greek god, identified with Osiris.

  Djed pillar – Hieroglyph often carried as an amulet, linked to represent the backbone of Osiris.

  Djehuti, Thoth – 1) God of knowledge and wisdom, moon god, identified with Hermes Trismegistus by the Greeks; 2) Scribe, general and viceroy under Thutmose III.

  Djoser, Zoser – Old Kingdom pharaoh, 3rd dynasty.

  Duat – The Realm of the Dead, populated by the deceased who have become stars.

  Dynasty – Line of hereditary rulers.

  Early dynastic – Historic period 3050 to 2600 BCE, also called Naqada IIIA1 to IIIC1.

  El Amarna, Al Amarna, Akhetaten – Capital of Egypt under Akhenaten, 18th dynasty.

  Ennead – A group of nine deities, such as the Ennead of Heliopolis.

  False door – Symbolic door for the ka. Painted or carved on a tomb wall through which the ka could enter and leave at will.

  Flail, flagellum (from Latin flagrum, scourge), nekhekh, nekhakha – A flail carried by the pharaoh symbolizing his power; attribute of Osiris and Min.

/>   Four Sons of Horus – Four gods in Egyptian religion, who were essentially the personifications of the containers for the organs of the deceased pharaohs.

  Funerary offerings – Bread, wine, beer and other useful items for the wellbeing of the ka. The offerings were not always physical, but provided magically, or through inscriptions and pictures in the tomb.

  Geb, Keb – Earth god, the father of Osiris. His parents were Shu, the god of the air, and Tefnet, goddess of the rain. His sister and wife was Nut, goddess of the sky. Geb is often depicted as dark brown (the colour of the flood plains), or green (the colour of vegetation). It is said that his loud laughter is the cause of earthquakes. He produced Osiris, Seth, Isis and Nepthys.

  Gerzean – Late pre-dynastic and protodynastic periods, 3400 to 3050 BCE, divided into Early Gerzean, 3400 to 3300 BCE; Middle Gerzean, 3300 to 3200 BCE; Late Gerzean, 3200 to 3050 BCE.

  God’s father – A priest of intermediate rank.

  Grave goods – Equipment left in the tomb to provide what was needed for the afterlife.

  Griffin – A chimera with the body of a lion and the head of a falcon, symbol of the victorious.

  Hah – Personification of eternity that props up the heavens.

  Hapi, Hapy – 1) God of the Nile; 2) One of the Four Sons of Horus. Hapi was the ancient Egyptian god of the Nile, depicted as greenskinned, with a woman’s breasts, representing the fertility and lifegiving resources of the river. The ancient Egyptians would pray to Hapi to ensure that the annual inundations or floods would bring sufficient water to their fields and there would be a plentiful harvest. The Egyptians worshipped Hapi more than any other Egyptian gods and goddesses due to the importance of the River Nile in Egyptian society.

  Hapiru, Apiru, Habiru – Nomadic asiatics of the second millennium BCE, often considered outlaws.

  Harakhte – God.

  Harmakhis – Horus on the horizon – the rising or setting sun.

  Harem – An institution run by the pharaoh’s first wife for the benefit of the pharaoh’s wives and female relatives.

  Haroeris – The mature Horus, with the capacity for ruling.

  Harpocrates – The immature Horus. The child was the son of Isis and Osiris and often depicted on the lap of his mother Isis and with a sidelock of youth and sucking his fingers.

  Hathor – Goddess of sky, love, mirth, beauty and fertility. Hathor is one of the oldest Egyptian goddesses, dating to pre-dynastic times. She is often depicted as a cow, or a woman with a cow’s head, or a woman with the horns of a cow and a solar disc on her head. Her major temple is at Dendera.

  Hatmehyt – Hatmehyt was an Egyptian goddess of fish, originally a deification of the Nile River.

  Hatshepsut, Hatshepsowe – Female pharaoh, 18th dynasty.

  Hauhet – One of the oldest Egyptian gods in ancient Egyptian history; the deification of eternity in the Ogdoad.

  Hedjet, nefer-hedjet – The white crown of Upper Egypt.

  Heka – The god of magic and medicine.

  Hekt – The frog-headed goddess of birth.

  Heliopolis – Main temple of the sun god Re.

  Hemaka – Royal sealbearer (chancellor).

  Hepu – Vizier under Thutmose IV.

  Hepuseneb – First prophet of Amen under Hatshepsut.

  Heqa – Crook, symbol of pharaonic authority.

  Heqat, Heqet, Hekt, Hekat, Heket – Goddess of childbirth , creation and fertility, often seen in the form of a frog.

  Her-desuf – A form of Horus.

  Her-ka-pet – The planet Saturn.

  Heru-deshret – The planet Mars.

  Her-wepes-tawy – The planet Jupiter.

  Hesire – Overseer over the royal scribes under Djoser (3rd dynasty), physician and dentist.

  Hieratic – Cursive writing of hieroglyphs.

  Hieroglyphics – Ancient Egyptian writing using stylized pictures (hieroglyphs).

  Hittites – People of Hatti.

  Hor – 1) Hor, pharaoh, probably 13th dynasty; 2) Hor, priest during the Late Period; 3) Hor, mountain in northern Canaan.

  Horakhti – The Horizon-Horus.

  Horbaf – Son of Khufu (4th dynasty), vizier.

  Hordjedef, Djedefhor – Son of Khufu (4th dynasty).

  Horemheb – New Kingdom general and pharaoh, 18th dynasty.

  Horus, Hor, Heru, Hru – Sun god, son of Isis and Osiris, originally the sky god. Horus is one of the more important Egyptian gods. He is usually depicted as a man with the head of a falcon, or sometimes as a falcon as well. He is also depicted as a falcon encircling the head of the pharaoh with his wings. When the evil god Set murdered Osiris, it was Horus who avenged his father and killed Set. Horus is also features in the http://www.nekhebet.com/m_mummies.html- judgment final judgment. Once the deceased passes the weighing of the scales, it is Horus who leads the deceased to the underworld.

  House of Life – Repositories for knowledge in temples.

  Huh – Huh was one of the oldest Egyptian gods in ancient Egyptian history, the deification of eternity in the Ogdoad.

  Ihy – Ihy was a child god and was also the god of music and musicians.

  Ikhernofret – The chancellor under Senusret III.

  Imhotep – High official under Djoser, who was later deified.

  Intef, Antef, Inyotef – Pharaohs of the 11th dynasty.

  Isfet – Disorder, chaos, opposed to Ma’at.

  Isis, Auset, Aset, Ast – Goddess of motherhood, fertility and nature and consort of Osiris. The greatest of goddesses. The Egyptian goddess Isis was the sister and wife of Osiris and mother of Horus. Her cult was by far the largest of all the Egyptian gods, reaching into Europe. Isis is commonly depicted as a seated queen suckling and cradling the baby Horus. This symbolism was said to be the influence for the notion of the Virgin Mary and the baby Jesus. In addition, she can be depicted with either a throne or a vulture on top of her head. When her husband was killed by their brother Set, it was she who collected the dismembered body parts of Osiris and re-formed the body using bandages, thus laying the foundation for the ancient Egyptian practice of mummifying the deceased. She was able to bring Osiris back to life, thus introducing the concept of resurrection.

  Judgment of the Dead – The decision by the gods on the afterlife of a person before them.

  Justified – True of voice, a dead person judged favourably.

  Ka – The immortal part of a being that requires nourishment, coming into existence together with the being: the life force. Created at the time of birth by the god Khnum, who fashioned beings on his potter’s wheel, before placing them inside their mother. The ka could be released during life in dreams, but was finally released at death. Symbolised by a pair of upraised arms.

  Kadashman Enlil – King of Babylon and contemporary of Amenhotep III.

  Kamutef – Bull of his Mother. Name of the ithyphallic, self-created Amen and Min.

  Kanofer – Architect under Khasekhemwy (2nd dynasty), possibly Imhotep’s father.

  Karnak, Al Karnak – Modern village that occupies the northern half of pharaonic Thebes.

  Kauket – One of the oldest Egyptian gods in ancient Egyptian history, the deification of the primordial concept of darkness.

  Kawab – Son of Khufu (4th dynasty).

  Kenbet – Judicial commission or court.

  Khafre, Chafre, Chefren – Old Kingdom pharaoh, 4th dynasty.

  Khaemwaset – Son of Ramses II, high priest of Ptah.

  Khamudi, Chamudi, Apepi II – Hyksos king.

  Khekheperre-sonbu – Priest (Admonitions).

  Khepera – The rising sun, god of resurrection.

  Khepresh, Kheperesh – The blue crown.

  Khepri – God of creation, the movement of the sun, life and resurrection.

  Khnum – Ram-headed God of the Nile.

  Khons, Khonsu – 1) Moon god, son of Amen and Mut, his main temple was at Karnak; 2) Called To: First prophet of Menkheperra under Ramses II.

  Khufu, Cheops – Old K
ingdom pharaoh, 4th dynasty.

  Kohl – Black eyeliner.

  Kuk – One of the oldest Egyptian gods in ancient Egyptian history, the deification of the concept of darkness.

  KV – Term used by archaeologists together with a number to identify tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

  Labayu – Ruler of Shechem, contemporary of Akhenaten.

  Lector priest – Priest reading ritual texts at cult ceremonies and funerals. He wore a broad white sash across his chest.

  Lower Egypt – Geographical term for the land around the Nile delta, from modern Cairo to the Mediterranean coast.

  LPH – Life, prosperity, health: wish for wellbeing, added after the names of pharaohs, prosperity should rather be soundness.

  Luxor – Modern village that occupies the southern half of ancient Thebes.

  Maahes – Maahes was a solar war god of ancient Egypt in the form of a lion.

  Maa-kheru – True of voice, justified. Used for: 1) the winning party in a trial; 2) the dead whose heart weighed less than a feather.

  Maat, Ma’at, Mayet – The goddess of truth, justice, world order, proper conduct. Together with her husband Thoth, Ma’at was there when the Ra created the world. Ma’at also symbolized the balance of creation. This balance has to be maintained or chaos will ensue and the world will plunge into chaos. Every pharaoh was given a mandate to rule as long as he pledged to follow Ma’at, and ensure that balance and justice was forever upheld. The goddess Ma’at plays a key role in the final judgement. It is in the Hall of Ma’at that the heart of the dead is weighed against the feather of Ma’at, to determine if they are eligible to enter the underworld. Ma’at is commonly depicted with an ostrich feather on her head, and with wings connected to her arms.

  Mafdet – A goddess symbolizing judicial authority and the execution apparatus.

  Mastaba – Large mud-brick, rectangular shaped superstructure built over tomb shafts.

  Mehen – The serpent who protects Ra in the Duet.

  Memphis, Mennefer, Mof – Old Kingdom capital of Egypt.

  Men, Menes, Min – First pharaoh of the united kingdom according to Herodotus.

  Menhit – Menhit was the goddess of war origin from Nubia.

  Menkaure, Mykerinos – Old Kingdom pharaoh, 4th dynasty.

  Menkheperreseneb – High priest of Amon at Karnak, 18th dynasty.