cateract

dangerous fast moving water formed by steep cliffs and large rocks - made boating difficult

Delta

a fon shaped area of fertile silt near where a river flows into a sea

shadoof

A bucket Attached to a long pole that lifts water from the river into basins - farmers still use them as of now

papyrus

A reed plant that grew wild along the Nile river -used for rope, sandals baskets, paper and rafts

Hieroglyphics

An Egyptian writing system made up of a combination of picture and sound symbols

dynasty

a line of rulers from one family when one dynasty died another would take its place

unification

The bringing together of two parts into one - king Narmer (Menes) unified upper and lower Egypt into one kingdom - he wore a red and white crown to symbolize the unification

theocracy

a government in which the same person is the political and religious leader

pharaoh

The ruler of ancient Egypt

bureaucrat

supervised construction repair of dams irrigation canals and brick grimoires

Embalming mummification

the process of treating a body to keep it from decaying

pyramid

great stone tomb build for Egyptian Pharoh - the great pyramid was built for Pharoh Khufu

social pyramid

a way of organizing people into different social classes where the most important people like pharaohs are on the top and the common people such as farmers were at the bottom

Incense

a material that produces a pleasant smell when burned

envoy

a government representative to another country - first time in history that a group of nations tried working together with a common goal