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73 Cards in this Set
- Front
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upper EG
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: below lower EG, because the flow of the Nile goes S to N. Flows S downhill so N is lower. In early days before EG kingdom, upper EG was a major state. There were two separate cultures, one in upper one in lower. Some theorist believed that Horus was the patron God.
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Lower EG
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Refers to Northern Egypt. Believed that Seth was the patron God.
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Old Kingdom
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2696- 2180, there were many pyramid builders in this kingdom, some of the first, like in Giza. THis era ran from the third dynasty and following. EG were crazy about life after death. Most power concentrated to king in old kingdom. Thought to be god on earth.This time lasted 500 years, disintegrated into first intermediate period. It was found that the pharaoh couldn’t run EG by himself. In middle kingdom we see that process.
King in old kingdom was seen as god. Egyptologists debate what this means. In what sense is the king a god? Upon his birth and reinforced on his coronation, possessed soul of god. King receives soul of Horus/solar falcon, his spirit is in living pharaoh. When he dies he becomes a different god, becomes father of horus Osiris. |
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Middle Kingdom
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MIDDLE KINGDOM: 2060- 1780. Starts with the reunification of EG, again, after it had split during the First Intermediate Period, FIP. Only included dynasties 11 and 12, but made Thebes the capitol city and then al lisht in D12. The new main god was Montu, also a falcon god, but no longer Horus. The Middle Kingdom rulers won’t let their crown go, when the second intermediate period begins they are still fighting the to hold on. THe country splits in half again in the SIP, with the rulers of the middle kingdom in upper EG and the new leaders in lower.
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New Kingdom
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1550- 1150: Akhenaten was pharaoh during this period and he was the first to bring monotheism to EG. His son is King Tut. Also Hatshepsut ruled at this time, she ruled until her son could come of age. After this time period, comes the Third Intermediate Period.
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hieroglyphics
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earliest form of EG writing. Egyptian as a language was in use before hieroglyphics to the 5th CE, then disappears and is a dead language until 1800s. one exception!! One dialect of ancient EG was preserved, in the Christian Church. Church uses it still today. Why did EG die out? Conquered by Romans, Byzantines, etc. empires took over and imposed their language. People started to assume Hieroglyphics were just symbols, not writings. Hieroglyphs are found on the Rosetta Stone. additionally it means sacred carvings.
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Hieratic
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adaptation of hieroglyphic script into an easier to write form. Developed in middle kingdom. From then on the majority of EG writing is done like this. They didn’t write hieroglyphics on papyrus just monuments. So hieratic was for papyrus. Two inks. Black and red.
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Demotic
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Demotic replaced hieratic, which both are cursive forms of hieroglyphics. One of the three languages on the Rosetta Stone.
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Nile
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EG is narrow strip of green around Nile. Going upstream/south there are cataracts and it gets more steep. EG always spoke about land in terms of upper and lower EG. Gave impression that originally there were two separate political entities.
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Hyksos
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the name means, “ruler of foreign lands.” From their architecture/pottery/names they were canaanites, from Canaan, modern day Israel and Palestine. ruled around the 15th dynasty in EG.Then expelled by the 18th D, by ahmose.
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Syncretism
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combined from different sources. Mixing effect of combining gods. As EG became more united there were more gods. All started as local gods, they have similar features and stories, so many were combined. Number of gods decline because of combining them.
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amarna
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capitol moved from thebes by akeataten, built new city, there was nothing there. about halfway between memphis and thebes. called the horizon of aten. today it is el amarna. cunneiform found there.
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Akhenaten
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one fo the first religious fads. EG venerated sun, this pharoah changed main god from amen to aten. no other gods allowed, first push towards monotheism. got rid of all other gods and describes aten as mother and father maybe concludes why he portrayed himself as more feminine.
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Osiris
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god of underworld/afterlife and agriculture. depicted as green skinned man with pharoh's beard, partially wrapped mummy legs wears a distinct crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side and holding a symbolic crook. oldest son of the eath god get and sky goddess nut. killed by seth when he rules EG.
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Horus
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pharoah's called themselves the living horus. son of osiris, isis. born after dad died via magic. isis had sex with osiris' corpse. depicted with falcon head but symbolized by the wedjat eye. impregnates seth and becomes ruler of EG after battle.
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Seth:
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God of the desert, storms, and foreigners. Brother of Osiris and Isis, he is the one who killed Osiris. There are a different versions of how he killed Osiris, but the popular one is that he tricked Osiris into a coffin and then locked it and tossed it into the Nile. Later, he recovers Osiris’s body and chops it into pieces and spreads all across the world. He is defeated by Horus when he gets impregnated by Horus (impregnation was a feminine thing). His symbol is a scepter. (dina)
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Isis
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Isis is the wife of Osiris and mother to Horus. She collects the pieces of chopped up Osiris and puts him together long enough to have sex with it and bear a child. She is depicted with a throne on her head because Pharaohs’ believed to be the child that sat on her throne. AKA be protected by her. She also symbolized the “(re) – birth experience. Isis is cool.
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Nepthys
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wife of seth, sister to osiris and isi, is the lady of the house. helped isis find her husband when seth did him in. mourned with her.
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geb/keb
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EG god of eath and member of ennead of heliopolis, group of 9 gods in EG myth. believed that geb's laughter were earthquakes and he allowed crops to grow, represented as goose, said to have laid eggs from which the sun hatched.
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nut
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mom of horus, osiris, seth and nephythys. goddess of sky within ennead, the counsel of god's. geb is her brother. portrayed as nude human, arching over earth with her body covered in stars. when osiris was back together he climbed into nut for safety and thus began to rule the underworld.
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shu
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one of primordial gods in EG, personificaiton of air and among ennead. father of geb and nut, needed to hold them apart so there's not endless sex, no way life could be created.
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tefnut
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goddess of moisture/rain/dew, twin sister and wife of shu, mother to geb and nut. product of asexual reproduction, atum masturbates and produces tefnut and shu, in others he swallows it and spits them out.
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Atum
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god of creation, in heliopolitan myths, considered to be first god having created himself. early myth state atum created shu and tefnut by himself, first human beings came from his tears.
arose from primordial waters of chaos. great ennead creator |
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primordial mound/benben
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mound of earth that arose from primordial waters, nun. mount is the mound that atum settle din, said that he turned it into small pyramid.
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Ptah
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god of craftsmen and architects and creator of memhpis, first district of lower EG. From middle king onwaards he was one of 5 major gods, ra, isis, osiris, amun. he was self created like atum. looks similar to osiris.
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Re
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solar diety, ID with midday sun, ald with the local sun god atum. Look up
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Hathor
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goddess personified joy, fem love, and motherhood. and of beauty mining and music. sometimes mother/wife/daughter of ra. She takes role as ra's mother from another cow goddess, she gave birth to Ra each morn.
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Nun
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definintion of primordial watery abyss, water that the earth rose from.
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Ennead
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9 god counsel in EG myth, atum, shu, tefnut, geb nut osiris, isis nephthys.
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ogdoad
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8 deities worshipped in hermopolis, during old king, 4/4 f/m. naunet/nu are primordial waters, amaunet/amun air, kauket/kuk darkness and hauhet/huh eternity. females were snakes and men were frogs. represent fundamental primordial beginning state.
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mesopotamia
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modern day iq and is name of area of tigris/euphrates river. bronze age mesopotamia included sumer, akkadian, babylonian and assyrian empires. in iron age controlled by neo assyrians and neo babylonian empires. writing was first invented here.
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sumer
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oldes, most south civilizaiton, harder to farm so people move up. big in 4th millennia. invented writing system.
south mesopotamia |
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Akkad
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addadian empire located in mesopotamia, area surroudning city of akkad. founded by sargon and shares gods and goddesses like enlil and an. empire collapsed due to famine and invasion from barbarians.
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banylonia
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civilization located in southern and central mesopotamia. people spoke akkadian while using sumerian characters to write. myth was influenced by sumerians. worshipped enki, tiamat, marduk. conquered and absorbed into persian empire.
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Assyria
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north mesopotamia, around tigris. ened when the leader died and split the land into three warring factions.
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Nineveh
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capital of assyrian empire. name means seat of ishtar, belived to be patron god of city.
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sargon the great/of akkad
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A semitic Akkadian emperor famous for his conquest of the Sumerian city-states in the 23rd and 22nd centuries BC. Mentioned in the Sumerian King List. Sargon’s youth sounds like the Moses infancy story - Baby Sargon, nestled in a reed basket, was placed in the Euphrates river. The basket floated until it was rescued by a gardener or date growerer. He worked for the king of Kish, Ur-zababa until he rose in the ranks to become the king’s cupbearer. A king of a mesopotamian city state named Umma invaded Kish - Ur-zubaba ran away - Sargon attacked the Umma King and Umma king surrenders - Sargon names himself king of king.
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cunneiform
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one of the earliest forms of writing. first in sumer. started as pictographs. gradually replaced by phoenician alphabet during neo assyrian empire. written on clay tablets with blunt reed.
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Early Dynastic Period
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(c 3100-2686) includes dynasty 1 and 2:
• Dynast 1 begins with unification of EG, upper and lower unit under single ruler. King from upper fights lower and conquers them. In Manatho’s history he gives a name, calls them Menes (greek form of name, maybe meni in EG). We’ve found no archeological evidence for this name, we’ve found a different name. • Eventually all culture of lower EG will disappear, after first dynasty, lower will be like upper. • Very progressive period, technology advanced, writing develops, metal work, etc. at the end of this period writing is fully set up. Complex administration, calendar developed in this period. Abydos is still the royal cemetery. |
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tigris
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eastern member of two rivers that define M. river flows south from mountains in turkey to IQ. tigris created by enki who filled it.
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Euphrates
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longest river, and important.
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Uruk
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major city in sumer and later babylon, crucial role in early development of sumer. largest city in world and at time of its height it is also a key figure in gilgamesh
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hammurapi
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sixth king of babylon, extended his empire to include mesopotamia after winning series of wars in the region. most known for his code of law. first written codes.
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Hatti/hittites
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hatti was early civilization located in anatolia. later replaced by hittite empire which occupied same land.
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Hurrians
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civilizaiton of people who lived in N M and anatolia during broze age. largest and most powerful group within hurrians were mitanni. main gods were teshub hebat and ea. gods had large influence and impact on hittites.
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Enuma ELish
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babylonian creation myth, recorded on 7 class talblets in Akkadian. elevates marduk to chief god.
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Apsu
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depicted as diety only in babylonian creation epic enuma elish. primal being made of fresh water, loved tiamat who was salt water. killed by marduk when he finds out his plans to kill al younger sisters.
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Tiamat
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TIAMAT: (Mesopotamian religion = sumerian, assyrian, akkadian, and babylonian) A chaos monster; primordial goddess of the ocean (salt water), mating with Apsu (god of freshwater) to produce younger gods. Ea found out that Apsu was going to murder the younger deities because of all the chaos they created, so he killed Apsu and Tiamat. Marduk (Son of Ea) sliced Tiamat in half: he made from her ribs, the vault of heaven and earth, her weeping eyes became the source of the Tigris and Euphrates, her tail became the milky way. (dina)
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AN Sumerian
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God of the Heaven, king of gods, lord of constellations. He had the power to judge those who had committed crimes. He is one of the oldest gods in the Sumerian Pantheon and part of the triad - including Enlil (god of the air) and Enki (god of water). An came to be regarded as the father and king of gods. An is prominently associated with the E-anna temple in the city of Uruk. (dina)
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Ea
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babylonian and akkadian
EA: (Babylonian and Akkadian) The Babylonian god Ea is the son of Anu and husband of Damkina, father of Marduk, god of wisdom, arts and crafts. Ea is the ruler of all gods after Apsu. In the Great Triad, Ea is the third with Anu and Enlil. In the Sumerian pantheon, Ea is the son of Nintu. (jake) |
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Enki
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(Sumerian) God of water - grandson of Apsu - so he takes all the functions of Apsu, including the fertilizing powers as the lord of waters and lord of semen. When Apsu (god of freshwater) threatens to destroy the world with his waters, Enki puts Apsu to sleep. Enki kills Tiamat - uses her ribs to reconstruct heaven, tail is the sky as the milky way, and her crying eyes become the source of the Tigris and Euphrates. WOW SOUNDS REALLY SIMILAR TO MARDUK → cause it is. Enki’s role is taken by Marduk, Enki’s son, in the Assyrian version. (dina)
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Marduk
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(Babylonian) Patron Diety of Babylon. Son of Ea (which in Sumerian is Enki). In the case with Ea and Marduk, the transfer of “godship” proceeded pacifically and without effacing the older god. Like Enki, Marduk kills Apsu (or puts him to “sleep) and kills Tiamat - uses her ribs to reconstruct heaven, tail is the sky as the milky way, and her crying eyes become the source of the Tigris and Euphrates (dina)
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Qingu/kingu
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(Babylonian mythology) Son of Tiamat and Apsu. After Apsu is killed by Marduk, Qingu becomes Tiamat’s lover - she wanted to establish him as the ruler and leader of all gods before she was slain by Marduk. Tiamat gave Kingu the 3 tablets of destiny, which he wore as a breastplate and gave him great strength. Kingu was eventually slain by Marduk - Marduk mixes Kingu’s blood with earth and used the clay to mold the first human beings. (dina)
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Atrahasis
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(“extremely wise”): (Akkadian) Protagonist of an 18th century BCE Akkadian Epic. He appears on one of the Sumerian King lists as the king of Shuruppack in the times before the flood. Enlil plans to destroy all of mankind because of overpopulation. He plans to destroy mankind with a flood and bound the other gods by oath, so Enki kept his plan to warn mankind a secret. Enki warns Atrahasis of the imminent flood by speaking through a reed wall and telling him to build a boat to escape. Atrahasis boards the boat with his family and animals and seals the door. The storm and flood begin - it’s so bad that even the gods are afraid. After seven days, the flood ends and Atrahasis offers sacrifices to the gods. Enlil is furious as Enki for violating the oath, but Enki denies it and they both agree on other means for controlling the human pop. (dina)
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Enlis/Elil
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: (Sumerian) Lord of the Storm; considered to be the god of breath, wind, loft and bredth (height and distance). Enlil is known as the inventor of the mattock, an pickaxe/digging tool of the Sumerians. For the Sumerians, the pickaxe was really important - basically symbolized agriculture. One story names his origin as the son of An (god of heavens) and Ki (goddess of the Earth) (dina)
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Belet Ili
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I (“mistress of the gods”): (see below) Mami may have become Belet Illi “Mistress of the gods” when, at Enki’s suggestion, the gods slew one amongst themselves (most likely quingu) and used that god’s blood and flesh, mixed with clay, to create humankind. (dina)
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Mami
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babylonianA goddess in the Atrahasis epic. She was involved in the creation of humankind from clay and blood. She pinched off fourteen pieces of primordial clay which she formed into womb deities. (dina)A
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Aruru
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(A character in Gilgamesh) A goddess of creation who fashioned Enkidu from clay and her spit. In Mesopotamian mythology, she is the creator of humankind. When the people of Uruk beg Anu (same as An) for some relief from King Gilgamesh at the beginning of the epic, he delegates the task to Aruru, who creates a new man from clay - enkidu. (dina)
important: Aruru is also called by an alternate name → Belet-ili |
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Ishtar
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(East Semitic Akkadian, Assyrian, Bablyonian) Goddess of fertility, love, war, sex. Also known as Inanna in Sumerian text. “divine personification of the planet Venus”. Isthar descends to the underworld to rescue Tammuz (Sumerian: Dumuzi), her lover. The gatekeeper lets her enter into the underworld, opening one gate at a time. At each gate, Ishtar has to shed one article of clothing. When she finally passes the seventh gate, She is naked. In rage, she throws herself at Ereshkigal (queen of the underworld), but Ereshkigal orders her servant to imprison her and unleash the 60 diseases on her. After Ishtar descends the underworld, all sexual activity ceases on earth. Ea (king of gods) creates an intersex being called Asu-shu-namir and sends it to Ereshkigal - under the demands of the gods, Ereshkigal gives Asu-shu-namir a bag of water of life. Asu-shu-namir sprinkles Ishtar with this water and revives her. (dina)
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Inanna
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INANNA: (Sumerian) Sumerian counterpart to Ishtar. In Inanna’s myth, same thing happens - goes to the underworld but she can only return to the living world if she sends someone back in her place. Demons go with her (to the world of the living) to make sure she sends someone back. However, each time Inanna runs into someone, she finds him to be a friend and lets him go free (because they are mourning her death.. i think). When she finally goes home, she finds her husband, Dumuzi (Babylonian: Tammuz) seated on the throne, not mourning her at all. In her anger, Inanna has the demons take Dumuzi back to the underworld as her replacement. (dina)
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Dimuzi
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DUMUZI/TAMMUZ: A god of vegetation, fertility, and the underworld. Was originally a mortal ruler whose marriage to Inanna (Ishtar), ensured the fertility of the land and fecundity of the womb. Inanna (Ishtar) makes Dumuzi (Tammuz) take her spot in the underworld (Dumuzi’s sister feels bad so she takes 6months - they rotate on and off for six months). The 6months that Dumuzi is in the underworld represents the barren, sterile months of the hot summer. At the autumnal equinox, Dumuzi returned to earth. The reunion with his wife caused all animal and plant life to be revitalized and made fertile once again. (dina)
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Geshtinanna
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(sumerian) Sister of Dumuzi. When Dumuzi is taken to the underworld, she is grief-stricken and volunteers to spend half the year in the underworld, during which Dumuzi can go free.(dina)
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Adapa
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: Mortal man who was given great wisdom from Mesopotamia who was the son of Ea, God of wisdom, and of the city Eridu. He breaks Ninlil the south wind’s wings after for overturning his fishing boat, which causes him to be called before the Gods in Heaven. Ea warns him to not partake in any food or drink while in heaven and to apologize. After apologizing Anu is so pleased with his sincerity that he offers him the fruit of immortality, not the fruit of death as was originally planned. Adapa refuses and so loses his chance at immortality
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Gilgamesh
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King of Uruk, he is ⅔ God and ⅓ mortal. He is a cruel ruler to his people and greatly mistreats them, which leads to his conflict and befriending of Enkidu. He defeats the monster Humbaba in the cedar forest with Enkidu as well as the Bull from Heaven. He goes on a quest for immortality, however, he fails Utnapishtim’s test so he is not given immortality. Utnapishtim’s wife tells him of a plant that can restore his youth. Gilgamesh fins the plant but a snake steals it on his way home, so he returns and becomes a much better king as he sees his city as his own version of immortality. (jake)
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Ninsun
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She is the Sumerian “cow” Goddess and the daughter of Anu, sky God, and Uras, earth Goddess. She is also Gilgamesh’s mother in the myth “Gilgamesh”. (jake)
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Enkidu
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Epic of Gilgamesh) Formed from clay and Saliva by Aruru, to rid Gilgamesh of his arrogance. He is a wild man, raised by animals and quite strong. After he’s seduced by Shamhat, he becomes more civilized. He wrestles with Gilgamesh (King of Uruk). Then becomes the kings most beloved friend. The death of Enkidu is what inspires Gilgamesh to begin his quest to obtain immortality.(dina)
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Shamhat
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A character in the Epic of Gilgamesh and is responsible for taming the wild man, Enkidu. She uses her attractiveness to tempt Enkidu and they have sex for 6 days, 7 nights. Afterwards, the wild animals turn away from him, so Shamhat persuades him to follow her and join the civilized world. (dina)
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shamash
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A native Mesopotamian deity and the sun god in the Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian Pantheons. God of justice and compassion. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, when Gilgamesh and Enkidu travel to slay Humbaba, the pray each morning and make libation to shamash in the direction of the rising sun for safe travels. Gilgamesh receives dreams from Shamash, which Enkidu then interprets, and at their battle with Humbaba, it is Shamash’s favor for Gilgamesh that enables them to defeat the monster. Shamash gifted to 3 weapons to Gilgamesh - the axe of mighty heroes, a great sword with a blade that weighs six lbs and a hilt of thirty pounds, and the bow of Anshan. (dina)
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Utnapishtim
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UTNAPISHTIM: (Epic of Gilgamesh) He’s a character in the Gilgamesh epic who is asked by Enki (Ea in Assyro-Babylonian) to abandon his world possession and create a giant ship to be called The Preserver of Life. On his giant boat, he brings his wife, family, relatives, craftsmen of his village, baby animals, and grains. The oncoming flood wipes everyone out *super similar to Noah and the flood*. After 12 days of water, he rests his ship on the slopes of Mount Nisir for seven days. On the seventh day, he sent out a dove - found nothing, and then a swallow - found nothing, then a raven, which did not return. He lets the animals leave his ship, and makes a sacrifice to the gods. Utnapishtim is given immortality as well as a place among the heavenly gods. (dina)
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bull of heaven
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(Epic of Gilgamesh) When Gilgamesh rejects the advances of the goddess Ishtar because of her mistreatment of lovers (she has a bad track-record), she gets butt-hurt and asks her father, Anu, to send Gugalanna, the bull of heaven, to avenge her. Enkidu and Gilgamesh slay the bull and offer its heart up to shamash. When Ishtar cries out, Enkidu hurls a part of the bull at her (either it’s butt or shoulder..); he later has an ominous dream and dies shortly after. (dina)
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ur shanabi
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The ferry man of Hubur, the river of the dead. He is persuaded by Gilgamesh to ferry him across the sea of the dead to Ut Napishtim. Because Gilgamesh smashed the “Stone Ones”, which seems to be some sort of propulsion system for the boat, he has Gilgamesh cut down 60 wooden rods to push the boat across the sea (anything that touches the water dies). (Dang)
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Humbaba
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(Akkadian mythology and Gilgamesh) A monstrous giant who was the guardian of the Cedar Forest, where the gods live. He was assigned by Enlil to guard the trees of the sacred forest. Gilgamesh, hoping to gain glory, decides to go to the Cedar Forest and bring back the sacred cedars. His advisors at Uruk urge him not to do so because Humbaba is a terrible and powerful monster. He insists on going, so Enkidu decides to accompany him. The two heroes, with their combined physical prowess, kill Humbaba and returns with the Cedars. Since Humbaba was a servant of Enlil, his defeat made the gods pretty angry and contributed to their decision to kill Enkidu. (dang)
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Siduri
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the mystical ale-wife, who has a bar at the edge of Ut Napishtim’s land. After Gilgamesh goes through the mountain, he meets her. She tries to dissuade him from his quest for immortality and advises him to enjoy his life instead. He doesn’t relent and she finally points him to Ur-Shanabi who takes him across the dead sea. (Dang)
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