Download Pyramid Text

Pyramid Text
1. What makes the pyramid texts important? (you should look up the word
“funerary” in the dictionary)
2. The Pyramid Texts consists of how many spells or utterances?
3. Where was the Pyramid Texts found during the Old Kingdom time period?
4. Where was the earliest surviving Pyramid Texts found?
5. Where was the first Pyramid Texts discovered?
6. Did any pyramid contain all of the utterances or spells?
7. Whose pyramid held the most? How many?
8. What were the Pyramid Texts designed to help the Pharaoh achieve?
9. Who was the Pharaoh supposed to become after his death?
10. In what two ways do the Pyramid Texts help us understand the Egyptians
thinking behind the development of Pyramids?
Memphis
1. When was Memphis founded? By whom?
2. What is its significance in regards to Unification?
3. How long did Memphis remain the capital of Ancient Egypt?
4. What was the Ancient Egyptian name for Memphis? From what language did
the word Memphis come?
5. What remains today in Memphis from ancient times?
6. What things are found today in the Open Air Museum at Memphis?
King Unas
1. Why is Unas well known to Egyptologists?
2. Name the other four pharaoh’s who pyramids contain the Pyramid Texts?
3. Why is Unas pyramid no longer a tourist attraction?
4. How do historians know that trade flourished during Unas time?
5. What countries is it believed Egypt had trade relations with during Unas time?
6. Approximately how many years did Unas reign over the people?
7. What happened during Unas reign that was depicted inside his pyramid?
King Teti
1. How did Teti become pharaoh?
2. During Teti’s reign was Egypt involved in military conflicts?
3. During Teti’s reign who did Egypt trade with? What did they receive?
4. What is Teti’s small pyramid called?
5. Whose pyramid is it close to?
6. What is the inside of his tomb decorated with?
7. What is the condition of his pyramid today?
King Pepi I
1. Why did Pepi remove the name of the Pharaoh before him, Userkare, wherever it
was found?
2. Pepi built a large pyramid. What was it called? Essentially this name became
what we know today as what ancient Egyptian city?
3. What “first” was achieved when archaeologists uncovered Pepi’s tomb in the
1800’s?
4. How many temples did Pepi build?
5. What is the most significant archaeological discovery in Egyptian history from
Pepi’s time? What makes it so significant?
King Pepi II
1. At what age did Pepi II become pharaoh? How long do some believe he ruled
over Egpyt?
2. What was the name of Pepi’s pyramid? Describe his sarcophagus. Was his body
present in the sarcophagus?
3. Why do historians think that Pepi’s tomb was poorly built and decorated?
Decline of the Old Kingdom
(To get to the part you need, click “History”, scroll down and then click “Old
Kingdom”, then scroll down till you see the paragraph that starts with, “With the
6th Dynasty. . .”)
1. What happened to the central government of Egypt during the long reign of Pepi
II? (Ex. In our country the central government is our federal government)
2. What happened to the Nile during this time period of decline?