pharaoh
Nile valley king
A pharaoh was a ruler of ancient Egypt, considered both king and living god.
The title carried divine authority—pharaohs were believed to mediate between gods and people.
The word now evokes ancient Egyptian civilization generally: the pharaohs' tombs, treasures of the pharaohs.
Figuratively, pharaoh can describe any absolute ruler or tyrant.
Pointed polyhedral solid
- tombUnderground chamber for remains
- sarcophagusCarved stone burial container
- mummyEmbalmed, wrapped ancient body
- embalmingPreserving dead bodies chemically
canopic jars · natron · afterlife · Book of the Dead · Valley of the Kings · necropolis · burial chamber · treasure
Ancient Egyptian picture-writing
- cartoucheOval framing royal hieroglyphs
- scarabBeetle held sacred anciently
- ankhLooped Egyptian vitality symbol
- crookBent implement or criminal
flail · sphinx · obelisk · inscriptions · papyrus · scribes · Rosetta Stone · demotic
Egyptian royal name
- TutankhamunEgyptian boy pharaoh
- CleopatraEgypt's last pharaoh
- NefertitiEighteenth Dynasty royal wife
- AkhenatenSun-disk-worshipping Egyptian monarch
Khufu · Hatshepsut · dynasty · reign · throne · coronation · succession · regent
Northeastern African nation
- NileAfrica's longest river
- ThebesAncient city, two locations
- MemphisTennessee city, ancient Egyptian capital
- LuxorEgyptian city of ruins
Karnak · Giza · Nubia · Alexandria · Abu Simbel · Upper Egypt · Lower Egypt · delta
Male crowned ruler
- queenMost powerful chess piece
- emperorMale ruler of empire
- monarchHereditary supreme ruler
- sovereignSupreme in power
despot · overlord · monarchy · throne · crown · scepter · kingdom · reign
Sovereign worshipped as deity
worship · sacred · immortal · pantheon · apotheosis · incarnation · afterlife · temple
Very old indeed
- Old KingdomEarly Egyptian dynastic period
- Middle KingdomChina's traditional self-designation
- PtolemaicEarth-centered astronomical system
- dynastySuccessive family rulers
Bronze Age · antiquity · civilization · empire · unification · decline · conquest · legacy
pyramid
Pointed polyhedral solid
- tombUnderground chamber for remains
- sarcophagusCarved stone burial container
- mummyEmbalmed, wrapped ancient body
embalming · canopic jars · natron · afterlife · Book of the Dead · Valley of the Kings · necropolis · burial chamber · treasure · curse
hieroglyphs
Ancient Egyptian picture-writing
- cartoucheOval framing royal hieroglyphs
- scarabBeetle held sacred anciently
- ankhLooped Egyptian vitality symbol
crook · flail · sphinx · obelisk · inscriptions · papyrus · scribes · Rosetta Stone · demotic · symbols
Ramses
Egyptian royal name
- TutankhamunEgyptian boy pharaoh
- CleopatraEgypt's last pharaoh
- NefertitiEighteenth Dynasty royal wife
Akhenaten · Khufu · Hatshepsut · dynasty · reign · throne · coronation · succession · regent · royal
Egypt
Northeastern African nation
- NileAfrica's longest river
- ThebesAncient city, two locations
- MemphisTennessee city, ancient Egyptian capital
Luxor · Karnak · Giza · Nubia · Alexandria · Abu Simbel · Upper Egypt · Lower Egypt · delta · desert
king
Male crowned ruler
sovereign · despot · overlord · monarchy · throne · crown · scepter · kingdom · reign · succession
god-king
Sovereign worshipped as deity
divine · worship · sacred · immortal · pantheon · apotheosis · incarnation · afterlife · temple · ritual
ancient
Very old indeed
- Old KingdomEarly Egyptian dynastic period
- Middle KingdomChina's traditional self-designation
- PtolemaicEarth-centered astronomical system
dynasty · Bronze Age · antiquity · civilization · empire · unification · decline · conquest · legacy
- AfricaEgypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania
- Ancient Egyptsphinx, pyramids, hieroglyphics, pyramid, mummy
- empireempire, emperor, empress, imperial, imperial regalia
- Ancient Egyptiansscribe, embalmer, priest, priestess, vizier
- EmperorsAugustus, Nero, Caligula, Claudius, Trajan
- tricky spellingsaccommodate, acknowledge, acquaintance, acquire, bureau
pharaohelected leader
Official chosen by vote
prime minister · democrat · sultan · caliph · mikado
- pharaohs' tombsAncient Egyptian burial monuments
- pharaoh's curse
- pharaoh maskRoyal Egyptian funerary headpiece