From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth Amun ('secret god'), or Amon or (Greek) Ammon, in Egyptian myth, was originally a god of the air, born with other deities from the voice of Thoth.
From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable The principal goddess of ancient Egypt, sister and wife of Osiris and mother of Horus, she typified the faithful wife and devoted mother.
Ancient Egyptian god, the embodiment of goodness, who ruled the underworld after being killed by Set. The pharaohs were believed to be his incarnation.
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth Ra the Supreme. Ra ('creator'), or Re or Phra, the Sun-god in Egyptian myth, was the supreme power in the universe, giver and sustainer of life.
From Bloomsbury Dictionary of Myth Sekhmet (or Sakhmet, 'powerful'), in Egyptian myth, was consort of Ptah the craftsman-god and daughter of Ra, the Sun.
From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Egyptian god of the moon and of reckoning, learning, and writing. He was the inventor of writing, the creator of languages, the representative of Re, and the scribe, interpreter, and adviser of the gods.
From Chamber's Dictionary of the Unexplained The ancient Egyptian symbol of the ankh, which consists of a T-shaped cross with a looped top arm, appears frequently in Egyptian tomb paintings and other art.
Study of the relative position of the planets and stars in the belief that they influence events on Earth. A strongly held belief in ancient Babylon, astrology spread to the Mediterranean world, and was widely used by the Greeks and Romans.
From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia Ancient Egyptian book of magic spells, known as the Book of Coming Forth by Day, buried with the dead as a guide to reaching the kingdom of Osiris, the god of the underworld.
From Chamber's Dictionary of the Unexplained The pyramids of Egypt were built around 2000 bc as royal tombs on a gigantic scale – it has been calculated that the largest of them, the great pyramid, was originally 147 metres (481 feet) high.
From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia Egyptian physician, architect, and vizier (chief adviser) of King Zoser (3rd dynasty). He is thought to have designed the step pyramid at Sakkara, the first pyramid ever constructed.
From The Bloomsbury Guide to Art A complex of temples on the east bank of the Nile, at Thebes in Ancient Egypt, built over a period of 2,000 years. Known to the ancient Egyptians as Ipet-isut ('the most select of places'), it is now known by the neighbouring modern village of el-Karnak.
From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable A word from the Egyptian meaning ‘great house’, applied to the kings of ancient Egypt in much the same way as the holy see came to be used for the pope, or the Sublime porte for the government of the sultan of Turkey.
Country in northeast Africa. Capital: Cairo. Major ports: Alexandria, Port Said, Suez, Damietta, Shubra Al Khayma.
