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Ancient Egypt

Beyond the pyramids. Beliefs, daily life and royal surprises. Twelve questions, with a few convincing wrong turns along the way.

Free to use with your own team, courtesy of WorkplaceHero - workplacehero.co.uk

Question sheet

1. In elaborate Egyptian mummification, which organ was usually left in the body?
- A. Brain
- B. Stomach
- C. Lungs
- D. Heart
2. Which natural substance helped dry bodies during mummification?
- A. Natron
- B. Bitumen
- C. Beeswax
- D. Ochre
3. In Herodotus's account of elaborate mummification, what happened to the brain?
- A. Stored in a gold vessel
- B. Removed and discarded
- C. Wrapped with the heart
- D. Left untouched
4. What were shabtis intended to do for the deceased?
- A. Identify their birthplace
- B. Measure their wealth
- C. Perform work in the afterlife
- D. Record military service
5. What naturally preserved many early Predynastic bodies?
- A. Cedar oil
- B. Dry desert sand
- C. Linen soaked in wine
- D. Incense smoke
6. In Hunefer's Book of the Dead, the heart is weighed against what?
- A. A gold ring
- B. A lotus flower
- C. A feather of Maat
- D. A scarab seal
7. Papyrus writing sheets were made from what?
- A. Flax fibres
- B. Animal skin
- C. Palm leaves
- D. A sedge plant
8. What formed the main body of Egyptian faience?
- A. Ground quartz
- B. Hammered copper
- C. Carved turquoise
- D. Baked limestone
9. Nebamun, known from his tomb-chapel paintings, worked as what around 1350 BCE?
- A. Royal charioteer
- B. Stone mason
- C. Grain accountant
- D. Military physician
10. How should Nebamun's tomb-chapel paintings be understood?
- A. Exact census records
- B. Greek myth illustrations
- C. Military campaign maps
- D. An idealised vision of life
11. Which woman assumed the title of king alongside Thutmose III?
- A. Hatshepsut
- B. Nefertari
- C. Tiye
- D. Ankhesenamun
12. Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahri stands opposite which modern city?
- A. Aswan
- B. Luxor
- C. Alexandria
- D. Cairo

Answer sheet (for the quizmaster)

1. D - Heart
The heart was usually retained. The brain was generally removed; practices varied across periods and budgets.
2. A - Natron
Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of salts used to remove moisture.
3. B - Removed and discarded
The brain was removed through the nose and discarded rather than preserved in a canopic jar.
4. C - Perform work in the afterlife
Shabtis were magical substitutes expected to undertake tasks for the deceased.
5. B - Dry desert sand
Hot, dry sand preserved some bodies before elaborate artificial mummification developed.
6. C - A feather of Maat
Maat's feather represents truth and the proper order of things.
7. D - A sedge plant
Papyrus came from Cyperus papyrus, a sedge, rather than animal skin or flax.
8. A - Ground quartz
Faience is a glazed quartz-based material, not ordinary clay pottery.
9. C - Grain accountant
Nebamun accounted for grain at the Temple of Amun in Thebes.
10. D - An idealised vision of life
They commemorate the prosperous life Nebamun wanted remembered, not an impartial picture of all Egyptians.
11. A - Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut became senior co-ruler with Thutmose III during the New Kingdom.
12. B - Luxor
The temple stands across the Nile from Luxor, in the ancient Theban region.