A Journey Through Ancient Egypt (Article)
A Journey Through Ancient Egypt (Article)
A Journey Through Ancient Egypt (Article)
July 2008
MUSEUM EXPEDITION DESCRIPTION A Journey Though Ancient Egypt consists of an expeditionary field trip to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and suggested classroom studies prior to and following the museum visit. The ten days of classroom studies are designed to help students experience history rather than memorize it. Materials cover the five most important periods of time in the history of Ancient Egypt: Predynastic, Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom, and the Ptolemaic period. These materials are tools to help you prepare for your Expedition, so that your students and chaperones will be able to derive the maximum benefit from the visit, and they will greatly enhance the museum experience. For most, the highlight of the program is an hour-and-a-half expedition to the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. During the visit, students travel back to Ancient Egypt and act as Junior Archeologists to view the authentic items from the daily life and rituals of Ancient Egyptians that they have researched ahead of time. The Museum Expedition format is based on the latest pedigogies and museum practices. We welcome your input! The active participation of Teacher, Chaperones and Students is a keynote of this approach. As part of this Expedition, it will be optimal if the chaperones will also take a few minutes to explore our online research tools, and let the students know their area of interest (e.g. Afterlife, Daily Life, Kingship, Temple, Other Ancient Near East Cultures, Arts, Sciences, etc.). Ideally the students would then be assigned to the chaperone whose declared interests most nearly match the students own, so that a focused Expeditionary group can be formed for the Museum visit. PROGRAM MATERIALS AND RESOURCES Your Groups museum Expedition is greatly enhanced when preceded by the ten-day teachtough curriculum. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum provides this Teachers Guide to prepare instructors for presenting this material, to supplement your classroom textbook. This manual and the accompanying Student Handouts Booklet contain optional multidisciplinary activities, such as A crossword puzzle Art activities Vocabulary Identification Exercise Information about Egyptian gods and goddesses Summaries of the major periods of Egyptian history The Expedition Field Guide Investigation Topics to answer before and during you Museum Expedition
All of these can be duplicated and distributed to the Students (and Chaperones). Through the use of these unit materials, you and your students can enjoy this exciting period of history, while fulfilling what is, for many, a required social studies unit. In addition, we strongly recommend that you and your Students and Chaperones take advantage of the new media resources available to you at www.egyptianmuseum.org which will help in preparation for your visit. Highlights of these new teaching tools are: Museum Video Tour Museum Audio Tour Step Pyramid Podcast Cleopatra VII Podcast The Role of Women in Ancient Egypt Podcast Virtual Exhibit Collection Teachers, Chaperones and Students are also most welcome to bring the audios to the Museum in MP3 or other personal players, to listen if they chose to continue to explore the museum after 2:00 pm: The museum itself also features a number of new interactive teaching tools. Some of the interactive highlights are: Hidden Clues: on yellow paper framed in a black frame throughout the Museum. These clues can only be viewed when a special blue light is shown upon the. These blue lights are available in Expedition packs, purchasable in the museum store. Rosetta Stone Search: At the Rosetta Stone Museum Cast, Students can use the magnifying lens to identify the Cartouche of King Ptolemy V which enabled Champollion to begin the deciphering of Egyptian Hieroglyphs. Push button talks: There are push button talks (about 2-3 minutes long) available on the following subjects: Gallery B (Daily Life): Birthing Chamber Gallery C (Kingship): Cleopatra Gallery D (Religion): Polytheism, the Step Pyramid, Monotheism Passport stamping stations: Each gallery has a podium with a stamp attached for students to use in their passports as they record their expeditionary journey to ancient Egypt. Passports templates may be downloaded from www.egyptianmuseum.org, and the passports created in the classroom. They are also available for purchase in the museum store. Virtual tour kiosk: (Daily Life Gallery): This kiosk will allow students to take one or many virtual tours through Egypt. Options include King Tutankhamens tomb, the Giza Plateau, or the Luxor Temple.
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Mummy Science Center: (Afterlife Gallery): Video and Displays on the scientific work carried out with Mummies. We welcome your suggestions for more interactive opportunities!
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL A Journey Through Ancient Egypt has the potential of developing in your students a lifelong appreciation of great ancient cultures. Depending on the time available, you may want to use all or part of the materials. All pre-work in the days before your museum Expedition is optional, but completing any pre-work will definitely enhance the field trip experience. MATERIALS PROVIDED This A Journey Through Ancient Egypt Teachers Guide has several sections: General teachers information Daily planners References and instructions for Student activities in the Student handout Booklet, with answer keys where appropriate. Links to media materials available at www.egyptianmuseum.org o Video Tour of the Museum: www.egyptianmuseum.org/egypt o Audio Guide: www.egyptianmuseum.org/visit.index.heml#Museum_Audio_Tour Additional optional Student Handouts: o Information on the Gods and Goddesses of ancient Egypt o Summaries of the Major time periods in ancient Egyptian history o Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum Expedition Quiz The accompanying Student Handout Booklet contains: Crossword Puzzle Vocabulary Artifacts matching exercise Choose your artifact to research ahead of time and find at the Museum Expedition Field Notes (to be provided for the students on Day One should you chose to do the Field Notes Project): 1. Choose if you want students to create their field notes on the computer or using scissors, paper and glue. 2. Provide each student with a copy (either on paper or electronically) of the project directions, a Field Notes Template, and an Investigations and Artifacts page. 3. Have students create their Field Notes to bring with them on their museum visit.
In order to keep our emergency exits clear please encourage you chaperones to make sure that the students do not sit on or block the stairs. To ensure that our artifacts will be available for generations to come, flash photography and video filming are not allowed in the museum. Please be advised that we cannot provide refunds for cancellations no-shows, or late arrivals. Date and time changes cannot be made once reservations are confirmed.
Day 3 (30-45 minutes) Read and discuss the Predynastic period Working with the atlas: Geographic skills Day 4 (30-45 minutes) Read and discuss the Old Kingdom period Building a pyramid
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Day 5 (45-60 minutes) Read and discuss the Middle Kingdom period Discuss and complete Crossword Puzzle Day 6 (45-60 minutes) Read and discuss the New Kingdom period Mummification process Day 7 (45-60 minutes) Read and discuss the Ptolemaic period Creating Rosetta Stone Day 8 (30-45 minutes) Review five main periods of Ancient Egypt Finalize Expedition Field Notes booklets (if used) Day 9 Museum Visit Day 10 (45-60 minutes) Discuss Museum visit Administer Review Expedition Quiz Conclude course
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Anubis
Bastet
Bes
Hathor
Horus
Isis
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Maat
The goddess Maat was the personification of the basic laws of all existence; she embodied the concepts of law, truth, justice, and world order. In the Hall of Judgment at the weighing of the heart, the heart of the deceased was placed on the scales of justice balanced against the feather of Maat, symbol of Truth. She was usually depicted as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head. Nut was the daughter of the air god, Shu, and sister and Wife of Geb. She was the personification of the vault of heaven and the Milky Way. Nut was considered to be a protector of the dead and at times was depicted as a cow. The most well known figure in Egyptian history, he was the King of the Kingdom of Light, the Lord of the Underworld. He was a god of agriculture, resurrection, and of eternal life. Osiris had many titles including Wennefer, i.e., the perfect one. His brother Set envied his popularity and murdered him, dismembered him, and scattered the pieces throughout the Nile Valley. His sister, Isis, found the pieces and through magic conceived their son Horus. Osiris then became the god of the Netherworld. Osiris is usually depicted as a mummified man. Lioness-headed goddess of war and of the desert. The ancient Egyptians called her the mighty one. She was the protector of the king whenever he went into battle, and conversely, she was also a goddess of healing. Crocodile-headed god of the river Nile. The ancient Egyptians believed that the waters from the river Nile came from his sweat. The ancient Egyptians called this god Djehuty. The ibis bird and the baboon were associated with Thoth. Thoth was lord of the moon, the lord of time, and recorder of years. As the god who invented writing, he was the protector of scribes. As a protector of Osiris, he also became a helper of the dead. When the Greeks came to Egypt, they assimilated Thoth to their own God of Magic, Hermes, and he became known as Hermes Trismegistus. As such he was revered through the Renaissance as a Prophet by Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and the writings attributed to him are still studied today.
Nut
Osiris
Sekhmet
Sobek
Thoth
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PREDYNASTIC PERIOD
Origins: Predynastic Egypt, 5000-3000 B.C.E. Egypts long prehistory prior to 3100 B.C.E. is revealed mostly through preliterate archaeological remains such as ceramics, stonework, jewelry, weapons, and skeletal remains from early cemeteries. The environment in northeast Africa changed significantly between 8000 and 2500 B.C.E. from a more temperate climate, with grasslands and some rainfall, to the mostly arid desert environment we see today. The earliest signs of civilization appear in southern Egypt and the northern Sudan between 12,000-10,000 B.C.E. in the form of used flint-inlayed sickles, but this culture does not appear to have been entirely successful. Two elements of Predynastic history are particularly important: First, from 4000 to 3000 B.C.E. technologies developed at an extraordinary pace, inspiring trade and competition, eventually leading to the introduction of written language and monumental architecture (c. 3500-3200 B.C.E.). After 3500 B.C.E. there was extensive trade and communication all along the Nile and north to the coast of Palestine and south into Nubia (Sudan). Trade also took place with Mesopotamia (modern Iraq). Second, strong political centers arose in Upper and Lower Egypt and competed for military power and territory, leading eventually to local kingships and wars to unify the land under one house (Pharaoh). The earliest formal scenes of royal conflict and ceremony appear on votive offerings from Upper Egypt which were shown in temples and decorated tombs. It was Narmer (who may also have been Menes), the local ruler of Nekhen, who conquered Lower Egypt and united the Two Lands, thus beginning the First Dynasty. In the first two dynasties, sometimes called the Early Dynastic Period, from 3000-2800 B.C.E., most of the typical characteristics of Ancient Egyptian culture were formalized, including language, architecture, art styles, administrative organization, calendar, weights and measures, and major public royal activities. Significant remains in all these areas have allowed archaeologists to piece together a good part of this intriguing puzzle.
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OLD KINGDOM
The Old Kingdom, 3rd to 6th Dynasties (c. 2750-2160 B.C.E.) After the tumultuous growth of the preceding centuries, the Old Kingdom, beginning with the Third Dynasty, was a period of balance and building. It was dominated by the famous King Zoser (Djoser) and his Vizier (a position similar to a Prime Minister), Imhotep, the Chief Councilor and Architect. It was Imhotep who oversaw the construction of the Step Pyramid complex at Saqqara. This monument represented the first great work of architecture in stone (c. 2630 B.C.E.). During this time the first large temple to the sun god Re (Ra) was built at Heliopolis. Quarrying expeditions were sent to the Sinai for copper and turquoise and to Nubia in the south for gold, incense, ivory, and ebony. The Fourth Dynasty (c. 2675-2550 B.C.E.) was the great age of the pyramid builders, Sneferu, Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure (the later three had the pyramids on Giza plateau erected). These kings ruled through a powerful and extensive centralized government, managed by members of their immediate family. The results of this management can be clearly seen at Giza with its massive pyramids, great temple complexes, and the huge city of the dead for the members of the royal family and administration. During the Fifth Dynasty (c. 2550-2425 B.C.E.) the royal pyramids lessened in size while the temple complexes and symbolic decoration of the tombs increased in importance. Also during this time the royal familys power monopoly was lost, and provincial officials in more remote regions gained increasing influence. The sun god Re (Ra) became dominant. In the Sixth Dynasty (c. 2425-2150 B.C.E.) the administrative and social systems became decentralized as the culture grew in size and complexity. This, combined with environmental instability (low Nile floods), broke the unifying power of the central government and resulted in a return to independent city-state that were in competition for dwindling resources. This decentralization made Egypt vulnerable to outside attack. Also at this time the first great rockcut tombs appeared near the provincial capitals, even as far away as Aswan. The Old Kingdom ended with the Sixth Dynasty. The First Intermediate Period followed, a time of uncertainty and troubles during the Seventh to Eleventh Dynasties from approximately 2150-1990 B.C.E. After this, the Middle Kingdom Period emerged.
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MIDDLE KINGDOM
The Middle Kingdom, 11th to 13th Dynasties (c. 1990-1750 B.C.E.) After the upheavals of the First Intermediate Period (between Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom), Egypt went through an actual and symbolic reunification as at the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. This time it was a ruler from Thebes in Upper Egypt, named Mentuhotep, who reunited the country. The Eleventh Dynasty was a time of political reconciliation and agricultural reorganization. Thebes became the greatest city in the land. With the beginning of the Twelfth Dynasty (1975-1800 B.C.E.) the quality of life and high aesthetic levels of the Old Kingdom was re-attained, and its six great kings (Amenemhat I, Amenemhat II, Amenemhat III and Senwosret I, Senwosret II, Senwosret III), instituted some remarkable policies including: Creating a new capital in the area of Memphis. Instituting a formal program of regencies between kings and sons, lasting several years. Implementing agricultural reforms and reclaiming extensive lands in the Fayum oasis. Developing an extensive series of fortifications at the Second Cataract and Suez Canal regions. Formally developing a body of didactic, instructional literature for bureaucrats. During this time Ancient Egypt experienced a literary renaissance. The Egyptian language became widely used in non-religions or magical contexts, such as fictional stories, letters, and wisdom literature. These powerful kings ruled for long periods of time, usually 30 to 50 years, and built Old Kingdom style pyramid complexes near their capital or home city, but from mud brick instead of stone. Eventually their power also became decentralized, and the tendency towards provincialism brought about the decay of the central authority. The Hyksos, a group of people speaking a Semitic language, moved into the Delta from the area of modern Israel. They became the rulers of parts of Egypt after royal authority collapsed.
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NEW KINGDOM
The New Kingdom, 18th to 20th Dynasties (c. 1650-1085 B.C.E.) Soon after 1580 B.C.E., the Egyptian princes of Thebes succeeded in expelling the Hyksos (Rulers of Foreign Lands) and liberating the country, opening the period of Egyptian history known as The Empire Age. Once again there was a reunification, and the pharaohs consciously revived the traditions of the early 12th Dynasty. Art regained the traditional aesthetic it had possessed in the time of King Senwosret I. For almost 500 years the country, enriched by victorious wars (e.g. the campaigns of Thutmose III and Rameses II), was to enjoy a period of prosperity and building activity unmatched in its history. Innumerable stone temples and rock-cut tombs were built, many of which are still in Egypt today. The 18th Dynasty (c. 1580-1315 B.C.E.) Egypt was freed from the Hyksos by Ahmose, ruler of Thebes. Under his leadership, his victorious military campaigns resulted in the extension of Egypts borders northwards across the whole of Palestine and part of Syria as far as the Euphrates and Orontes rivers, and southward along the Nile to the Fourth Cataract more than 500 miles south of Aswan. All the early kings of the dynasty up to Amenhotep III played some part in these wars. Military operations were lessened during the reign of King Hatshepsut, wife and half sister of Thutmose II, who was appointed regent during the minority of her nephew, Thutmose III. In fact, she proclaimed herself pharaoh and reigned for twenty-two years in his stead. She can be seen in temple reliefs, dressed as a man, before her ancestral gods and fulfilling the pharaohs responsibilities. She chose to focus on the internal development of Egypt instead of military expansion. Together, Hatshepsut and Thutmose united the priesthoods of Egypt under her Vizier, Hapuseneb. After her death, Thutmose III resumed the military policies of his ancestors and became a renowned warrior. Much of the wealth of Egypts military conquests had been donated to Egypts central temples. During the reign of Thutmose IIIs grandson, Amenhotep III, these donations had greatly increased the power and wealth of the priesthood of Amun at Karnak Temple. The priesthoods power became so extensive that it began to interfere with the activities of the Royal House. Partly in response to the priests rising power, Amenhotep III began enacting profound cultural changes regarding the idea of the divinity of the king. His son Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV) and his Queen Nefertiti expanded these ideas and effectively limited the priesthoods power.
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He appointed himself sole high priest of a new monotheistic faith which saw in the physical sun disk the symbol of the only divine power which the Egyptians should worship as their unique creator. The names of most of the other gods were removed from monuments. The court left Thebes, the city of Amun, and took up residence in the newly created capital of Akhetaten (El Amarna) in Middle Egypt near Hermopolis. In the fields of art, sculpture, architecture, and literature there was newfound freedom from the old traditions. Images became more naturalistic and architectural forms related more to human needs. This period lasted only twenty years or so. The new town of Akhetaten was abandoned in the time of the young Tutankhamen, the name of Akhenaten was obliterated, and the old gods were restored to their former state. Everything went back to the apparently polytheistic practices of prior periods. 19th and 20th Dynasties (c.1315-1085 B.C.E.) As the dynasties changed, the throne passed to able military leaders, first to Horemheb, Prime Minister of Tutankhamen, then to Sety I and eventually to Rameses II (the Great). The Egyptian armies again marched to Palestine and Syria to consolidate the weakened empire that was now threatened by the Hittites, a more powerful enemy than Thutmose III had confronted. The climax of this period was the long reign of Rameses II, which lasted 67 years. This king built more monuments that have survived than any other pharaoh. Even though Rameses had more than 100 children he still outlived his thirteen eldest sons. Following Rameses II there were nine more kings named Rameses, most of whom ruled no more than a few years. Soon after his death the country was attacked by a large confederation of dispossessed peoples from the eastern Mediterranean called The Sea Peoples. Merneptah and Rameses III successfully warded off the danger in about 1185 B.C.E. and helped Egypt to regain part of its glory and its empire. In the following period, in the reigns of Rameses IV to XI, there is documentary evidence that Egypt suffered from severe economic difficulties, including inflation and famine, and political setbacks such as the robbery of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, strikes, and administrative and judicial scandals.
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Countless foreigners, including a large proportion of people from the East, settled on the banks of the Nile as farmers, prisoners of war, or political refugees. The victories of this period resulted in the capture or recapture of rich Syrian cities together with some of their inhabitants and herds, and the imposition of an annual tribute payable by towns which sought the protection of Egypt against their enemies. This wealth poured into the royal treasury and into officials pockets. The chief beneficiaries of these victories, however, were the gods who had given the pharaoh the power to conquer. Indeed, one major feature of the New Kingdom was the economic growth of the temples. Gifts of land increased along with the number of buildings. This society of prosperous, learned scribes for whom a book is better than a painted stele or a wall covered with inscriptions, took inspiration from the texts of the Middle Kingdom. The New Kingdom ended in crisis with the country splitting into two lands, one in the south ruled by the high priests of Amun at Thebes and the other a dynasty of weak kings at Tanis in the eastern Delta (10th century B.C.E.). Mummification in the New Kingdom The preservation of the body was essential to the Ancient Egyptians. They believed without a body, a persons soul might not be able to fully accomplish the journey to the afterlife. The mummification process was performed differently at different time periods, but it reached its height of expression in the New Kingdom. During the New Kingdom, once a person died, and if they were wealthy, their body was taken to an ibu so that it could be ritually purified. Then it was brought to the per nefer, or the good house. In the per nefer one of the priests would remove the brain through the left nostril. Then the lungs, liver, stomach, and intestines were removed via a small incision on the left side of the abdomen. These organs were then individually mummified and placed in canopic jars. Once the internal organs were removed the body cavity was filled with natron salt, and the entire body was covered with this salt. It was left to desiccate for about 40 days. After it had completely dried out the body could be wrapped. It took about 15 days to place all of the wrappings on the body. Start to finish it took about 70 days to make a mummy. Once this process had been completed they would hold the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony, where the deceased was told you are young again, you shall live again, you shall be young again forever. Then s/he was placed in his tomb, hopefully for all eternity.
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LATE PERIOD (712-332 B.C.E.) After the Third Intermediate period, Egypt was unified again under a combined Nubian and Egyptian kingship. However, most of the power lay with local families in Thebes. For instance, the priest Mentuemhat was called the Prince of the City, and his tomb was on a grander scale than any New Kingdom tomb. Egypt was attacked by the only other strong state in its area, Assyria, in 674 B.C.E. Lower Egypt was taken. Fighting continued for some time, but by 653 B.C.E. Egypt had its independence again under the Cushite kings. The 25th Dynasty was wealthy, and its prosperity continued into the 26th Dynasty. Egypt was invaded again, this time by the Persians, in 525 B.C.E. Persian rule was cruel, and was only tolerated until the Egyptians found strength to drive them out. When the Greeks defeated the Persians in the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C.E., the Egyptians began their eighty-year resistance. The entire country was freed from Persian rule by 400 B.C.E. Persia continued to attack Egypt, however, and in 343 B.C.E. the country belonged to the Persians again. Persian rule was so harsh and brutal that the people of Egypt were willing to accept alternatives. In 332 B.C.E., the young Macedonian-Greek King Alexander the Great defeated the Persians and became ruler of Egypt, having himself declared king. This began the Hellenistic Period of Egyptian history.
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Objective: To experience Ancient Egypt first hand. Time: 90 minutes in museum plus travel time. Materials: 1. Expedition Field Notes (should you chose to use them) 2. Pencils 3. Passports (optional Expedition Souvenirs, not governmental passports) these may be downloaded from the www.egyptianmuseum.org and made in the classroom, or purchased the museum store.
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Directions: 1. Arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled tour time to check in. Note: make sure you have all of your lunches and backpacks stored either on your bus or in your vehicles before your expedition time. These items will not be allowed in the museum, and the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and Planetarium does not provide storage facilities for them. 2. Explain to students the rules of the museum 3. Gather in the columned area to the right of the museum doors 5 minutes before the start of your Expedition. 3. Discover the wonderful world of Ancient Egypt and have fun!
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Objective: Test students understanding of Ancient Egypt. Skill: Memory. Time: 15 to 25 minutes. Materials: 1. Field Trip quiz 2. Pencils Directions: 1. Distribute Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum Expedition Quiz.
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12.) Mothers would make offering to this god in order to keep their children from being eaten by crocodiles. a. Hathor c. Sobek b. Serket d. Tawaret 13.) ____ was a popular Ancient Egyptian game. a. Senet c. Chess b. Checkers d. Candy Land 14.) What plant was used to make paper? a. Date Palm tree c. Lotus b. Fig tree d. Papyrus 15.) Which of Rameses II's sons was a famous priest and magician? a. Merenptah c. Amunherkhepseshef b. Khaemwaset d. Paraherwenemef 16.) Who built Deir el Bahri? a. Hatschepsut b. Tutankhamun
c. Rameses II d. Cleopatra
17.) What is inside of the baboon mummy? a. bones c. a jar b. gold d. a cat 18.) About how old was Sherit when she died? a. 22 c. 15 b. 4 1/2 d. 45 19.) What was placed inside canopic jars? a. food c. letters b. canopics d. mummified organs 20.) What did a Ka need in order to survive in the afterlife? a. television c. food b. gold d. chocolate
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