And, by reading bills of sale, shop inventories, and personal letters, they reconstructed what daily life in ancient Egypt was like for everyone from a slave to a king. They discovered long-lost masterpieces of ancient Egyptian literature. Within a few decades, they compiled an accurate list of all the pharaohs who had ruled Egypt, from Narmer in 3000 B.C. Once they had mastered the three kinds of Egyptian writing, nineteenth-century scholars had the key to more than three thousand years of Egyptian history. Cartouches were primarily used to house the names of Pharaoh’s, Royals or Egyptian gods only.Read this excerpt from The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone by James Cross Giblin. This rope is said to possess a magical power to protect the name within it from evil spirits in present life and afterlife. An oval frame which is surrounded by a protective rope.Top section is in Egyptian Hieroglyphics (language of the scribes/priests) 2nd section is in Egyptian Demotic (common language) 3rd section is in Greek.This was important because it helped to translate what the hieroglyphics said and could be used to help translate other hieroglyphics as well.This stone had the same message written in both hieroglyphics and Greek. In 1799 a French soldier found a special stone in the city of Rosetta.Sometimes scribes used a faster short form of hieroglyphics on papyrus called hieratic.They wrote on tablets, walls or papyrus paper (a reed-like plant). ![]() There were no vowel sounds, only consonants.There were about 700 different hieroglyphs. Each hieroglyph represented an object or letter. Ancient Egyptians used a system of picture writing called hieroglyphics.Another famous pharaoh was King Tutankhamun.Ramses II reconstruction Ramses II’s mummy.In that time he fathered 156 children! He was a brave soldier and a great builder. One of the most famous pharaohs was Ramses II (aka Ramses the Great).The pharaoh was the most powerful person in Egypt and some people considered him a god. Rulers of Ancient Egypt were called pharaohs.Some gods include Anubis, Thoth, Amun-Ra, Bastet, Horus and Hathor.2250 BCE – Egyptians introduce gods into all areas of their lives. ![]() Scientists estimate it took at least 20,000 workers over 23 years to build the Great Pyramid of Giza. There are around 138 Egyptian pyramids.The largest is the Pyramid of Khufu, also called the Great Pyramid of Giza.Deep inside the pyramid the Pharaoh would be buried with all sorts of items and treasure that he may need to survive in the afterlife. As part of their religion, the Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh needed certain things to succeed in the afterlife. The pyramids were built as burial places and monuments to the Pharaohs.Each stone weighed as much as two and a half elephants! The finished pyramids had a white coating to protect the stones underneath. The Pyramids were built using huge stones.2650 BCE – 1 st Pyramid(a Step Pyramid) is built.The Narmer Palette, which shows on the left side, King Narmer defeating his enemies.3100 BCE – King Narmer unites Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom.The cartouches came out pretty good too, as an activity. The outline comes out a bit funny-looking (format-wise) on here, but it does the job of explaining what I did. I had a little more interaction with the kids as I tried to ask some questions while I was doing the presentation. Obviously there is a bit of overlap when talking about these, but that’s gonna happen. ![]() I divided the lecture into two parts, the first was History and the second Art. I took a class on Ancient Near Eastern History (which included Egypt and Mesopotamia) during my undergraduate years and loved it, plus I had originally intended on using Egyptian art history (at least the museum pieces) as my first Masters’ thesis, so when trying to come up with ideas for Kids Cafe, I immediately jumped at the chance to talk about Ancient Egyptian History! Plus most kids love Egyptian things like mummies and pyramids, so I figured it was a safe bet.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |