Dig into Ancient Egypt

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• History
• Primary Education

Dig into Ancient Egypt!

When you see this symbol in the lesson:

Use what you already know 

Learn some new facts

Get ready to take part

Reflect on what you have learned

By the end of this lesson you will be able to... 

Talk about...

...when and where the Ancient Egyptians lived 

Understand...

..the evidence left behind and what it can tell us

Build observation skills...

...by looking closely at a mystery object from the museum 

Poll

*Correct answer is around 2,000 - 5,000 years ago

*The Ancient Egyptian civilisation came together with the unification of Egypt around 3000BCE

*There were many dynasties/kingdoms

Can you locate Egypt on the world map?

We are here

*The pin marks the island of Ireland

*A hint is that Egypt is located south of Ireland and is on the coast of the large continent called Africa coloured yellow on this map.

Egypt is in the continent called Africa

Egypt

*The pin marks Egypt

What is the name of the river which flows through Egypt?

A

Lagan

B

Thames

C

Amazon

D

Nile

*Satellite photograph of Egypt showing the river Nile.

*The river Nile flows through Egypt providing  irrigation for farming and a route for transporting goods.

 

What words describe the climate and environment in Egypt today?

*The country of Egypt is mostly populated along the fertile banks of the river Nile. 

*The Nile delta is swampy but also fertile.

*Beyond the Nile is a hot, dry and sandy desert with some oases.  

What evidence have the Ancient Egyptians left behind that can tell us about how they once lived?

*Buildings - e.g. pyramids, Sphinx

* Inscriptions on stone in hieroglyphics

* Papyrus scrolls with hieroglyphic writing

*Funeral artefacts including mummified human remains 

*Everyday objects buried with the dead and recovered from tombs

*Tomb paintings

Here are photographs of some types of evidence left behind. 

 Can you label each photograph correctly?

Pyramid

Jewellery

Hieroglyphics

Canopic Jar

This is a match up game.

Let's look closer at

this funeral object... 

The Ancient Egyptians 

believed that they 

would live again in

an Afterlife.

After death,

4 important body parts

(organs) were placed

 inside 4 Canopic Jars. 

This was to keep them 

safe until they were

 needed again in the

 afterlife. 

This is called a Canopic Jar. The lid is decorated with a human face.

The container part of this Canopic Jar could contain a human liver

A human-faced god called Imsety guarded the liver while it was in the Canopic Jar

Each of the  4 jars had a different lid, each one shaped like the face of an Egyptian god. The gods were the 4 sons of Horus and each looked after a different organ.

This jar is made from limestone

*This canopic jar is  part of the National Museums NI collection.  It is made from white limestone and has traces of black on the eyes.

*Canopic jars were placed with the coffin in a tomb.

*Jars could be made from stone or clay.

*Funeral objects  reveal what the ancient Egyptians thought  happened after they died.

A baboon 

A human face

A bird of prey

A wild dog 

Can you correctly place each organ in it's Canopic Jar?

   

Click on the     above for a clue...

Click on      above for clues...

A bird of prey

A wild dog

A human face

A baboon

Intestines

Stomach

  Liver

  Lungs

Look closely at the features on each jar lid and  place each organ into it's own canopic jar.

Clue - click on the ? for a hint

Look closely at this mystery object which is on display in the museum. 

This is another part of the mystery object 

Click on the eyes to uncover more..

Smooth shiny surface made from polished copper

Made from ivory (animal tusk or teeth).

This is an object that is used by people every day!

This is a handle

*Both artefacts are in the National Museums NI collection and come from 2 different mirrors. from the 13th dynasty and 18th/19th dynasty.

*The use of a mirror tells us that the ancient Egyptians cared about their appearance.

Did you work out what the mystery object is?

A

Pizza cutter

B

Mirror and handle

C

Frying pan and handle

D

Drum and drum stick

Poll

What did you learn today that surprised you?

How did you enjoy today's lesson?