Social Studies

Ancient Egypt

 

History Topics: Ancient Egyptian Mathematics:
http://www-groups.dcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/~history/Indexes/Egyptians.html

Ancient Egypt: http://www.sis.gov.eg/ancient/front.htm
"This lavishly site conveys the wonder of Ancient Egypt through the daily activities of its people."

Ancient Egypt Webquest: http://www.iwebquest.com/egypt/ancientegypt.htm

Ancient Egypt: Music and Dance: http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/timelines/topics/music.htm

The Cat in Ancient Egypt: http://www.egyptmonth.com/mag04012001/magf1.htm

Digging Up Egypt's Past
http://www.mfa.org/egypt/explore_ancient_egypt/duep_sept25.pdf
http://www.mfa.org/egypt/explore_ancient_egypt/digging_peter.pdf

Egypt: Gift of the Nile: http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/Teach/pdf/Egyptlessons.pdf

Egyptian Art Unit: http://www.art-rageous.net/EgyptianArt.html

Guardian's Egypt: http://www.guardians.net/egypt/

Focus on Egypt: http://www.focusmm.com/egypt/eg_anamn.htm

Ancient Egypt Lesson Plans for Teachers: http://www.dia.org/education/egypt-teachers/

Mark Millmore's Ancient Egypt: http://www.eyelid.co.uk/index.htm

Pyramids - The Inside Story: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/

Exploring Ancient World Cultures - An Introduction to Ancient World Cultures on the World-Wide Web: http://eawc.evansville.edu/index.htm

Oddessy Online: Egypt: http://www.carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/EGYPT/homepg.html

Egypt Game Project:
http://bulldog2.berwick-academy.so-berwick.pvt.k12.me.us/projects/Egypt_Game/egypt.htm
Activities to do while reading The Egypt Game.

National Geographic Photo Gallery - Ancient Egypt: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/egyptjournal/photogalleries/sphinx/?
From the ancient gaze of the Sphinx to the soulful stare of a young weaver—get an eye on Egypt through five galleries with wallpapers.

Ancient Egypt - Music and Dance: http://nefertiti.iwebland.com/timelines/topics/music.htm

Ancient Egypt Magazine: http://www.ancientegyptmagazine.com/issue14.htm

Ancient Egypt: http://www.teachers.ash.org.au/jmresources/Egypt/links.html

Guardian's Egypt: http://www.guardians.net/egypt/

In 1996, at a remote Egyptian oasis called Bahariya, a man was crossing the desert on his donkey when the animal stumbled.  Its foot had fallen through the sand, revealing a hole into a previously unknown Egyptian tomb. As law required, the area was cordoned off so that archaeologists could examine the find.  It turned out to be one of the most significant discoveries ever made from the Greco-Roman period of Egyptian history, from 332 BC until the fourth century AD. Hundreds of mummies were buried there, along with thousands of artifacts including coins, statues, and even board games.  It is an ancient graveyard revealing much about life in the declining centuries of the Egyptian civilization. The golden mummies of Bahariya: http://www.crystalinks.com/bahariya.html 
An account by Dr. Hawaas, an archaeologist who was there: http://guardians.net/hawass/Valley_of_the_Golden_Mummies.htm 

Space Station Science Picture of the Day for June 2, 2003: http://science.nasa.gov/ppod/y2003/02jun_votk1.htm?list559372
For about 500 years between 1500 and 1000 BC, Egyptians buried their pharoahs not in pyramids but in grand underground complexes. More than sixty royal tombs, including that of King Tutankhamen, are located in the Valley of the Kings across the river from Luxor. The space station recently flew over the Valley and captured some lovely pictures of the region--including telltale signs of archeological excavations.
Space Station Science Picture of the Day for June 3, 2003: http://science.nasa.gov/ppod/y2003/03jun_votk2.htm?list559372
When the sun sets over the Great Bend in the Nile, the riverside glows--a telltale sign of cities and modern civilization. Not far away the Valley of the Kings remains in ancient darkness. Astronaut Don Pettit photographed the region at night during a recent flyby of the space station.

Think about Catal Huyuk’s success at agriculture and how it made specialization possible. a). Write a paragraph about specialization in modern as well as ancient communities. b). List jobs for a modern community and for an ancient community. c). Next, write two Help-Wanted ads: one for a modern community and one for an ancient one. Look in the Help-Wanted section of a newspaper to see what should be included in your job description.

BBC Radio-Unearthing Mysteries: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/unearthingmysteries_20021112.shtml
This site has a slide show and audio clips concerning Catal Huyak.

Review the Nile’s source and outlet--downhill from East Africa’s snowcapped mountains to the Mediterranean. Make a three-dimensional clay model to reflect this “higher in the south, lower in the north” topography. Cut a “riverbed” and make a depression for the Mediterranean.

Make a demonstration of the way a river flows by using potting soil, a foil baking pan, and a pitcher of water. Replicate the downhill flow of a river and tell about the path the water takes at the bottom. Try to use the vocabulary words from the lesson.

Use a map of the Nile to create you own map of Egypt’s river. Label Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt and use arrows to show the direction of flow.

Virginia's Virtual Art Room: http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/gmuvava/index.html
Visit the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Virtual Art Room and explore the treasures of Ancient Egypt. This interactive site includes lesson plans for teachers, activities and assessment for students.

Use art materials to create your own symbols for “traveling north” and “traveling south” along the Nile in Ancient Egypt.

Create a model of an ancient Egyptian sailboat.

Do research into Thor Heyerdahl’s experiment with papyrus boats. Write a report explaining the theory he wanted to prove and what social scientists now think of it.

List a scribe’s job. Next, write a paragraph about how the jobs let the scribe contribute to the community. Last, write a paragraph about ways that written records help your community run smoothly.

"Cuneiform Digital Library Initiative": http://cdli.ucla.edu/ represents efforts of an international group of Assyriologists, museum curators, & historians of science to make available the form & content of
cuneiform tablets dating from the beginning of writing, ca. 3200 BC, until the end of the third millennium.

Research how the Egyptians made paper from papyrus. Illustrate the steps and then present them to the class. Papyrus is a writing medium developed by the Egyptians more than 3,000 years before Christ, with examples form the First dynasty (3100-2884 B.C.) surviving today. It was in general use during the Classical Greek period and during most of the roman Empire. In the third Century A.D., it was replaced by parchment. In ancient times, the manufacture of Papyrus was controlled by the Temples. Later, during the Ptolemaic Period, it became a royal monopoly. During the Greek and Roman periods, Papyrus was imported from Egypt and attempts to grow Papyrus were made in Europe. After the advent of parchment, the manufacturing process was lost or forgotten until a German professor recovered the system for joining the strips from the so-called "Rushes of the Nile" in the mid 20th Century. The technique consists of removing the outer green skin from the stems and slicing the core into strips. The strips are soaked in several changes of water to remove most of the sugar content, then pounded and drained with a roller. The soaking times and order of treatment are trade secrets. The strips are then placed parallel and perpendicular and subjected to pressure during drying. The sugar remaining in the fiber joins the strips and solidifies them, creating a surface suitable for the application of a variety of paints and inks.
from Hydra Galleries: www.hydra9.com

The Writing Revolution in the Ancient World: Egypt
• The Writing's on the Wall: http://chicagowebdocent.org/modules/comm/activities/writingrevolution/media/splash.htm
• I Read it in the Book of the Dead: http://chicagowebdocent.org/modules/comm/activities/writingrevolution/hieroglyphs/Web/index.html

The Rosetta stone is a black basalt stone tablet found in 1799 near Rosetta in northern Egypt in the Nile river delta. The tablet, now held in the British Museum, has the same message written in two
languages (Egyptian and Greek) using three different scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic, and Greek). Discovery of this tablet, dating from 196 BC, made possible the interpretation of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. You can see a picture of the Rosetta stone at:
http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/egyptian/ea/gall/rosetta.html

ROSETTA STONE COLORING BOOK: http://www.clemusart.com/archive/pharaoh/rosetta/coloring/index.html
Find excellent coloring pages to download and print and complement your learning activities or unit on
Ancient Egypt.

EGYPTIAN MATH PROBLEMS: http://cuip.uchicago.edu/wit/99/teams/egyptmath/mathproblems.htm
Solve word problems with Egyptian math--elementary students should find the graphics and puzzle format appealing.

Egyptian mathematics: http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/Indexes/Egyptians.html
Grades: 7 - Post-secondary
History and mathematics merge at this online exploration of mathematics in antiquity. Here you'll get an overview of Egyptian mathematics, a look how they handled of the concept of zero, and other related mathematical history.

I Want My Mummy! The Scientific and Social Controversy of Unearthing Human Remains: http://home.cfl.rr.com/mrshebert/Mummy/index.htm

National Geographic: Secrets of Egypt: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/
At this site there are photos, diagrams, journals of travelers to Egypt, online quiz, and tons of information and links to more.

Diagnosing the diseases of the Ancient Egyptians: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/unearthingmysteries_20030812.shtml
article and a link to the audio

Egypt: the Land of the Pharaohs: http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/egypt.htm

Archaeological find in Luxor dates back to Ramsis III reign: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html7/o130822n.htm

Study of humble grave unearths pyramid tomb: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,797603,00.html

Update: Third "Door" Found in Great Pyramid: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/09/0923_020923_egypt.html

Amun, the kingmaker: http://www.exn.ca/Stories/2001/07/20/52.asp
"Amun was a mythical god, one of many that the Nubians worshiped."

Make an Egyptian high school yearbook of pharaohs

Create a catalogue of Egyptian items.

Write nursery rhymes.

Make a pamphlet called "Down in the Egyptian Gym" (what games did they play?)

Mr. Dowling's Electronic Passport: Ancient Egypt: http://www.mrdowling.com/604egypt

"The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt":
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/egyptinfo.htm invites us to examine a coffin, sarcophagus, & statues while listening to experts explain the significance of these & other objects found in the tombs of Egyptian rulers. Explore the tomb of Thutmose III (1479-1425 BC) or read the family guide for this exhibit.

Mr. K's Class Internet Tour of Ancient Egypt: http://expage.com/page/mrkclassroom

ANCIENT EGYPT: http://www.kent.wednet.edu/curriculum/soc_studies/Egypt/egypt.html
This site contains facts about Ancient Egypt, including a hieroglyphic alphabet. It also tells how to create a business along the Nile River, design a cartouche, compare ancient Egyptian teenagers to modern American teens--find plenty of creative ideas for unique student projects under lesson plans.

Ancient Egypt: http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/menu.html
This well-organized site by the Trustees of the British Museum reveals the mysteries of ancient Egypt. Clicking on the beautifully reproduced photos, kids can navigate through descriptions of Egyptian time-telling instruments, pharaohs, and writing. Hyperlinks in the text pull up pop-ups with well-written glossary entries. "Explore" buttons under each topic provide interactivity; for instance, kids can tour a temple, search through a variety of maps, and examine a mummy in its tomb. When they're done exploring, give your students an online activity.

Ancient Egypt: A Web Quest: http://www.sctboces.org/teachercenter/webquests/Gina/egypt.htm
Students can use this site to guide them through a comprehensive project on the history of ancient Egypt.  The focus of the site is a project that poses several topics of interest, from mapping Egypt to the creation of mummies to the history of the Sphinx and the Pyramids.  Listed next to each topic are Web sites that might be good sources of information for that topic. The site also lists books. By the end of the project, students will have a strong overview of the land's history.

ANCIENT EGYPT: http://www.fcasd.edu/schools/DMS/wq/EgyptWQ.htm
A compilation of Internet resources on Ancient Egypt to support student research for this Middle School webquest.

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS WEBQUEST: http://coe.west.asu.edu/students/dmatousek/ancientwq/ancient_civilizations_wq.htm
Near the bottom of the page are choices of civilizations. Choose Ancient Egypt as your civilization, use online resources, and create an annotated museum exhibition on all aspects of what they have learned about their ancient culture.

Ancient Egypt: A WebQuest: http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/webq/webq33/aegypt.htm
Travel back-in-time to Ancient Egypt and perform tasks which reinforce learning about this culture.

Odyssey/Egypt: http://carlos.emory.edu/ODYSSEY/EGYPT/homepg.html
Tells about mummys and pyramids, has a map of Ancient Egypt and suggests books to read about Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian Cartouche: http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/eg_puz.PDF
A crossword puzzle

Mr. Donn's Ancient History Page: http://members.aol.com/DonnandLee/#EGYPT

Ancient Egypt Kid Connection: http://www.guardians.net/egypt/kids/index.htm
Learn about Ancient Egypt at this site. It has especially good games.

Think of yourself as an ancient Egyptian jeweler commissioned to design a gift for a pharaoh to give to a loved one. Design your creation with colored pencils, markers, crayons, or on the computer.

Using current news stories about trade relations--between the United States and other countries or among nations formed into trading blocs--relate it to Hatshepsut’s expedition. Especially tell the importance of trade to nations from ancient times to the present.

Create you own picture book entitled “The Treasures of Tutankhamun’s Tomb.” In it, include pictures that you draw of at least six of the treasures, and each should include a caption that explains the artifact’s significance and describes the materials used and the craftwork that went into it.

Research and write about why planets move in the sky. Identify the five planets that the Egyptians called “stars that know no rest” and tell why they would not have been able to identify the other four planets.

Mummification Story: http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/story/main.html

Virtual Mummy:
http://www.uke.uni-hamburg.de/zentren/experimentelle_medizin/informatik/forschung/mumie/index.en.html

Cyber Mummy: http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/VideoTestbed/Projects/Mummy/mummyhome.html

How Mummies Work: http://people.howstuffworks.com/mummy.htm
Mummification – the preservation of a dead body -- has been practiced for thousands of years. Mummies of Ancient Egypt and Peru are still being discovered today, and the practice extends
well into the present, as well -- did you know that the body of Eva Peron has been preserved? Learn how and why mummies are made (and find out about the legendary mummy curse!).

The Cartouche, or King's signature, evolved from early knowledge that a rope encircling desert travelers while they slept provided almost magical protection from serpents and other predators. From this, a talisman assuring safe passage was developed. Surrounded by the symbolic rope, the name of the owner was inscribed in hieroglyphics, providing him with mystical protection. Until modern times, Cartouches were designed only for Pharaohs. This symbol became the King's signature, and was inscribed on monuments, temples and tombs. With this identification, it is possible, today, to match each Pharaoh with his accomplishments.

Think about what Punt leaders saw in Egypt after Htshepsut’s expedition to their country. Write a letter to Punt describing what Egypt is like. Include at detailed descriptions of at least 6 things.

Make a map of a floor in the school and then, in an inset, make a large-scale map showing an individual room in more detail.

Choose a state or a country that you have always wanted to visit and do some research on it. Draw a small-scale outline map of it, drawing in and labeling major cities, rivers, lakes, and mountains. As insets, draw large-scale maps of at least two places you want to visit.

EgyptVoyager.com: http://www.egyptvoyager.com/
Research modern-day tours of Egypt, the stops they make and the modes of travel they use. Draw a small-scale map of Egypt, labeling important points and features, and showing the route the tour follows. Prepare at least four large-scale tour stops as inset maps.

Produce a short work song to present to the class.

Write down notes about a job or role. Use these notes to create a “want ad”.

Ancient Egyptian Culture: http://emuseum.mankato.msus.edu/prehistory/egypt/index.shtml
All the facts you would need to know about life in Ancient Egypt, with links to more!

Choose an ordinary citizen of ancient Egypt by occupation. Draw a cartoon strip entitled “A Day in the Life of . . .” with four scenes from that person’s daily life.

Board Games of the Ancient World: http://students.itec.sfsu.edu/edt628/dstorz/index1.html
When students learn about ancient civilizations, they rarely learn how ancient peoples kicked back and had fun.  This site offers a different perspective on Egypt, Mesopotamia, and China. Students are asked to do some historical research on a series of games from these places and note the materials, goals, and any symbolism involved before they actually play the games.

The chief religious guide to life for Egyptians was called maat. Research maat to find out what it was and how it affected the Egyptians’ lives. Write at least a 2 page pamphlet entitled “Maat and Its Role in Egyptian Life”.

EGYPTIAN QUEENS: http://wwwfac.wmdc.edu/HTMLpages/Graduate/TI/pages/LRB/lp2.htm
Choose Hapshepsut, Nefertiti, or Cleopatra to represent their lives and accomplishments with a letter
to the future. Try multimedia presentations for the final product.

THE STEP PYRAMID COMPLEX OF DJOSER: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/arth/zoser/zoser.html
Examine how a pyramid complex was built with this interactive tour. Click on any section for more information, illustrations, and details.

HOW MUCH DOES A PYRAMID COST?: http://wcvt.com/~tiggr/
Who is feeling as rich as a pharaoh in your class? Let your students use this lesson plan to calculate
just how much one of these indulgent shrines would cost in today's real estate and construction markets.

Pyramids: The Inside Story: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/
From history to physics to archaeology, this site covers all the important aspects of Egypt's pyramids. Not only can students view diagrams of the structures' cross-sections, but they can take a journey through the structures (with a QuickTime player). The site offers information about who built the pyramids, as well as an explanation of hieroglyphics. Kids can apply what they've learned by attempting to build their own pyramids. The coverage of archaeologist Mark Lehner's dig will keep students riveted.

BUILD A SCALE MODEL OF A PYRAMID: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pyramid/geometry/model.html
Here's a great little metric and scaling exercise in math. Students need to recreate a model of a pyramid, while scaling it down to 3000 times smaller. Directions and examples are given to help students scale further pyramids.

Ancient Egypt: http://eawc.evansville.edu/egpage.htm
Tells about Ancient Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife

TOUR KING TUT'S TOMB: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/3499/TUTSHOME.HTM
Click on any of the rooms to view actual pictures and learn more about the objects which were found in the famed tomb of King Tutanhkhamum.

Tut's life and death unmasked: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/2288952.stm
King Tutankhamun Likeness Displayed: http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/100202_nw_king_tut_likeness.html
High-tech artistry reveals King Tut's face: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1033424055206_28833255/?hub=SciTech

Egypt: http://members.aol.com/tward64340/Egypt.htm
How to make examples of Ancient Egyptian art that immortalized their Kings.

Ramsis II wife statue unearthed: http://www.uk.sis.gov.eg/online/html7/o061122c.htm

ANCIENT ARCHITECTURE PRINTABLES: http://www.bonus.com/applets/bigpic/bigpic.cgi?REQUEST=start&MASTERDIR=ancient
Choose Pyramids at Giza, Egypt to print, then color.

Mummies of Ancient Egypt: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0116982/FHomepage.htm

An Important Man Has Died: http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/story/main.html

The Case of the Mysterious Mummies: http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/publications/pdfs/MusKids_Mummy/Mummy_divided_PDF.pdf

The Art of Mummy Making: http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/oct/mummy/011025.mummy.html

Mysteries of Egypt - Chapter 11: http://www.destinationcinema.com/our_films/egypt/documents/moe_studyguide.pdf

Quest for Immortality:
http://www.nga.gov/kids/kidquest.pdf
http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2002/egypt/slideshow.htm

The Art of Ancient Egypt: http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/publications/pdfs/egypt/egypt.pdf

Cyber Mummy: http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/VideoTestbed/Projects/Mummy/mummyhome.html

Virtual Mummy: http://www.uke.uni-hamburg.de/institute/imdm/idv/forschung/mumie/index.en.html

The Mysterious World of Mummies:
http://www.discover.com/highspeed/tlc/mummies

Ancient Mayor's Tomb, 102 Mummies found in Egypt: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/egyptmayor000523.html

Tour Egypt: http://www.touregypt.net

"RAPPING" WITH A MUMMY!: A Play: http://gailhennessey.com/index.shtml?sample_play.html

MAKE YOUR OWN MUMMY: http://www.rom.on.ca/egypt/mummy/mum1.html
Here is a very creative rendition on making a mummy, which all primary students--any age and ability
level--will love to do. Uses modeling clay and Plaster of Paris wrap.

EXPERIMENTING WITH MUMMIES: http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/13/mummy.html
Your students will be trying their hand at different methods of mummifying apples in order to better understand the processes used by the Ancient Egyptians.

Egyptian Mummies: http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmnh/mummies.htm, a Smithsonian Institution Web site, provides a brief peek into the process of mummification, why it was practiced, the kind of people who were mummified, and the study of mummies today by present-day archaeologists.

Where can you find a good mummy?: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/17/g912/goodmummy.html

Mummies and the Desert: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/17/g35/desert.html

Unwrapping Mummies: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/activities/17/mummies.html

The Science of Mummies: http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=244

Mummies Scavenger Hunt: http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngexplorer/0110/adventures/scavenger.html

Mummy Quiz: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/mumquiz/mummyquiz1.html

Mummies Unwrapped: http://www.thinkquest.org/library/lib/site_sum_outside.html?tname=J003409&url=J003409

Egyptian Book of the Dead: An Art Lesson: http://www.kinderart.com/arthistory/bookofthedead.shtml
Learn about Ancient Egypt and make your own Book of the Dead with Charlotte Broxon.

Ancient Egyptian Quiz: http://www.rom.on.ca/quiz/egypt
T est your knowledge on Ancient Egyptian artifacts by taking this interactive quiz.

Welcome to Neferchichi's tomb: http://www.neferchichi.com/
This site has facts about Ancient Egypt, postcards to email, mad libs, 3-D pictures, hieroglyphic writing lessons and more fun things to do that are all related to Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egypt Lesson Plans for Teachers:  http://www.dia.org/education/egypt-teachers/index.html 
offers a wide selection of lesson plans, all about the world of the ancient Egyptians. From composing stories to measuring objects in cubits, these activities help incorporate Egyptian history into your art, language, social studies, math, and science curricula.

This site began in March 1998 and was created by Janet Luch.
Email comments and questions to studyplans@yahoo.com