Great Egyptians: Ramses the Great: Teacher s Guide

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1 Great Egyptians: Ramses the Great: Teacher s Guide Grade Level: 6-8 Curriculum Focus: Ancient History Lesson Duration: Two class periods Program Description This man clearly was concerned with posterity: he built more monuments and fathered more children during his reign than any other pharaoh. View some of Ramses' legacies, including the massive figures at Abu Simbel that inspired Mount Rushmore. Then examine a key battle Ramses may have lost the one with Moses and the God of the Israelites. Judge for yourself how well archaeological evidence supports the events described in Exodus. Video Comprehension Questions How was Ramses' design for Abu Simbel different from all the Egyptian temples that had been built before? (Ramses the Great designed Abu Simbel with colossal monuments to himself carved directly into the mountains. (Until then, most temples were built from blocks of stone.) These huge, sculpted self-portraits were larger than any previous Egyptian monuments and required the development of totally new carving techniques.) Why did Ramses move the capital of Egypt to the new city he built in the delta? (Ramses moved the Egyptian capital from Memphis to the new city of Ramesse to position his forces more strategically against his enemies. It was the ideal place to launch military strikes, north to Syria and west to Libya, Egypt s traditional enemies.) Why do we know more details about the battle of Kadesh than any other battle in ancient history? (Because Ramses carved the story of the battle of Kadesh into the walls of every temple he ever built, we have today a uniquely detailed account of this important battle.) How does the modern snake charmer's demonstration shed light on a biblical story concerning the unnamed pharaoh? (The modern snake charmer wraps a deadly snake around a staff, making the snake temporarily immobile and appearing to be part of the staff itself. This may explain the biblical story in which Moses' brother Aaron throws his staff on the ground before the pharaoh, and it becomes a snake.) Why did the biblical pharaoh react differently to the tenth plague from the plagues that came before it? (The tenth plague caused all Egyptian first born sons, including the pharaoh's beloved son, to die. This plague, unlike the others, could not be explained as a quirk of nature, leading the pharaoh to release the Israelites.) If the story of Exodus actually happened as described in the Bible, why is it missing from Egyptian records of that time in history? (Although the Egyptians recorded many of their battles with

2 Great Egyptians: Ramses the Great: Teacher s Guide 2 hieroglyphs, they never recorded any defeats, leaving behind no archaeological record of the Israelites in Egypt and the biblical Exodus.) Why is the biblical story of Joseph significant in proving that Ramses the Great could have been the biblical pharaoh of the Exodus story? (The biblical story of Joseph, backed up by hieroglyphic evidence of the seven-year famine he predicted, suggests that there were Israelites in Egypt at the time of Ramses the Great.) How has modern scientific knowledge helped unlock additional clues about the life and death of Ramses the Great and his family? (In 1988, modern archaeologist Dr. Kent Weeks discovered and studied the huge tomb Ramses had constructed for his large family. Other archaeologists and Egyptologists studied the ruins of the community of tomb makers. In addition, the mummy of Ramses the Great was examined by scientists, who found that he died a painful death at about 90 years of age.) Lesson Plan Student Objectives Students will understand: Ramses archaeological record tells us much about the pharaoh. Archaeologists examine the connections or contradictions between the Bible and other historical clues. Materials Great Egyptians: Ramses the Great video and VCR, or DVD and DVD player Photographs of Ramses the Great s building projects either on the video or from other sources Reference materials about the other American monuments listed in this lesson plan (see Procedures) Drawing materials Modeling materials Procedures 1. Give students a chance to examine pictures of the colossal statues that Ramses II erected of himself at Abu Simbel. (Note that some have been moved to make way for waters from the Aswan Dam.) Explain that in this project, students will have a chance to reflect on how we honor people with monuments. They will then apply some of their insights as they plan a commemorative monument. 2. Next, introduce the issue of memorializing and aggrandizing oneself and others. (You might begin by examining the two words memorializing and aggrandizing, leading students to understand that the latter has negative connotations.)

3 Great Egyptians: Ramses the Great: Teacher s Guide 3 3. Explain that we don t really know how Egyptians of the second millennium B.C. reacted to Ramses self-images. We do know, however, that in our times, monuments do provoke controversy. Ask students to research various reactions to the following monuments during their planning, right after they were unveiled, and today: Mount Rushmore The Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. The field of chairs for the Oklahoma City bombing victims A local or regional monument 4. Encourage students to uncover and discuss the form that controversies about any of these monuments have taken. 5. Next, challenge students to become designers themselves. Give them the option of designing a monument to themselves or to an important person, dead or alive. Here are some questions to stimulate their thinking, but encourage students to raise other issues as well: What do you want viewers to think about or feel when they see the monument? Should the monument be realistic (such as the Lincoln Memorial) or abstract (such as the Washington Monument)? Should the monument be positioned indoors or outdoors? Out of what material(s) should the monument be made? How big or small should the monument be? Should the monument consist of one structure (or piece) or several structures (or pieces)? Should the monument encourage viewers to touch it or walk through it, or should the monument be roped off or made unreachable in some other way? What, if anything, should a plaque on or near the monument say? 6. Ask students, working alone or in small groups, to apply their answers to the preceding questions by sketching the monument on paper, drawing it on a computer, or using clay or other media to create a three-dimensional model of a monument in honor of themselves or someone else. 7. Encourage students to write the copy for a plaque that will appear on or near the monument. Alternately, students may want to prepare a flyer or brochure that visitors to the monument can take home with them.

4 Great Egyptians: Ramses the Great: Teacher s Guide 4 8. Assuming that students select important people (as opposed to themselves) to memorialize, set up one or more forums for students to share their products with other classes or community groups. Discussion Questions 1. Analyze the meaning of the narrator s comment that the father of Ramses the Great was not only building temples, but making a political statement. Explain whether this was true of Ramses the Great as well. 2. Ramses recorded the triumphs and events of his reign on the walls of the monuments he built for himself. Discuss the many different means we have today for reporting and recording current events. Do you think they will turn out to be as lasting as the ancient monument walls, and as capable of being read and interpreted thousands of years from now? 3. What aspects of Ramses personality enabled him to push back the Hittites at Kadesh despite seemingly insurmountable odds? What lessons could this offer to today s military leaders? Are these lessons still valid given the kinds of sophisticated weapons available today? 4. Discuss the use of the Bible as a historical document as well as a religious one. Explain why biblical passages have been important in closing gaps in the historical record of Ramses the Great s 67-year reign in ancient Egypt. 5. Imagine that you lived during the reign of Ramses the Great. What would your life have been like as an Egyptian living in one of the cities under his rule? 6. There were 11 Egyptian rulers who were named Ramses, but only Ramses II came to be known as the Great. In looking back over his life and accomplishments, do you think he earned that title? Analyze the qualities that a leader today would need to be considered great. Have a class debate about whether the standards of great leadership have changed very much since those times. Assessment Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson. 3 points: Student shows strong research skills in learning about reactions to modern-day monuments; creates an original, thoughtful model or drawing; writes a clear, complete plaque or flyer for their monument. 2 points: Student shows on-grade research skills in learning about reactions to modern-day monuments; creates a satisfactory model or drawing; writes an adequate plaque or flyer for their monument. 1 point: Student shows weak research skills in learning about reactions to modern-day monuments; creates a confused, unclear model or drawing; writes a incomplete or vague plaque or flyer for their monument.

5 Great Egyptians: Ramses the Great: Teacher s Guide 5 Vocabulary archaeological Definition: Of or pertaining to the remains of the culture of a people. Context: One of the great archaeological mysteries of our time is the biblical story of Exodus. delta Definition: Minerals carried by a river and deposited at the river s mouth. Context: When Ramses came to power, he moved the capital to an area called the delta. exodus Definition: A mass departure (specifically, the biblical story of the once-captive Jews fleeing Egypt). Context: New evidence now suggests that Ramses the Great was also the unnamed pharaoh of the biblical Exodus. hieroglyphs Definition: Pictorial characters in a system of writing used by ancient Egyptians. Context: If you read the hieroglyphs carefully, you ll find no losses; the Egyptians never recorded defeat. icon Definition: An image. Context: When he became pharaoh, Ramses built a temple so awesome that it would become his logo forever and an icon for all of Egypt. pharaoh Definition: A ruler of ancient Egypt. Context: Ramses was one of the greatest pharaohs ancient Egypt had ever seen. propaganda Definition: Ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one s cause or to damage an opposing cause. Context: The temple carvings were pure propaganda. Ramses wanted everyone to be afraid of him. Academic Standards Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit

6 Great Egyptians: Ramses the Great: Teacher s Guide 6 This lesson plan addresses the following national standards: World History Early Civilizations and the Rise of Pastoral Peoples: Understands the political, social, and cultural consequences of population movements and militarization in Eurasia in the second millennium B.C.E. World History Early Civilizations and the Rise of Pastoral Peoples: Understands the major characteristics of civilization and the development of civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley. The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has developed national standards to provide guidelines for teaching social studies. To view the standards online, go to This lesson plan addresses the following thematic standards: Time, Continuity, and Change Support Materials Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit