Ancient Egypt What was life like?
Essential Question: How do artists show the values and customs of the people and time in which the art is created? Government and money Available resources Art Beliefs and customs Education and inventions
Geography and Government Nile River Egypt is located in Africa. The Nile river runs south to north the length of Egypt. Because of the frequent flooding of the Nile river valley, ancient Egyptians were able to grow crops and travel along the water for food and trade.
King Tut King Tut became Pharaoh at age 9 He died at 19 There is some mystery surrounding his death because his mummy had damage in many places. His tomb was at the Valley of the Kings. The tomb was well hidden and stayed perfectly preserved until it was discovered in 1920. Pharaoh
Beliefs and Customs This painting shows a custom called, the opening of the mouth. This is done to a mummy, so he or she may eat and drink in the afterlife. The god Anubis, shown with the head of the jackal, looked after the place of mummification. Ancient Egyptians believed in many gods. Many of these gods were represented as animals. They believed every person had a Ka, a life force created at birth and released by death and a Ba, which is like the soul. The Egyptians believed the body and possessions would be needed in the next life. For this reason, they had many customs used to prepare and preserve the body. This is called mummification.
Education and Carving of scribes, recording history of Egypt Family Life Family portrait Hieroglyph: Egyptian picture writing Boys attended school and learned how to write in hieroglyphics. A person who trained in writing was called a scribe. The Rosetta Stone helped archeologists read hieroglyphics. Ancient Egyptians lived in simple houses with some furniture. They ate much of the same foods we eat today. Kids played games and played outside during cooler hours of day.
Artists at work Artist were VIPs in Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians made paintings, pottery, sculpture, jewelry and many other types of art. They also created huge monuments, such as the pyramids and Sphinx. All of the art created shows what Ancient Egyptians believed in and valued.
Making a Mummy A The Ancient Egyptians believed the body would be needed in the afterlife, so they took great care to prepare a dead person s body for a funeral. The process took about 70 days to complete! B People who could not afford to be mummified like picture A, were buried in the sand and the hot, dry climate mummified the body, like in picture B. You can see the items buried with the body that he/she would need in the after life. This mummy would be placed in nesting coffins, that s when one fits inside the other.
Steps to make a mummy Making a mummy took about 70 days. There are many rituals performed during the embalming. Embalming is the process of preserving the body. Remove the organs. The brain is pulled out through the nose using a long needle. The heart is left in the body. The liver, lungs, intestines and stomach are removed through a small opening in the abdomen. These organs are placed in canopic jars.
Drying out the body The body is washed and then covered with natron. Natron is a salty powder found in the Nile riverbed. It is used to dry the body out. The body remains covered with natron for 40 days. The body is cleaned with water and oils and then, packed with spices, linens, sawdust and sand. This makes the body look fuller after the organs were removed. A make-up artist will come and prepare the person for burial.
Wrapping the body The body is wrapped with linen strips. Spells, charms and amulets are placed between the layers to protect the person and assist him/her in the afterlife. First oils, then resin (similar to glue)are applied to the layers of linen. Notice the priest with the jackal mask. This mask represents, Kha, who oversees the embalming process. A funeral mask would be made and placed over the head of the mummy before placing him/her in the coffin.
Into the Coffin The body was placed in the coffin. Often there were several coffins that fit into each other. If the person was high ranking, there would be more coffins and they would be more heavily decorated. The person s name would be written in hierogyphics on a scroll and placed in the coffin.
Let s see what you Learned. Can you be a mummy maker? Click on the link below to test your knowledge of how to make a mummy. Mummy Maker Game
what s a sarcophagus? A sarcophagus is a large stone box used for a mummy s coffin. It was often painted or carved with stories from the person s life. The box was very heavy. This was to prevent tomb raiders from stealing the mummy s possessions.
This is inside King Tut s tomb. Into the tomb