Schools Loans Service Ancient Egypt Funerary Box

Schools Loans Service
Ancient Egypt Funerary Box: Teacher’s Notes
Schools Loans Service
Contents
1. Introduction to the Loans Service
2. The Loans Box and Teacher’s Notes
3. Background Notes: Artefacts
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Kohl Makeup Pot
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Scarab Beetle
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Two Finger Amulet
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Eye of Horus or Wedjat Amulet
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Djed Pillar Amulet
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Bes, God of the Family
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Osiris, God of the Dead
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Shabti Figure
-
Shabti Foot
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Cartonnage Coffin Casing
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Carved Hand
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Egyptian Funerary Mask
4. Activity Sheets:
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Curious Curator
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Match the Label to the Object
-
What is it Made of?
-
Which Bit is This?
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Egyptian Gods
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Amulets
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1. Introduction to the Schools Loans Service
Welcome to Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery’s Loans Service. We
have over 200 loans boxes or packs available, supporting a variety
of curriculum areas.
Whilst using any loans box be sure to look at the Schools Liaison website to find
relevant ICT activities and resources for use in the classroom. The website address
is www.schoolsliaison.org.uk
The Loans Service is just one of a variety of education services offered by
Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery. You will find details of all other services offered
to schools on the web address above.
Alternatively contact the Schools Liaison Administration Assistant on 0121 303 3890
for further information.
We would appreciate any feedback that you could give us regarding the use of the
box and Teacher’s Notes. Please complete the evaluation questionnaires provided
and return them to the Museum with your loan.
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2. The Loans Box and Teacher’s Notes
This loans box has been produced to support the teaching of the curriculum in the
classroom. While it is particularly useful for supporting those teaching KS 2 History
‘A World Study of a Past Society, it is also of great value for cross curricula teaching.
The Teacher’s notes are photocopiable.
Also included in the box are four posters of Egyptian funerary artefacts currently on
display in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. Laminated labels describing each
of the artefacts are included and can be used as a class activity whereby small
groups of pupils can be given a label that they must match to the right poster.
3. Background Notes: Artefacts
Please note that there are five boxes of Egyptian funerary objects in Birmingham
Museum & Art Gallery’s School Loans Collection. Nine of the objects included in
each box are the same kind of artefact. The tenth item is an object that has come
from an Egyptian coffin. Depending on the loans box this will be a funerary death
mask, a wooden hand or a piece of cartonnage from an inner coffin.
Please also note that the pictures of the artefacts in the notes which follow will not
always be identical to those objects which you have in the box.
All of the loans items are typical of objects that would have been found in a tomb or
pyramid. All were used to make life easier in the Afterlife. The amulets would have
possibly been wrapped in the bandages of the mummy.
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Kohl Make-up Pot
Background
Tombs were filled with objects
that would make the afterlife
easy for the dead person.
Items such as food, clothing and
furniture were found.
Sometimes kohl pots were also
found in the tombs.
Black eye kohl was made from
galena, a type of poisonous lead.
Later soot was used.
Customs
This is a kohl makeup pot. It
was used to store the black kohl
eyeliner, which ancient
Egyptians used.
Technology
This kohl pot is made of
alabaster. Some kohl pots were
made of stone, wood, faience, or
glass.
The kohl powder was probably
mixed with water or egg to form
a paste. It was mixed on a slate
palette. It was then applied to
the eye with sticks made of
stone or bone that looked like
cotton buds.
Health
The eyeliner had a practical use.
It prevented certain eye diseases
carried by flies.
As it was black, it repelled flies
and any flies that still came
around the eyes would get stuck
to the eyeliner.
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Scarab Beetle
Background
Scarabs are beetles that
were sacred to the
ancient Egyptians.
Beliefs
The scarab beetle
symbolised the Sun God
Kehpri.
The real insect pushes a
ball of dung around and
the Egyptians imagined
that the sun was
propelled in a similar
way.
Customs
Scarabs were sewn on the mummy’s
bandages, normally over the heart.
It was believed that they would
help the dead person through the
Final Judgement so that they were
allowed to pass into the next world.
Scarabs were also worn as amulets
by the living; as either rings or
necklaces.
Technology
Scarabs were made
from different
materials, sometimes
faience, (a material
made of clay and quartz
sand) stone or gold.
These holes were
possibly made so that
the scarab could be
sewn to the mummy’s
bandaging.
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Two Finger Amulet
Background
This is a two-finger
amulet. Always the same
two fingers were shown the index finger and the
middle finger on the
right hand.
Technology
Two finger amulets were
normally made of black
stone.
Customs
Unlike other amulets they have rarely been found with holes
in them, and so they were probably not worn around the
neck.
There are several explanations for their use. The most
believable explanation is that the embalmer attached the
amulet over the cut made in the body to remove the organs.
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Eye of Horus or Wedjat Amulet
Beliefs
Sometimes called Wedjat
eyes, the Eye of Horus
amulets are often found as a
pair. Left and right eyes
symbolised the sun and the
moon and the power of light.
The eye was a good luck sign
and protected against evil
spells.
Legend
The eye of the falcon god
Horus was torn into pieces by
the wicked god Seth.
Later, the ibis-god Thoth
miraculously ‘filled’ or
‘completed’ the eye, joining
together all parts so the eye
became called the sound eye.
It was later found joined
again and restored to Horus
as a complete whole eye.
Gods
Horus was the Sky God. He was often
pictured as a Falcon, the bird that
soars over all.
Horus was closely linked to the
Pharaoh.
Technology
Sometimes you can see a hole on
Wedjat amulets where thread would
have been threaded through the
amulet so that it could be worn.
This amulet is made of faience.
Faience is a material made of clay and
quartz sand. It is usually blue or
green.
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Djed Pillar Amulet
Background
There were many different kinds of
amulet.
The Egyptians believed amulets
protected those who wore them.
They were worn by the living and they
were also wrapped in the bandages of
the mummy to protect the dead person
in the afterlife.
Beliefs
To the living, the Djed Pillar was a
symbol of stability.
For the dead, it was a symbol of Osiris,
God of the Dead.
Technology
This Djed Pillar is made of faience.
Faience, usually blue or green, is a
glazed material made from clay and
quartz sand.
Customs
Djed Pillars were
sometimes
placed in magical
bricks.
Sometimes you can see a hole in the
top of the pillar where thread was
passed through so that it could be
worn as a necklace.
These bricks
were put in the
four corners of
the tomb.
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Bes, God of the Family
Background
Bes is partly a dwarf and
partly a lion.
Beliefs
The ancient Egyptians
worshipped many gods
and goddesses. They
believed that a god or
goddess looked after
each different part of
their lives.
For example they
believed that Bes
protected women and
childbirth.
Customs
Ancient Egyptians would
sometimes wear a statue
of Bes as an amulet
around their neck.
Amulets of Bes were
also left in the tombs of
wealthy Egyptians.
Technology
This statue of Bes is made of
faience, a blue or green glazed
material made from clay and
quartz sand.
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Osiris, God of the Dead
Words &
Communication
Osiris is usually
shown with a crook
and a flail. The crook
(right shoulder)
stood for kingship
and the flail (left
shoulder) for
fertility of the land.
Background
The Gods and
Goddesses were
grouped into families.
The most important
family of Gods was
Osiris and his wife Isis
and son Horus.
Gods
Osiris was originally
God of Agriculture and
Fertility, but after
being killed by his evil
brother Seth, he went
to the Underworld and
became God of the
Dead.
Technology
This figure was made
using the “Lost Wax
Method.”
Beliefs
When Osiris became
God of the Dead, all
dead people were linked
with him; especially the
dead Pharaoh.
Rulers
Osiris is often pictured
wearing the Atef
Crown. The Atef Crown
was worn by the
Pharaoh on special
occasions.
Customs
Statues like this may
have been made as
offerings to a temple.
Firstly a wax model
of Osiris was made.
This was then
covered with clay and
fired.
The clay hardened in
the heat and the wax
melted, and ran out
of a hole in the clay.
Hot liquid bronze was
then poured into the
hole left by the wax.
Once the bronze
hardened the clay
was then chipped
away to reveal a
bronze statue like
the original wax
model.
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Shabti Figure
Background
Shabti figures were models of
field workers and overseers.
Sometimes they were shown
holding a hoe over one shoulder
and a sack over the other.
Beliefs
Shabti figures were buried with
the dead person, and were their
servants in the afterlife.
Technology
This shabti figure is made of
faience.
Faience is a blue or green glazed
material made from clay and
quartz sand.
Wealth
It was fashionable for wealthier Egyptians to have a shabti for every
day of the year, together with overseers for every 10 workers.
There could be as many as 400 shabtis in a full set.
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Shabti Foot
Background
This shabti foot is made
of faience. Faience was
very common in ancient
Egypt and many objects
were made from this
material.
Customs
This foot was once part
of a shabti figure.
Shabti figures were
buried with the dead
person, and were their
servants in the afterlife.
Technology
As this object is broken, we can see that the body material is
made up of a kind of clay and quartz sand.
The glaze used on faience was essentially glass.
The blue green colour was made by adding copper compounds.
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Cartonnage Coffin Casing
Background
This cartonnage
fragment is part of
an inner coffin
dating to 1000BC or
later.
Wealth
Wealthy Egyptians
were buried in a
tomb and their
mummified bodies
were placed first in
an inner coffin and
then in an outer
coffin.
Customs
The outer coffins
were normally
made of wood,
whilst the inner
coffins were made
of cartonnage.
Technology
Cartonnage was made
by building up layers of
linen soaked in wet
plaster.
Once dry, a final layer
of fine plaster was
applied to the outer
surface and then
painted to decorate it.
The colours were made
from minerals: red
from the earth, black
from coal and white
from chalk.
Words and Communication
Egyptians sometimes wrote in pictures. This kind of
writing is called hieroglyphics. The Egyptians
invented hieroglyphics about 5000 years ago. They
believed that hieroglyphs were magical. They used
them in tombs and on coffins. Sometimes they
wrote spells to ward off evil.
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Carved Hand
Background
This is part of a coffin.
Wealth
Wealthy Egyptians were
buried in a tomb. Their
mummified bodies were
placed first in an inner
coffin and then in an outer
coffin.
Customs
The outer coffins were made
of wood and the inner coffins
were made of cartonnage.
Cartonnage is a material
made of layers of linen and
plaster.
Technology
As with funerary masks, the hands were made of wood. They were
usually made separately and then attached to the coffin.
If you look on the underside of the hand, you will see layers of linen.
This tells us that it was once attached to a cartonnage inner coffin.
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Egyptian Funerary Mask
Background
Funerary masks were
usually painted.
Sometimes they were
covered with gold.
Wealth
Wooden funerary masks
like this were attached
to the head of the
wooden, outer coffins of
wealthier Egyptians.
The graves of poor
people were just holes in
the desert sand.
Economy
There was little homegrown timber in Egypt,
so wood was a precious
material.
Therefore funerary
masks were made as
separate items, rather
than being carved as
part of the coffin itself.
This meant that wood
was not wasted.
Technology
The masks were carved from wood
and then attached to the coffin, using
wooden carpentry joints and dowels.
Sometimes you can see them.
Traces of white plaster can
sometimes still be seen on the masks.
_______________________________________________________
Name of object
_______________________________________________________
Colour
_______________________________________________________
Material/s it is made of
_______________________________________________________
Size
_______________________________________________________
Weight
_______________________________________________________
Condition. Is the object complete?
_______________________________________________________
As the Curator you need to fill in the object record
card below to add the object to the collection.
Several Egyptian artefacts have been found by
Archaeologists, and the Museum has been asked to
care for them.
Imagine you are the History Curator at Birmingham
Museum & Art Gallery.
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box below.
Now draw your chosen object in the
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When these objects were on display in Birmingham Museum
& Art Gallery, they had labels next to them.
Draw a line to match the labels with the objects.
Osiris, God of the Underworld
Faience Shabti Figure
Bes, God of the Family
Two Finger Amulet
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Djed Pillar Amulet
The Eye of Horus
Foot of a Shabti Figure
Wooden Hand from a Coffin
Cartonnage Coffin Fragment
Scarab Beetle
Funerary Mask
Kohl Make-up Pot
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The chart below tells you about some of the materials that you will see in the
loans box.
Material
Description of material
Kinds of objects the
Egyptians chose to
make from this material
Wood
Wood comes from trees
and can be yellowish or
brown. It looks darker
as it gets older.
Furniture, boats, small
sculptures, models and
handles for tools.
Bronze
Bronze is a metal. It is
made from copper and
tin. It is a brownish
black colour.
Sculptures, tools.
Alabaster
Alabaster is usually
white, smooth and heavy.
Pots, canopic jars.
Stone
Stone comes from the
ground. It can be found
in mountains or cliffs. It
is hard and can be all
different colours –
white, cream, grey and
black.
Sculptures, pots,
buildings, stelae
(gravestones), amulets.
Faience
Faience is made from
clay and quartz sand. It
is often a beautiful
shade of blue or green.
Jewellery, small
sculptures, amulets.
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Look closely at the objects in the loans box.
Try to find one object made of each material listed below, draw it and
complete the chart to say why you think the Egyptians chose the material for
that object.
Use the chart on the other page to help you to decide what an object is made
of.
Material
A drawing of my object Why I think the
Egyptians chose this
material to make this
object
Wood
This is a ____________
Bronze
This is a ____________
Alabaster
This is a ____________
Stone
This is a ____________
Faience
This is a ___________
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This picture is of part of one of the objects in the loans box.
Can you guess which object it is from?
It is from the S _ _ R _ _/ _ E _ _ _ _
Why is this part of the object interesting?
What does it tell us about how the object was used?
__________________________________________
_________________________________________
Scarabs were sacred to the Ancient Egyptians.
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Below are pictures of parts of one of the objects in the loans box.
Can you match each picture with its description?
This is the crook.
It was a symbol of Kingship.
This is a flail.
It was a symbol for fertile land.
This is the Atef Crown.
It was the most decorative crown that
was worn by the King on special
occasions. It has the white crown in the
centre, ostrich feathers on either side
and rams horns at the base.
Can you guess which Egyptian god is pictured above?
_ S _ R _ S, God of the _ _ D _ _ W _ _ _ _.
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Can you name any other Egyptian gods.
Use books and posters to help you.
B _ S, God of the F _ M _ _ Y
B A S _ _ _, Goddess of C _ T S
I _ I S, Goddess and Protector of C H _ L D R _ _
T _ _ T H, God of Learning and S C _ E _ _ _
H _ P Y, God of the N I L E
T _ W A R E T, Goddess who protected mothers during
pregnancy and childbirth
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From Ancient times people have carried objects to bring them good
luck.
Today we have lucky charm bracelets and some people have rabbit
feet keyrings to bring them good luck.
Do you have an object that brings you good luck?
Draw your lucky object in the box below.
Amulets protected the Ancient Egyptians from evil and brought
them good luck.
There were lots of different kinds of amulet.
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Below are unfinished drawings of some of the amulets in the
loans box. Can you finish the drawings, and write the name of the
amulet next to it.
This is a D _ _ _/ P _ _ _ _ _.
It was a symbol of stability for
the living. For the dead it was a
symbol of Osiris.
This is an E _ E/OF/_ O _ U _
amulet. It is also called a
Wedjat Eye. The eye was a good
luck sign and protected against
evil spells.
This is a S _A _ _ _/ B _ _ _ _ _
amulet. Scarabs were sacred to
the ancient Egyptians.