Investigate Egypt
Teachers notes
This learning resource is designed to complement the Egyptology: Scientific Investigation
exhibition at the Royal Pump Room Museum, Harrogate and to get pupils looking closely
at the objects ancient Egyptians used in daily life and death and burial.
It links closely to:
• National Curriculum History Unit 10:
What can we find out about ancient Egypt from what has survived?
• As well as to Citizenship Unit 5:
Living in a Diverse World.
It will encourage pupils to pay close attention to detail and reinforce their learning.
Resources:
This resource is presented as an on-line interactive environment to encourage understanding
of the objects held in our exhibition.
There are 3 main sections all accessed via the interactive. The game, pupil's revision module
and teachers section featuring printable research module, glossary of terms, object information
sheets plus lots more information about the Egyptians.
The 3 sections can be used as required. We suggest the following:
1. The research module:
Featured in the teachers section and intended for the teacher to hand out to the pupils to
form a pre-visit resource to the exhibition or lead in to the revision module. Object
information sheets and a glossary also feature in the teachers section to assist with research.
2. The game:
This is a fun timed challenge to encourage interest in the objects. It takes about 5mins to
complete and can be played as a group or individually pre or post visit. There is an option at
the end to print your score if you have a printer connected.
3. The revision module:
This feature appears in two separate ways.
a) as a downloable pdf in the teachers section so it can be used in class at desks or set
for homework.
b) as an interactive on-line challenge, which is intended to be used post-visit or post
research module and can be played as a group or individually - the object information
sheets in the teacher's section will help with revision.
From the menu on the interactive you will find:
•
•
•
Timed challenge - can be played at any time.
On-line interactive timed challenge. A fun resource to help encourage children's interest in
the objects. There are 2 scenes to navigate around and search for hidden objects: Daily
Life (a market place) and Death and Burial (a tomb). Watch out for the decoys! They are all
there, you just need to hunt! At the end of the game pupils will be able to print out their
score sheet detailing the time it took them to complete the challenge.
Pupil's revision module - post visit or post research resource
This is a post visit on screen interactive multiple choice quiz, designed to test the children's
knowledge of the information presented in the 'research module'. (A printable version of this
module is also available as a downloadable PDF in the 'teachers section' below.)
Teachers’ section - printable resources
This section is split into separate downloadable PDFs for teachers to use as required.
In here you will find:
• Teachers notes: inc. object information and glossary.
1 PDF including:
- Teachers notes: guidance for use of the resource
- Glossary of terms: to help with terminology used throughout the resource
- Object information: to help with research and revision of the objects
• Research module and answers: a pre-visit resource to research the objects prior to
a visit to the museum or prior to taking the revision module (printed or on-screen).
2 PDFs including:
• The research module for both daily life and death and burial
• The research module answers for both daily life and death and burial
• Revision module and answers: a post visit resource - can be used prior to the
the on screen revision module or set as homework.
2 PDFs including:
• The revision module for both daily life and death and burial
• The revision module answers for both daily life and death and burial
• Daily life and Death and Burial: information and further reading - specific
2 PDFs including:
• Information about daily life
• Information death and burial
• Find out more: information and further reading - general
Packed with additional information to help with further study about Ancient Egypt.
1 PDF including:
- Details of a scientific investigation carried out by the E:SI (Egyptian Scientific
Investigation) on the objects in our collection using a wide range of scientific
techniques)
- An Egyptian timeline
- Egyptian Gods
Investigate Egypt
Glossary of terms
Alloy Valuable metal mixed with a less expensive one to make it stronger.
Amulet
Charm worn by living or dead person to keep away evil.
Archaeologist
Person who studies the past by looking at objects from the past.
Artefact
Any object that someone has made.
Calcite
White or colourless mineral rock made of calcium carbonate.
Galena
Metallic grey or black mineral made of lead sulphide.
Hieroglyphs
A picture of an object representing a word, symbol or sound.
Kohl
Black powder used for eye makeup.
Mummification A special way of drying out and preserving a body.
Palette
A thin board on which an artist lays out and mixes colours.
Papyrus
A type of paper made from the stems of a giant reed and used for writing on.
Scribe
A person employed to copy out documents before printing was invented.
X-Ray
A photography taken of the inside of something.
Object information
Daily Life
Egyptians lived on the banks of the River Nile: it gave water to them for all their daily
needs and it watered their crops. When it flooded it brought silt from high up river to
make the soil richer for growing things. The river was also a means of travelling and
it gave the Egyptians fish and water fowl to hunt.
Egyptians had homes and families just as we do and the objects that you are learning about are
some of the things that the Egyptians made and used.
Mirror
This is made of a copper alloy and would be polished so that you could see your
reflection - glass mirrors had not been invented. It was probably made between 1550
and 1069 BC and no one knows exactly where in Egypt it comes from.
Sekhmet Amulet
An amulet is a charm used to ward off evil. This one represents the goddess has the head of a lioness. Her name means powerful one. She was created take revenge on evil men and the Egyptians had daily rituals to appease her would not harm them again. The amulet is made of pottery and dates from Sekhmet who
by the god Re to
so that she
700-300 BC.
Bes Amulet
This amulet or charm of the household god Bes would have been worn to protect
women who were having babies. It is made of the blue pottery, faience. It dates
from 800 to 400BC and nobody knows where in Egypt it comes from.
Figure of Isis and Horus
This is a figure of the goddess Isis and her son Horus. Isis was
gods and goddesses and a great magician. She married the Underworld. This figure dates from 700 to 100BC.
Kohl Pot
This pot is made of calcite, a whitecrystalline It was made between 2500 and 2000BC (make-up), used by men and children as crushed mineral galena.
Pine Cone Lamp
the cleverest of the
Osiris, the Lord of
mineral, often coloured by impurities.
in Memphis, Egypt. It held eye paint
well as women. This was made from the
This pottery lamp in the shape of a pine cone dates back to between 700 and
100BC and comes from Alexandria in Egypt. It was filled with oil and a wick in
the top would have been lit to give out light. Scientific tests tell us that this lamp
contained conifer resin.
Pot from Koptos
This pottery jar once held cinnamon oil, this has been proved by scientific tests. It dates
back to about 1450 BC and comes from Koptos, Egypt.
Scribes Palette
Scribes were very important people in Ancient Egypt because most people write. They spent 5 years training in hieroglyphs and learned to mix natural their colour palette. This palette is made of wood and it is not known
or exactly how old it is.
could not read or
materials to create
where it came from
Death and Burial
The Ancient Egyptians saw death as a way of passing to the afterlife. They believed that
they would need their bodies in the next life and this is why they preserved them by
mummification and why they built elaborate tombs for the rich and particularly for their
pharaohs (kings). They had a Book of the Dead, which each person needed to know, in
order to travel to the next life. Behaviour in this world was the test in deciding how a
person was treated in the next.
Anubis Mask
This mask is made of cartonnage, a mixture of layers of linen and papyrus stiffened with plaster. There are only three like it in the world and this one is the only one that allows the
person wearing it to speak. In funeral services it was worn by a priest who led the
way for the coffin which was carried upright. It was also used in funeral rituals such
as the “Opening of the Mouth” ceremony when the eyes, nose and ears of the
mummy were touched so that they could be used once more by the dead
person. The mask dates from 600-300BC.
Canopic Jar of Hapi
During mummification the organs of the body were removed: lungs, liver, stomach,
intestines. These were place in special jars called canopic jars. This one is Hapi,
the ape headed god, who guarded the lungs. It is made of limestone. Each jar
had a different lid with the head of a god on it. This one is Hapi, the ape headed
god, who guarded the lungs. The canopic jars went into the tomb with the
mummy. This one dates from 1000-600BC.
Red Heart Amulet
This amulet or charm made after 1400BC is of red jasper stone. It would be placed
within the mummy’s wrappings with other amulets to keep the mummy safe.
Mummy Mask
This mummy mask is made of cartonnage, a mixture of linen and papyrus stiffened with
plaster. It is painted and has real gold on it (gilded). The eyebrows are made of blue
glass and the remains of plants on it show that once it had a crown of flowers
(garland). The plant is probably persea. The mask was probably found in the large
burial grounds of Thebes or Akhim. These were used in the Graeco-Roman period
and the pink paint on it tells us its date, 100BC-50AD. Mummy masks were placed
over the mummy’s face so that they would be recognised in the Afterlife.
Granite Headrest
This is a finely carved dark granite headrest which would be placed under the mummy’s
head. Wooden versions of these were used by rich Egyptians for resting. Its date may be
2500-2000BC.
Image of Ra
Ra was the sun god seen passing across the sky every day and very important
Egyptians. This figure is made of copper alloy. Though its place of origin is not 700-500 BC. Many objects were buried with the dead.
to the Ancient
known it is dated
Wooden Cobra
This is a wooden sacred cobra (snake) with the sun disc on its head. The cobra was a sign of
royalty. Kings and Queens had cobras on the front of their crowns to protect them. This one is
from 700-300BC.
Shabti
Egyptians believed that in the afterlife there would be work to do just as there
was in Egypt, so important people had shabti figures buried with them to do the
work for them. Many have their owners name on them and a spell from the Book of
the Dead to make them rise up and work. This one is made from faience (blue pottery)
and comes from Thebes, made between 1300 to 1100BC.