Name: KEY
Date:
Period:
World History – Mrs. Schenck
Explore Egypt Online
Focus Question: How did Egyptian religion influence their culture?
Part 1: Creation Myth in Ancient Egypt
Go to The British Museum Website on Egypt: http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/menu.html
Click on Gods and Goddesses, and then click on Story.
Go through the Egyptian creation story and answer the following questions:
1. Where did ancient Egyptians think all life began?
Nun or Nu – the dark waters of chaos
2. Who was the first god in ancient Egypt?____Atum_______
3. How is this creation myth similar and different from the Mesopotamian creation myth?
(Remember darkness, clay, flood, etc?)
Similar: began in darkness and chaos, polytheism, war, gods created humans, gods explain
nature
Different: no flood story in Egypt myth, purpose of human (E: children of gods, M: slaves
of gods), creation of humans (E: tears of Atum, M: clay)
Part 2: Worshipping the Gods – many possible answers
Go back to Gods and Goddesses, and this time click on Explore.
Pick one god to draw a picture of and describe below:
God: ____Thoth___________
What was this god’s job?:
God of writing and scribes
Picture:
Part 3: The Journey to the Afterlife
Now go to http://egypt.mrdonn.org/index.html and click on Preparing for the Afterlife.
Read the article there and fill in the blanks below.
4. Osiris was such a famous and important god in ancient Egypt because he opened the door of
the ______afterlife_________ to everyone.
5. First, you had to earn a place in Ra’s (the sun god) boat to get to the afterlife. To board Ra’s
boat, your heart had to be _____light________________. To keep your heart light, the
Egyptians believed you had to spend a lifetime doing ____good__________deeds.
6. To earn a place on the boat and travel to the afterlife you had to do three things:
a. Enter the hall of Maat
b. Write your name down
c. Preserve your body
7. What did the Egyptians believe about their two souls?
KA “life force”
BA “personality”
Day: flies off to enjoy life in the land of
the Two Fields – afterlife
Day: returns during the day to watch
over the living family
Night: Flies home to the tomb
Night: flies home to the tomb
ANKH
8. If something happened to your preserved ______body_______, or if your name was not
_____written______down somewhere, the Ba and Ka would get lost. They would not come
home to your tomb at night and you would disappear forever and not be able to live in the
afterlife! This would be the worst punishment to an ancient Egyptian!
Now go back to http://egypt.mrdonn.org/index.html and click on Weighing of the Heart
9. To earn your ride on Ra’s boat to the afterlife your spirit had to enter the Hall of Maat. Here
the god Anubis ___weighed__________ your heart. The god ___Thoth__________
recorded the findings. If your heart was lighter than a feather, you passed the test and entered
the _____afterlife______. But, if your heart was __heavy_________ because your deeds
were dreadful, the god ______Ammut_______ would suddenly appear and eat your soul!
10. To help Egyptians reach the afterlife safely, many people relied on THE BOOK OF
THE DEAD. The Book of the Dead is NOT a book, but a nickname for a bunch of
different magical spells written down in tombs or on papyrus to help the soul travel safely to the
afterlife.
Here is a picture of what the ancient Egyptians thought happened when you died. Based on what
you just read, see if you can label the different gods in the picture.
The god, ___Anubis_____,
weighs your heart against a
__feather___.
Your soul, “ba”.
__Thoth__, god of scribes,
records what happens.
The beast named,
___Ammut___, waits to
devour your heart if you
are unworthy.
Osiris and his wife
welcome you to the
afterlife!
Part 4: Preserving the Body - Mummification
Now go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/
Click on Mummification, and then Mummy Maker.
Play the game there to learn more about mummification, and answer the following questions.
11. Why was it important for the body to look as it had in real life?
So your soul will recognize your body when it returns to the afterlife
12. Define embalmer: prepared the body for the afterlife
mummy: embalmed body
13. The organs were stored in ____canopic jars____, except for the _____heart__________,
which remained in the body.
Put the following steps in the mummification process in order from 1-5:
3
The body is then attended to by the make-up artist who redoes the person’s face and fits
their wig. Then sacred oils and protective resin are rubbed on the body. Next the wrapping with
linen begins.
1
The body is washed in the Nile , and then all organs except the heart are removed from the
body. The Egyptians thought the heart was the center of intelligence and not the brain. The brain
is thrown away, but the other organs are placed in natron salt to dry out and then put in canopic jars.
5
Final layers of linen and perhaps a mask that resembles the person are placed on the mummy
and it is placed in a protective coffin or coffins and finally a sarcophagus.
2
The entire body is covered in natron salt and placed on a slanted board for 40 days until
the body has completely dried out.
4
Jewelry and charms are placed within the protective linen wrappings of the mummy to
protect them in the afterlife.
Part 5: Building a Tomb – to keep the body safe!
(Pyramids were reserved for pharaohs only, but let’s pretend that you are lucky enough to be a part
of the royal family!)
Click on Back to Ancient History in-depth at the bottom of the page.
Now click on Pyramids and Monuments , and then Pyramid Challenge.
Play the game, and answer the following questions:
14. Who is the head of the state in Egypt, and what is their job?
Vizier – oversee the affairs of state, like building the king’s pyramid
15. What is the “correct” combination for building a pyramid?
Location: Plateau West of the Nile
Slope and Angle: 52 degrees
Building Materials: limestone
Building Materials: god with the STAR in her head
% of Workers: no slaves, 10% craftsmen, 5% officials, 85% farmers
Food: potatoes, fish, bread
Feed Workers: twice a day
Worker’s Living Supplies: eye makeup (kohl), pillows, games
Days of Rest: one day off every ten days
Incentives: extra beer, time off, compete in gangs
Part 6 : Plan for your Afterlife! – Answers will vary!
(If you wish to do the bonus and don’t have internet, let me know because I have a hard copy.)
You now are ready to Plan Your Afterlife in Ancient Egypt!
Go to http://www.mos.org/quest/et/index.php
For each step, write what you purchased, the cost, and why you chose this/these items on the next
page . Use what you have learned so far to make wise choices and prove to me what you know!
Step 1 Tombs: I chose the____________________________________________________,
which costs_________________________________.
Here is why (at least 3 sentences):
Step 2 Mummification: I chose the______________________________________________,
which costs_________________________________.
Here is why (at least 3 sentences):
Step 3 Mummy Cases: I chose the______________________________________________,
which costs_________________________________.
Here is why (at least 3 sentences):
Step 4 Eternity Extras: I chose the_____________________________________________,
which costs_________________________________.
Here is why (at least 3 sentences):
Afterlife Appraisal: How did they rate the items you chose? What would you do differently next
time? (At least 4 sentences)
Name:
Period:
World History – Mrs. Schenck
Explore Egypt Online Summary
Use what you learned about Egyptian religion from the online activities to answer the following
focus questions from this week. Use specific examples!
1. What role did religion play in the government of Egypt?

People thought the pharaoh was a god – would have been the chief priest and had to do what
he says
2. How can government use religion to control people?

Weighing of the heart would have influenced most people to live good lives to get into the
afterlife
3. How would religion have influenced an ancient Egyptians daily life?

Weighing of the heart would have influenced most people to live good lives to get into the
afterlife

Mummies and tombs were expensive, might have saved to get a good afterlife – need to have
preserved body and name written down
4. How did Egyptian religion influence their culture?

Influenced their architecture in pyramids and tombs – art, tomb paintings

Gods were a part of your everyday life and nature

Might have been forced to work on building projects for the pharaoh and his afterlife