Teacher's Guide for CALLIOPE: Tomb Builders. September 2000

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1 Teacher's Guide for CALLIOPE: Tomb Builders September 2000 Teacher guide prepared by: Kathy Walunas, learning specialist, currently teaching at the Dale Street School in Medfield, Massachusetts. Vocabulary: Have each student create a vocabulary notebook of Egyptian terms or other unfamiliar words. Use the words on pages 17, 26, 33, 37 and 43 as a starting point. Additional words that will be encountered in readings: adorn antiquities artifact artisan commissioned consisted fabricate idle ostraca papyrus relief remote scholar strenuous symbolic ushebtis vizier wick Time line: To help the students visualize the amount of time that Egyptian dynasties were in existence, use the information on page 3 to create a linear timeline. Determine how many inches (or feet) will represent each year. Mark these events on cash register tape (ask stores for the ends of the rolls, they're happy to save them for you and there's usually a good amount of paper left), or use string. Write each time period on an index card. Attach the cards with tape. "Men of the Gang" (pages 7-9) Questions for discussion or comprehension: 1. How did the Egyptians view death? 2. Why was mummification developed? 3. Who were the "men of the gang"? Where did the name come from? 4. How was the gang divided? 5. What skills were represented in the "men of the gang"? 6. What was the job of the formen? 7. Who appointed the "Scribe of the Tomb" and what was the scribe's duty? 8. Why might workers be absent from work? 9. What were some of the duties of the vizier? 10. What were some of the duties of the overseer of the treasury? 11. Who were "the guardians of the tomb" and what were their duties? 12. What were the duties of "the doorkeepers of the tomb"? 13. Who were the servants of the tomb? "The Tomb Builders at Work" (pages 10-12) Read the article and discuss the progression of the workers through the tomb. They worked in a logical and efficient manner. Have the students make an outline of how the work was completed. They should include information about choosing the site, how was the tomb was cut, the various jobs and what they entailed. What do the scenes on the walls depict? How were the interiors of tombs lit so the workers could see?

2 "Artists of the Royal Tombs" (pages 13-16) Discussion questions: Why were the jobs of the royal artisans so desirable? How did the artists learn to draw? What basic materials were needed for decoration? How were the colors obtained? After reading and discussing the article have each student choose a job that would have been held by one of the artists or other worker and write a diary entry describing the day. "At home in Dier El Medina" (pages 20-23) Comprehension and discussion questions: 1. Who was the guardian of the house? 2. What material were the homes made of? 3. Describe what the women of the village did during the day. 4. What did the children do? 5. What was limestone used for? Have the students look at the pictures of the children's toys on page 22. Have the student invent a child's game that these toys might have been used for. "Too Long A-Roaming" (pages 24-26) Read the article with the class. Writing Activity: The story of Sinuhe was the first novel in the history of world literature. Egyptians wrote fables of kings, princes, princesses and mythical creatures as well as love songs, hymns to royalty and tales of the gods. Have the students write their own Egyptian fable. Instruct them to create a god. In their story they should include how he / she became a god and what he / she is now the god of (for example: nature, household, children, women, etc.). This must be an original god, not one that was known to exist. The story should clearly explain how the god came to be and how he / she was named. "Village in Time" (pages 27-29) After reading the article, have students further research the scholars and archaeologists mentioned in the article. John Gardner Wilkinson Ernesto Schiapparelli Bernard Bruyere The students should also answer the question: Why was the excavation of Dier el Medina thought to be important? For more information on the excavation of Dier el Medina try this web site: "First Labor Strike" (pages 32-34) After reading the article, discuss: 1. What caused the first labor strike? 2. How did formen and scribes handle the laborers complaints? 3. Why did the officials refuse to believe the complaints of the workers? 4. How long did the strike last? 5. Why did the strike end? 6. Were the laborers right to go on strike?

3 7. What would you have done if you were a laborer? An official? 8. What are some reasons that people go on strike today? 9. Should workers be allowed to strike? 10. What are other ways of solving differences? "Tomb Robbers of Ancient Egypt" (pages 36-37) Read the article and use the following questions for discussion and comprehension: 1. When did tomb robbing begin? How do we know this? 2. What was the punishment if you were caught tomb robbing? 3. What types of things were taken from the tombs? 4. Why did tomb-robbing increase in the 1800s? Activity: Stage a mock trial of a tomb robber. Or use the article on page 35 Crime at Dier el Medina and stage a trial for Paneb. "Pharaohs of the Sun" (pages 39-45) Read the article and pay particular attention to the pictures. Discuss the difficulties that are involved with packing and preserving artifacts for exhibits. What were some of the challenges that Boston's Museum of Fine Arts had to overcome in order to complete the exhibit "Pharaohs of the Sun"? The museum was pleased to have an exhibit of Ahkenaten and Nefertiti. What were some of the changes that they made in Egyptian life? Additional Activities: Egyptian Burial Chamber Materials: Procedure: Shoeboxes Drawing paper Glue or tape Colored paper Colored pencils, markers, crayons or paints Scissors Rulers 1. Give each student a shoebox (it should open from the top). They should measure the sides and bottom of the interior of the box, and on a piece of drawing paper draw rectangles that will fit these spaces. This will make the wall paintings easier to draw; they can be glued in after they are completed. 2. Decide who it is that is going to be buried in your sarcophagus. 3. Draw your wall paintings to tell the story of the person who is being buried. What items will they be taking to the afterlife? What important events happened in this person's life? 4. Cover or paint the outside of your shoebox so it looks like stone, and add marking that might indicate who is buried inside it. Write about it: Who is buried in this chamber? Explain what this person did during his or her life. Was he married? Job? Where did he live? Explain what the scenes on the walls of the tomb mean. Draw a friend as an Egyptian. Materials: Drawing paper or construction paper

4 Procedure: Pencils Erasers Colored pencils, crayons or paints Paint brushes Water Books with portraits of Egyptians in them. Show examples of portraits from Egyptian tombs, and show students that the portraits are all done in profile. Point out that the eye is drawn as if it was a front view. Have each student choose a partner. Instruct each student to draw a profile view of his or her partner, but drawing the eye as a front view. Once the profile is finished have students refer to the pictures of the Egyptians and add headgear and other adornments that might have been worn by the Egyptians to their portrait. Once the pencil sketch of the portrait is complete, the students should color them. Egyptian faces were traditionally colored in tan, brown or beige. Jewelry etc. would have been gold, with red, green and blue used as accent colors. For another great drawing activity see "Draw like an Egyptian". Create a hieroglyph Materials: Procedure: Five objects selected by each student Pencils Erasers Drawing paper Brown paper (or paper bags that have been cut open) Colored pencils, markers, crayons or paints Glue or tape Scissors 1. Ask students to choose five objects that are important to them; objects could tell something about them or represent something that they value. 2. Ask students to begin with one object. Looking at the object, draw a picture of it. 3. Now draw a picture of the picture you have just drawn, but simplify it, using only a few lines or curves. The purpose is to make the drawing look abstract. 4. Have the students cut out their drawings once they have completed them. 5. Give each student a piece of brown paper (such as the inside of a paper bag) and cut it into the shape of a pyramid. 6. Tell the students to paste their abstract objects on to the paper, this will be the interior wall of their tomb. If the students have made a cartouche they should add this to their wall. They might also include a cartouche of the name of their city or town. (You can find an online hieroglyphics encoder at: 7. Students may add additional color embellishments (using the colors brown, black, red, green, blue, or gold) to further decorate the wall. Extension:

5 Show the wall to a classmate and ask them to interpret what they think it says. Discuss any differences in the way they interpret your drawings from what you meant them to symbolize. Write about it: Poetry: Write a wish poem: Now that the students have created the wall of their tomb, have them write about it. Included in the writing should be information about how and why they chose the objects that were important to them and what these objects tell about them. Line 1: Write a noun of your choice Line 2: Write two adjectives joined by and to describe the noun Line 3: Write a verb and an adverb to describe the noun in action Line 4: Start this line with like or as and follow it with a comparison Line 5: Start this line with the words "if only" and follow it with a wish OR write a cinquain. Line 1: the subject - must be a noun Line 2: 2 adjectives that describe the subject Line 3: 3 action verbs that end in 'ing' and describe the subject Line 4: a phrase or sentence that describes the subject Line 5: a synonym for the subject Online Activities: Math: The archaeologist challenge can be found at: Mummies: Want to know more about the mummification process? Try the "clickable mummy": Music: There is a lovely children's book written by Leontyne Price, that tells the story of Aida, which is set in Egypt. There is also a CD recording of the opera, which ties in to the book: Aida - Told by Leontyne Price, with Placido Domingo / John Aldis Choir, London Symphony Orchestra - BMG/RCA Victor- #63543 Aida's Plot Aida is an opera based on a story written by Egyptologist August Mariette. It is set in Egypt during the time of the pharaohs. The story is about the beautiful Ethiopian princess Aida who is a captive slave of Egyptian Princess Amneris. Aida loves the captain Radames, who is in charge of a new campaign against her country. When Ethiopian forces attack in an attempt to rescue Aida, Radames captures Aida's father, the king. As a reward for his victory,the Egyptian king bestows on Radames the hand of his daughter, Princess Amneris, who is infatuated with the captain and jealous of Aida. Aida's father, the King, convinces her that she should betray Radames and save her people. They are discovered and Radames is sentenced to death. Aida joins him in his tomb, and death will end the anguish of her divided loyaltiesbetween her country and the man she loves. A modern version of the story is currently on Broadway, and a recording is available. Elton John and Time Rice wrote the music. Aida Cast Recording - Disney/Uni Activity: Read the story to the class, listen to the music and compare / contrast the opera story to the modern version.

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