Overview

During these lessons, students will explore the roles of women and scribes in ancient Egyptian society. Students will examine a range of sources to acquaint themselves with the varying roles held by women of differing levels in ancient Egypt and compare these to the lives of modern women in our society. In the final lesson of this sequence, students will learn about the Rosetta Stone and scribes. Through the examination of an ancient source to learn why young men were encouraged to be scribes. 

Learning intentions:   

• interrogate sources to learn about about women and scribes in ancient Egypt 

• analyse sources for their usefulness 

Success criteria:  

• make comparisons between ancient Egyptian women and women in contemporary society 

• understand the purpose of sources and use the information gained to create historical narratives 

• analyse sources for their usefulness  

Syllabus content: 

• Roles of key groups in the ancient society, including the influence of law and religion (ACDSEH032, ACDSEH035, ACDSEH038)  

Students:  

• describe the roles of appropriate key groups in the ancient society, eg the ruling elite, the nobility, citizens (Greece and Rome), bureaucracy, women and slaves 

• describe the everyday life of men, women and children in the ancient society 

Outcomes:  

• HT4-6 uses evidence from sources to support historical narratives and explanations  

• HT4-10 selects and uses appropriate oral, written, visual and digital forms to communicate about the past  

Students will engage in background readings to gain an understanding of the roles of women in ancient Egypt. They will examine a range of sources to understand their purpose and what information we can glean from them. Additionally, students will think about what information the sources do not reveal about women from this society. 

Content: 

• Roles of key groups in the ancient society, including the influence of law and religion (ACDSEH032, ACDSEH035, ACDSEH038)  

Students:  

• describe the roles of appropriate key groups in the ancient society, eg the ruling elite, the nobility, citizens (Greece and Rome), bureaucracy, women and slaves 

• describe the everyday life of men, women and children in the ancient society 

Outcomes:  

• HT4-6 uses evidence from sources to support historical narratives and explanations  

• HT4-10 selects and uses appropriate oral, written, visual and digital forms to communicate about the past  

Students will gain an understanding of women’s lives in ancient Egypt. They will examine a variety of primary sources to unpack what we can tell about ancient Egyptian women from them.  

Content: 

• Roles of key groups in the ancient society, including the influence of law and religion (ACDSEH032, ACDSEH035, ACDSEH038)  

Students:  

• describe the roles of appropriate key groups in the ancient society, eg the ruling elite, the nobility, citizens (Greece and Rome), bureaucracy, women and slaves 

• describe the everyday life of men, women and children in the ancient society 

Outcomes:  

• HT4-6 uses evidence from sources to support historical narratives and explanations  

HT4-10 selects and uses appropriate oral, written, visual and digital forms to communicate about the past   

Students will gain an understanding of the role of scribes in ancient Egyptian society. They will examine a primary source to learn why being a scribe was better than engaging with other professions. Finally, they will make a judgment about the usefulness of the Papyrus Lansing to an historian studying scribes in ancient Egypt. 

Content: 

• Roles of key groups in the ancient society, including the influence of law and religion (ACDSEH032, ACDSEH035, ACDSEH038)  

Students:  

• describe the roles of appropriate key groups in the ancient society, eg the ruling elite, the nobility, citizens (Greece and Rome), bureaucracy, women and slaves 

• describe the everyday life of men, women and children in the ancient society 

Outcomes:  

• HT4-6 uses evidence from sources to support historical narratives and explanations  

• HT4-10 selects and uses appropriate oral, written, visual and digital forms to communicate about the past