New Kingdom Egypt 2021
Marist School's
Museum of Ancient Cultures
The Museum of Ancient Cultures needs artifacts from Egypt's Golden Age! Because of your expertise in ancient civilizations
you have been chosen as curators this term.
The museum only has space for a limited number of artifacts, so the Board of Directors has arranged a competition. You must locate an artifact, research it, and present your findings. If you're successful, your artifact will go on display.
What's a curator?
Museum curators acquire artifacts for the museum. They know enough about the artifacts' construction to insure that they are displayed in a manner that preserves them. Curators also research cultural information about artifacts and interpret that information into displays that help the public understand the people who made them.
YOUR CHALLENGE
Fill the Museum with replicas of artifacts from New Kingdom Egypt 1550 – 1000 B.C..
Research your artifact, its culture, and major events that happened in the area during that time.
Create a portfolio with a picture of your artifact, a map showing where it was found, a timeline, information on your culture, a list of works you consulted and pictures of your progress.
Create a museum card that describes your artifact and why it was important.
Present your artifact to the museum's Board of Directors (the class, Mr. Hall, and Mr. Collier).
Complete Your Project in 5 Easy Steps
1
First you need to decide on an item that you think will make it into the museum.
Use the resources at the bottom of this page to find an artifact. Get at least one good picture of it.
FIRST WEEK TASKS:
1. Save a picture of your artifact to your network space or photocopy a picture from a book.
2. Write a citation for the picture like this:
"Title of the Artifact." Title of Website, URL. Date of Access.
3. Write down what your artifact is called, when and where it was found, and when it was made.
4. Begin planning your replica.
5. Document your progress--take pictures while you work.
PRO-TIP: If the original is really huge or really tiny, you can scale your replica.
You need to research your artifact's background so visitors to the museum will know more about it. If you're lucky, the source where you found your picture (in step 1) will also have detailed information about the item. If not, think about what your artifact represents--religious icon, food, game, tool--and look for information in the books.
SECOND WEEK TASKS:
1. Write about your artifact. Describe what it represents, how it was made, where it was found, and why an ancient person would think it was important.
2. Use NoodleTools to create citations for your sources:
Book - Author's last name, first name. Title of Book. City of publication, Publisher, copyright date.
Web page - Author’s last name, first name (if given). “Page Title.” Title of Site, copyright date, URL.
Museum visitors will want to know more about your culture. Search the ebooks and websites for information about what was happening in the area when your item was made.
THIRD WEEK TASKS:
1. Make a timeline of the period when your artifact was created and add five major points (migration periods, wars, important people's births and deaths, disasters, ruler's reigns, founding of cities, etc).
2. Write at least 3 paragraphs about the people who made your artifact.
3. Hand-draw a map of the area where your artifact was found.
Put the most interesting and important information from step 2 and 3 into your article.
2
3
4
FOURTH WEEK TASK:
Take all your information and gather it into an article about your artifact and the people who made it. Follow the instructions Mr. Hall gave you.
The first paragraph will be used as your museum card, so make it all about your artifact. This information will hang in the museum alongside your artifact, so be professional and make it interesting.
The rest of the article will be about the culture itself and how the artifact fit into the lives of these people.
Example Museum Card:
Slab Stele of Iunu
2613-3494 BC
Grace Novascone and Erin Reilly
Stelae usually convey information in the form of text, images, or a combination of the two. They normally stood upright, however this artifact was horizontal. The most common use for a horizontal stela was as a tombstone, and since this stela was found in an Egyptian cemetery, we can deduce that the message inscribed on it was about or to whomever was buried near it. The stela was made out of limestone, carved, and painted, and shows a figure seated on a stool at an offering tale with bread loaves.
5
Put all your work together for your presentation to the Board of Directors.
1. Bring your artifact and your information to class.
2. Present the information you gathered in your research.
3. On the map, point out where your artifact was found.
4. Tell us about one or two important things on your timeline.
5. Show pictures of how you created your artifact.
You will have 3 to 5 minutes to present, so stick to the interesting stuff.
YOUR SOURCES:
WEBSITES WITH ARTIFACTS
Open the "dating" box, choose New Kingdom.
Tons of artifacts here, but not a lot information about them.
WEBSITES WITH MAPS, CULTURES and DATES
Type in the name of your culture to find articles, maps, and timelines.
EBOOKS - find maps, cultural information and important dates for your timeline
Click the "History" tab, then select Ancient Civilizations Reference, then look for the section on Egypt.
Or search from the main box for a person's name, a city, or a term.
Search for "New Kingdom Egypt" to find several books about daily life during the time.
Go to the Library Portal to find the off-campus logins for these databases.
PRINT BOOKS - with maps, cultural information and important dates for your timeline
Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians 932 BRI
The Ancient Egyptian World 932 CLI
Ancient Egypt 932 HAR
World Atlas of the Past: The Ancient World REF 911
Encyclopedia of the Ancient World REF 930.03 ENC
Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt REF 932 OXF
GRADING
You will be evaluated on four aspects of this project: your presentation to the Board, the quality of your information, your cultural essay, and your artifact itself. Mr. Hall will grade each part of your project according to the handout given to you at the beginning of the project.
CONCLUSION
Consider these questions:
Why was it important to use so many different sources of information?
Did creating a representation of your artifact help you better understand the people who made it?
What did you learn about your civilization during this task?
What did you learn from your classmates' presentations?
Even though you may not become a museum curator, hopefully you will see where things you learn in Ancient Civ might apply in the "real world". You should have a better understanding of the ancient artist and a sense of style from the earliest cultures on earth. You will also exercise your ability to locate information in different forms and put it together so you can share your knowledge with others.