Kay Beemer

Project

Presentation

Progress Log

Capstone Essay

Kathleen Beemer

Caballero

Honors English

5 May 2020

Ancient Egypt

When I was three, my mom read me a book on mummies and the pyramids. That was all it took. My mind was expanded, my heartstrings were tugged, and I fell in love with Ancient Egypt. That simple book started an obsession that literally spanned the globe – from exhibits in Seattle to Lego pyramids to museums in London to documentaries and books on my sofa to the plateau at Giza. I still cannot get enough. I am fascinated with a society that had such a rich and vivid culture; fascinated with a society that was obsessed with the afterlife and whose rulers loomed larger than life – King Tut, Akhenaten, Nefertiti. Because Ancient Egypt was taken out of the curriculum of many junior high history classes, I wanted students my age to have the ability to learn and connect with the fascinating and rich history that is Ancient Egypt. For my Capstone Project, I will be creating a series of hands-on learning experiences about Ancient Egypt in order to bring its culture to life. Because I wanted to accurately portray and inform others about Ancient Egypt, I needed to spend some time researching many aspects of the New Kingdom, especially the 18th Dynasty. To the ancient Egyptians, religion and the preoccupation with the afterlife dominated daily life, and obsessed some of the 18th Dynasty’s most famous pharaohs.

Ancient Egyptian culture was dominated and centered around its religion. It was a polytheistic religion based on myths and the lives and trials of many gods and goddesses (“Religion”). The deities were originally based on nature, and symbolized items and feelings (Casson). From this, the Egyptian myths grew, and they actually contain many of the same stories that are seen in the Bible - a creation story, an afterlife, and an idea of heaven and hell (“Religion”). The gods and goddesses each oversaw and protected a certain aspect of life, and each had their own earthly images - usually placing an animal head on the body of a human (Jarus). The main god, Ra, had the head of a falcon and was responsible for the sun rising every day. He maneuvered his sun chariot across the sky and returned back to where the sun rose using a boat that went through the underworld at night. Osiris was the green mummified god of the underworld. He was cut into 13 pieces by his brother and put back together by his wife, Isis. He determined who went to the Egyptian heaven and who did not. Isis was the Egyptian goddess of beauty and fertility, as well as the goddess of women and children and healer of the sick. She was shown as a female human with either a throne or cow horns holding a sun disk on her head (Casson). It was this belief in heaven, the afterlife, that preoccupied the ancient Egyptians.

The afterlife was the goal for every ancient Egyptian. They believed that one came back to life after death and lived among the gods and goddesses. It was like this world, only better. Best of all, the ancients believed that all of their worldly goods came with them (Casson). However, not everyone was allowed to go to the afterlife. One had to pass a test proving their worth - it was called the weighing of the heart. After someone died, their heart was ritually weighed against the feather of truth. If the heart was heavier than the feather, their heart was eaten by the monster Ammut and their soul was not allowed to pass. If their heart was lighter than the feather due to good deeds and being kind, then they were allowed to enter the kingdom of Osiris (“Religion”). Getting past this test was a huge preoccupation of the Egyptians. Many papyrus scrolls found today depict the weighing of the heart and how to successfully pass it (Jarus). It was through these elaborate rituals that one was able to pass to the promised afterlife, and enjoy eternity with one's possessions.

It was important for the body to be taken care of after death because the body would house a person’s ‘ba’, or soul, in the afterlife. The Egyptians came up with a way to preserve the body, so it could be kept for thousands of years, called mummification. It was a complex process that required many spells, incantations, and offerings to the god of mummification, the jackal-headed Anubis (Jarus). Because the internal organs and the brain were too wet to be preserved in the body and would ruin the mummification process, they were removed. The brain was drawn out through the nose using a special hook and discarded. The other organs were extracted through a slit in the body cavity. These four main organs, the stomach, liver, intestines, and lungs were dried and wrapped separately, then placed in ‘canopic jars’, which were specially made alabaster jars that would accompany the mummy into the afterlife. The heart was left in the body as they believed that the heart was where the ba resided. The body husk was then buried in natron (a combination of salt and baking soda) for 70 days. It was then taken, washed, perfumed, and sometimes coated with resin containing tree sap, frankincense, and myrrh. The next step was wrapping the body in fine linen strips. This process could take days as the individual fingers and toes had to be individually wrapped (“Mummy”). Within the strips, special amulets and symbols of protection were placed. The mummy was then given a mask; for the pharaoh this would be made out of gold and precious stones, while some lower-class mummies have masks of painted clay (Jarus). People were mummified in hopes that their bodies’ would go to the afterlife where they could live forever.

Human mummies were not the only mummies that have been discovered. Mummified animals were also discovered. There are several reasons this happened, but all were treated with the same care that humans received, including organs removed and the bodies desiccated (“Mummy”). Animals were mummified if they were thought to be incarnate representations of the gods. Falcons would be mummified to carry prayers to Ra (“Religion”). The sacred crocodiles at Kom Ombo were mummified because they were thought to be the actual god residing in the temple. Pets were also made into animal mummies because Egyptians wanted their beloved pets to be with them in the afterlife. Finally, animal mummies were made for food. Even mummified people would need food in the afterlife and if one favored animal parts, then those needed to be mummified and placed in the tomb along with all of the other goods (Casson). Animal mummies were found among human mummies, for they were seen as gods, pets, and food.

Tombs were created to hold the mummified body and all of the goods a person would need in the afterlife. Literally, ALL of the goods including, but not limited to: chairs, food, jewelry, makeup, board games, servants, horses, personal shrines, boats, chariots, arrows, beds… (“Ancient”). The more important or wealthy a person was, the more elaborate and fancy the tomb, with the pharaohs having the most elaborate of them all. Early pharaonic tombs were built into the pyramids and other visible areas. However, due to tomb raiding and desecration, the tombs of pharaohs were eventually hidden underground in The Valley of the Kings (Jarus). The tombs were dug into the rock and some contained multiple rooms and passageways (“Egypt”). Everything inside of the tomb was richly decorated, and the walls were painted with hieroglyphics and stories of the gods and goddesses. In order to protect the tombs from grave robbers, their location was a secret (“Ancient”). Tombs were built to house the mummified bodies and items for pharaohs, and adorned with pictures and painted hieroglyphics.

Akenaton was one of the most notorious and controversial pharaohs in history. He turned his back on the polytheistic religion based on Ra, Osiris, and Isis, and instead tried to instill the worship of one god: the Aten, or sun disk (Casson). He went so far as to move his capital and founded a new city at Amarna. He is also known for marrying someone attributed to be the most beautiful woman in history, Nefertiti (Hawass). Akenaton is also known for the odd portrayal of his form in statues and art. Instead of the perfect symmetrical Egyptian, he is shown with an elongated face and a strange body with long arms and a belly. Because he angered so many of the nobles and priests with his religious ideas, he was almost erased from history (Casson). It is his son who the most is known about.

Tutankamon, or King Tut, was the son of Akhenaten. Coming to the throne at age nine, he only ruled for about nine years (Hawass). In his short time as pharaoh, he restored Ancient Egypt as it was before the rule of his father. He brought back the polytheistic religion, mythology, and old art style. He ordered many new temples to be built to try to repair the rift that occurred between the gods and his father. No one really knows exactly how or why King Tut died so young. Research into his death has indicated that Tutankamon had a bone disease and malaria. Thankfully, his tomb remained practically untouched by grave robbers, until it was found in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings by Egyptologist Howard Carter. When Carter opened the tomb, he saw piles upon piles of gold and riches. They found golden chariots, several golden thrones, golden walking sticks, a golden portable temple, and the world-famous golden mask of King Tut (Hawass). It is through discoveries like these, that the world's imagination is captured by Ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egypt captivates the attention and interest of thousands by its massive pyramids and ancient mummies. However, it was through research that I learned how much the culture was completely preoccupied with religion and preparing for the afterlife. All of the buildings, temples, and surviving grave goods show that life was spent preparing for death. This newly found knowledge will help me to devise more realistic hands-on activities and projects that people can use to learn about and experience Ancient Egypt. I hope that one-day Ancient Egypt will be added back into the junior high social studies curriculum. I believe it is a pivotal and critical ancient culture for students to learn about, as many other civilizations have ties or relationships with Egypt. I would be happy if any teachers ever wanted to use my projects in a classroom to teach their students about Ancient Egypt, and would be willing to create lesson plans so students get a full picture of the importance and impact of this civilization. I would be happy to share my love and passion for Ancient Egypt with everyone.

Works Cited

"Ancient Egypt." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 6 Jun. 2019. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/ancient-Egypt/274132. Accessed 9 Feb. 2020.

“Ancient Egypt 101.” National Geographic. Youtube, National Geographic, 17 December 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO1tzmi1V5g. 1 March 2020.

Casson, Lionel. Ancient Egyptian civilization. Greenhaven Press, 2001.

Hawass, Zahi. Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. National Geographic, 2005.

“How to Make a Mummy.” Ted-Ed. YouTube, 18 June, 2015,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gD0K7oH92U. Accessed 8 March 2020

Jarus, Owen. “Ancient Egypt: A Brief History.” LiveScience, Purch, 28 July 2016, www.livescience.com/55578-egyptian-civilization.html. Accessed 6 April 2020

“Religion in Ancient Egypt.” Religion In Ancient Egypt, www.ancient-egypt-online.com/ancient-egypt-religion.html. Accessed 4 April 2020.

"Tutankhamun." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 29 Jan. 2019. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/Tutankhamun/73904. Accessed 13 Apr. 2020.