Personal Adornment

Grade level: Elementary. Materials may be adapted for upper grades.

Objectives for students:
· to see how personal adornment reflects the ideas, beliefs, and views of Egyptian culture

· to create a pendant to communicate their own observations, ideas, feelings, and experiences

Visual materials

Photocopies of pages on frequently used hieroglyphs (optional)
Pectoral of Princess Sithathoryunet

Advance preparation
Read the information about Pectoral of Princess Sithathoryunet and the section on materials and techniques in Looking at Ancient Egyptian Art.

You may wish to wear a noticeable piece of jewelry, especially a necklace or pin that has symbolic or sentimental meaning.

Class discussion
Describe the piece of jewelry you have chosen to wear to begin the discussion. Ask students about any special jewelry that they or their family might own: antique pocket watch; wedding, engagement, or class rings; a souvenir charm from a vacation, and so on. Ask for volunteers to describe one of these pieces of jewelry, including its design and materials.

Discuss the symbolism behind jewelry design and materials--a ring symbolizes eternity, "diamonds are forever." Shamrocks, peace signs, crosses, and Stars of David also all have symbolic meaning.

Jewelry is worn for many reasons. It may contain a message from the giver and therefore would be worn for sentimental reasons. Jewelry also reflects power and prestige; crowns and tiaras are worn for this reason.

Show the image of  Pectoral of Princess Sithathoryunet and ask students to describe what they see. Provide information about its age, materials, and symbolism. If students have already studied hieroglyphs and their meaning, they will be able to identify some of them. If not, "read" the pendant to the class.

Discuss who owned the pendant and who made it. Why would the pendant be buried with the princess? What can you tell about the craftsman from looking at the pendant? Explain the process of cloisonné.

Activity
Materials:

heavy gold craft foil, cut into pendant-size rectangles
paper for sketching, the same size as the foil rectangles
scissors
glitter pens, yarn, beads
pencils

Preparation: Precut paper and gold foil into rectangular shapes. Cut tabs or punch holes at the top of foil for younger children.

Explain that students will have the chance to create their own pendants with symbolic meaning. They may choose Egyptian hieroglyphs, symbols of their own, or a combination of both.

Demonstrate how to choose a series of symbols that embody a message. Show how they can be sketched and combined into a design that fits into the shape and size of a piece of gold foil. If desired, demonstrate how a symmetrical design can be made by drawing half the image, then folding it over and tracing the other side. Leave room for two or three tabs on the top of the pendant so that it can be attached to a cord.

Lay the completed sketch over the gold foil and outline the shapes by pressing hard with a pencil. Remove the paper and go over the lines again to deepen them, if desired.

Fill in the shapes with pieces of colored yarn, beads, or glitter pens.

Students with access to enamel kilns may wish to cut their pendant shapes from copper and apply enamel colors. Pendants can also  be cut from sheets of silver or other metal.

When the pendant is complete, cut a piece of yarn long enough to go around the neck and attach the pendant by folding the tabs back over the yarn or by inserting yarn through punched holes. If beads are available, string a few on each side of the pendant and tie the two ends of the yarn together so that the pendant hangs at the desired length.

Connections

Language Arts: Have students write out the message of their pendant on a separate piece of paper. Can students match each message to the proper pendant?

Science: Discuss the techniques of metalworking that the Egyptians used to make precious objects, such as Sithathoryunet's pectoral. Look at actual examples of cloisonné, if any are available, and talk about what scientific principles the artisan would have needed to know.