Animal Symbols
Grade level: Elementary and middle school
Objectives (for younger students):
· to understand that, unlike most modern Americans, the ancient Egyptians lived close to
nature, surrounded by the many animal species that inhabited the Nile Valley and
surrounding desert. The Egyptians understood the animals' characteristics and admired
them, especially those that were dangerous or had powers human beings lacked
· to learn that in depicting the awesome powers of their gods and kings, the Egyptians
often portrayed them as animals or as beautiful humans with animal heads
Objectives (for older students):
· in addition to the goals for younger students, to learn that artists use symbols to
express ideas in visual form
· to recognize that the particular powers of each god were symbolized by animals with
similar characteristics
· to understand that Egyptians believed that the gods in their multiple forms revealed
the creative and destructive forces of the universe
Visual materials
The visual materials listed below are in an order that develops the progression of the
lesson.
Menna and his family fishing and fowling
Hippopotamus
Sphinx of Senwosret III
Sakhmet
Cat
Advance preparation
Read about the use of animal symbols in the portrayal of gods and goddesses, and more, in
the section on ancient Egyptian beliefs, as well as about the natural world and naturalistic details
and familiarize yourself with the descriptions of the works of art.
The activities and discussions based upon these visual materials begin with simple
observations and questions followed by more complicated ones.
Class discussion:
Begin the lesson with a discussion about the students' pets and about the characteristics
of animals they have seen at zoos, aquariums, and in nature programs on TV.
What kinds of things can animals do that people cannot? Do some animal abilities seem
almost magical? Which ones?
Ask the class to make a list of animal symbols we use today (American eagle, names of
sports teams, political parties, kinds of cars, et cetera).
Ask the class to draw or describe in a short essay an animal or animals that could
symbolize the creative powers of nature and those that could symbolize destructive powers.
Begin the discussion of the visual materials by asking the group to describe what they
see.
Menna and his family fishing and fowling: How many examples
of animal life do they see? (Don't forget the butterflies, birds' eggs, and cat.) Why
didn't the artist paint the fish and crocodile under the water?
Hippopotamus: Ask the class how big a hippo is. Where does
it live? What are its characteristics? What did it symbolize to the ancient Egyptians?
Besides being a symbol of power and danger, did the hippopotamus have another meaning in
Egyptian beliefs?
clay for younger
students, sculptable self-hardening clay for older students, or poured plaster-of-paris
blocks, set but not dry (for ease in carving)
Tools for removing material from the block, spatulas to smooth clay, small pointed
instruments for details and texture
Preparation: Prepare blocks of clay or plaster of paris.
Students will carve their own animal or human-animal combination. They might find it
helpful to list the qualities they wish their animal to represent.
Demonstrate how to remove clay or plaster with tools. Refer to the Egyptian sculptures
identified above to see how the artist sculpted human and animal forms.
Emphasize that sculptors working in stone or wood have to think carefully before they
cut away the material because it cannot be put back. When the material is plaster
of paris, large areas should be cut away first, a little at a time. Then smaller details
can be carved. Students working in Plasticine
