Life after Death: Mummies and Magic
For everyone this is the initial fascination with Egyptian civilization.
Grade level: for all grade levels
Objectives for students
- to find out that one can learn a good deal about Egyptian afterlife beliefs by looking
at Egyptian tombs, tomb plans, and works of art buried in tombs
- for middle-school students, to begin to understand that art reveals the
beliefs, values, and world view of a specific culture
- for older students, to know that, in studying history, the art of a nation or
civilization is an important primary source for understanding political and religious
beliefs
Visual materials
The visual materials listed below are in an order that develops the progression of the
lesson.
Coffin of a Middle Kingdom official
Canopic jar with a lid in the shape of a royal woman's head
The discovery of Wah's mummy, Unwrapping
of Wah's mummy, and
Wah's jewelry
Riverboat, Granary, Statuette of an offering bearer
Tomb of Perneb
Stela of a Middle Kingdom official
Section from a Book of the Dead
Advance preparation
Please read about the ancient Egyptians' vision of the afterlife
and the mummified body, ka, and ba on the Web site or in the printed edition of the Egyptian Art
teachers' guide (available for sale through the Metropolitan Museum store). You may
want to distribute copies of the plan of the tomb of Perneb
and the plan of Meketre's tomb to the students. Depending upon
the students' ages and the time allowed in the curriculum, you may decide to do some or
all of the suggested activities and discussions. The questions about the visual materials
listed below begin with simple observations followed by those requiring more background
information.
Class discussion
Begin discussions about the visual materials by asking the students to describe what they
see. The additional questions may require background information.
Look at Coffin of a Middle Kingdom official. What images will
protect Khnumnakht?
Canopic jar with a lid in the shape of a royal woman's head:
Ask the students to describe the materials and design of this object. What was its
function? What visual clues suggest that the head was that of a royal person?
Then look at the photographs of Discovery of Wah's mummy
in the coffin, which is rectangular like Khnumnakht's, and Unwrapping
Wah's mummy. Talk about why
Wah's jewelry was buried with him. Ask the students to think about what kinds of burial
rituals and practices people have today.
Riverboat, Granary, and Statuette of an offering bearer pose the question of why Meketre
had wonderful painted wood models of servants and boats for traveling on the Nile placed
in his tomb. Besides providing Meketre with food and service in the next life, did these
models have deeper meanings?
When looking at the Tomb of Perneb, ask why this Old Kingdom
tomb was shaped like a house. Why do many Egyptian tombs have several rooms and hidden
spaces?
In Stela of a Middle Kingdom official, the official's
father, son, and daughter are bringing him a feast. Similar scenes of family and servants
offering food to the deceased appear in many tombs (Perneb's, for instance). What did the
Egyptians believe about these scenes? Why did they have them carved in stone? What kinds
of special feasts and food rituals do we celebrate today?
Section from a Book of the Dead: What is happening
in the center of the scene? (Look at the scales. Explain the significance of the scene,
that Egyptians believed the life of the deceased must be judged before he or she is
admitted into the afterlife.) Who is the person sitting on the right? (He is Osiris, ruler
in the afterlife.) What indicates he is a ruler? What looks Egyptian about this scene?
Related Activities (listed in order of age appropriateness from
young to old):
A Broad Collar
Costume and Adornment
On the Wall
Favorites Forever
Wrap-Ups
Eyewitness News
Find out more about Curriculum
Connections.
See an overview of all lessons and activities available in this Web
site.
