(OVER)

School and Teacher Programs 2013 – 2014 Teacher Professional Development Workshop Mesopotamia to the Mediterranean December 12, 2012

Ga l le ry Act iv i ty 1: Egypt ian Hieroglyphics Art o f the Anc ient Wor ld: Egypt

It is difficult to look at ancient Egyptian art without noticing that many pieces are covered with writing in hieroglyphics. Although this writing might simply look like representative pictures (where a picture of a bird stands for an actual bird), these letters work a lot like our own. Each form represents a sound as well as a symbol in order to create a written language that is actually very complicated.

Egyptians had a variety of reasons for using hieroglyphics. On many statues, the hieroglyphics at the bottom simply identify the person depicted. The sarcophagus in the image above comes from about 1473-‐‐1458 B.C. and was originally intended for the Queen Hatshepsut. However, when she was buried, she wanted her father to be with her in her tomb. She decided to have this sarcophagus made for her father instead, and the hieroglyphics on the side express her devotion to her father. This Stele of Meny (on the next page) from about 2100 B.C. is also a funerary object. The owner of the tomb it came from is shown at the left with a long staff, and the hieroglyphics are arranged on the right. The inscription gives an offering to the Egyptian god Osiris, the god of the afterlife.

(OVER)

Look ing/Discuss ion Quest ions: Write a short response to each of the questions below. Share and discuss your responses as a class.

1. What images do you see in both examples of hieroglyphics? What kinds of shapes? Are there any forms that repeat multiple times?

2. How are the hieroglyphics arranged? How do they look similar and/or different from our own writing? 3. What do these two Egyptian objects have in common? Why do you think tomb objects are so frequently

covered in hieroglyphics? 4. What do this writing system and these objects tell us about Egyptian culture and views of the afterlife?

Act iv i t ies : On your own, choose to complete either A or B.

A. The keys on the next page provide some simple translations of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Some images are representative of their pictures, and some are representative of letters. Choose to create your own message using these hieroglyphics. When you are finished, trade with another person who chose Activity A, and translate their message as best you can. After you have completed your translation, write a short paragraph answering the following questions:

What was easy about this activity (both the writing and translating parts)? What was difficult about this activity? What similarities and differences do you see between Egyptian writing and our own?

(OVER)

B. As you saw, Egyptian hieroglyphics feature forms and objects that were common in Egyptian culture and

daily life. Create your own, modern version of hieroglyphics. You might choose to represent each letter with a symbol or create a combination of symbols, some of which have specific word meanings and others that signify letters or sounds. Choose symbols that you feel represent your own culture and lifestyle. Once you have created your alphabet, compose a message in your hieroglyphics. When finished, write a short paragraph that answers the following questions:

What was easy about this activity (both making the alphabet and writing a message in that alphabet)?

What was difficult about this activity? What does your alphabet say about the culture that you come from? How are the shapes

similar to and/or different from Egyptian hieroglyphics?