Egypt - Life and Death in Ancient Times

Look for: A large tree with scarred grey bark which is growing on the Hospital side of the saw dust path. It may have figs growing from the branches and trunk in clusters.

Discussion point:
Hathor was an Egyptian goddess who represented love, beauty, music, motherhood and joy. It is not clear how the Sycamore Fig is associated with this goddess, but she is often pictured pouring water for the dead from a Sycamore Fig in tomb paintings.
Read this:
Nearby your house is a Sycamore Fig tree. You love this tree because as a child you have played in its branches with your brothers, sisters and other children of the village. It is one of the few large trees that grow in Egypt. You like to pick the fruit and your mother is always pleased with what you bring home. Your mother preserves the fruit.

Talk about how does she does this. It is likely that the fruit was dried, just as figs and other fruit such as apricots are dried today. If you have some dried figs, allow the students to try them.

Explain why she needs to preserve the fruit. Although the Sycamore Fig is renowned for having a long fruiting season, there may have been many times of crop failures and food shortages in which case preserved foods would have saved people from starvation.Talk about why the fig tree was a great place to play Senet.
The fig tree would have been a cool, shady place to sit. There were very few other large trees in Egypt.

Record some other activities the Ancient Egyptians may have organised under the tree.
The shade of the fig tree may also have been a popular place for women to grind flour. Children had wooden toys to play with and it seems that playing musical instruments and singing was a popular pass time.

Discussion point:
Senet was a game that was popular with Egyptians of all walks of life. It is similar to Backgammon. Nobody is quite sure of the rules because they have never been found, but many people have made guesses. Some Egyptians would have had a board to play on. Poorer people would have scratched a board into the dirt with a stick and used small stones as counters.

Discussion point:
The Cedar of Lebanon grows in forests throughout the Mediterranean region. It has been extensively used as a source of timber and is currently considered a threatened species.
Read this:
Often when you pass the workshop of the coffin maker, you can smell the distinctive smell of the cedar wood.

Rub your hand along the leaves. Take it in turns to describe what it smells like.
Ask students to take it in turns to describe the smell of the cedar oil. A large pine tree with yellow/green foliage and branches that touch the ground.

This wood comes from a country far away called Lebanon and is very expensive.

Find Lebanon and Egypt on the map below.

Discuss how you think the Lebanese traders brought the wood to Egypt?
Trade between Lebanon and Egypt was carried out using trading vessels (small ships) along the Mediterranean coast. Please note! The borders, country names and countries themselves have changed markedly since the time of the Ancient Egyptians.

Cedar trees were highly valued for making timber for Ancient Egyptian coffins, furniture and large trading boats.

List some reason why you think this tree produces such good timber.
The long, straight boughs and trunks of these trees can be used to produce long timber planks. The timber is also strong and beautifully scented.

Please note! These items are only available for viewing Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm.

Look for: The 'Dyes' display. It is in the display case in the North – Western corner of the museum. Ask the Volunteer to help you locate it if necessary.

Read this:
Your father's work is important to the people in your village because everyone believes their bodies need to be preserved in preparation for their journey to the afterlife. Your father uses natron or salt to preserve the bodies of the dead after removing their organs. The body is wrapped tightly with linen cloth and resin and the coffins painted with decorations using Henna and Indigo.

Sometimes your father's hands are stained by the Henna and the Indigo that he uses in his work.

Record the colour of these dyes?
Henna is orange. Indigo is blue.

Talk about how henna is used today.
Henna is used as a hair dye. It is also used to paint elaborate decorations on the hands and feet of brides (and sometimes grooms) in India. This is called Mehndi.

Look for: A waterlily with a blue flower.

Read this:
Growing in the marshy swamps along the Nile and in the irrigation ditches is the beautiful Blue Lotus.

Take it in turns to bend down and smell it. Describe the scent to your friends.
Ask students to take it in turns to describe the smell of the Blue Lotus.

Your older sister and her friend love to hunt for the waterlily flowers to put in their hair. One day your grandmother told you that the waterlilies are the flower of the sun god Re and the story of how the waterlilies represent the dead moving into the underworld and being reborn into a new life.

Discuss some reasons why the waterlilies might represent this for your people?
At night the flower of the Blue Lotus closes and sinks under the water. As the sun rises in the morning, the flower also rises again. To the Ancient Egyptians, this may have been representative of their belief of rebirth.

Look for: A palm which is growing in a clump with spiny fronds. It is opposite the stairs leading up to the Palm House.

Read this:
One of your favourite treats are dates from the Date Palm. These are often deliberately planted in desert oases and in villages.

Have you ever tried dates? If not, find a person in your class who has and ask them to describe the taste. Record it here.
If you have any dates to share with the students, allow them to try and describe the taste.
The taste of a date is sweet like honey with a touch of caramel. They are very sticky!

Discussion point:
Date Palms are often planted in hot, dry environments. They are the palm that is often pictured in a desert oasis.

Look for: A large tree with grey/green prickly needles and rough, stringy grey bark.

Read this:
Often your father comes home smelling strongly of Juniper oil which he uses to anoint the bodies of the dead before applying their linen bandages.

Run your hand along the leaves of the Juniper to smell the oil. Describe the smell to a friend and record it here. Ask students to take it in turns to describe the smell of the Juniper.

Discussion point:
Juniper berries are used to flavour gin.

Look for: Stems with 'fluffy' heads which are about 1.5 to 2 metres tall.

Read this:
Along the marshy edges of the river is thick, waving papyrus. Another day, your Grandmother told you that the papyrus plant symbolised the waters of Nun, from which all life began and that when the dead are buried they are given a long piece of papyrus to carry with them.

In you group talk about some reasons why you believe that all life began in water?
Ancient Egyptians seem to have believed that all life and the world was born from 'dark waters of chaos' named Nun.

Why is papyrus given to the dead to carry?
The Papyrus was a symbol of life to the Ancient Egyptians. They gave a papyrus stem to their dead to ensure their rebirth in the afterlife

Although you and your family cannot write, you have seen scholars using paper made of papyrus.

Use the diagrams to explain how the ancient Egyptians made paper from papyrus.

Papyrus growing along the Nile River is also home to many birds which are hunted using throwing sticks and makes excellent small boats.

Feel the stalk of the papyrus – can you imagine it floating in the water?
Allow the students to touch the papyrus stems and flowers.

Why do your people make small boats from papyrus and not from wood?
Due to a lack of large trees in Egypt (and their valuable use for producing shade and/or fruit) timber was difficult to obtain and expensive. Papyrus grew abundantly along the Nile and could be easily harvested.

Look for:

Wild Garlic – A strappy 'grass like' plant.
Thyme – A low growing plant with tiny leaves.
Rosemary – A bush which is about half a metre to a metre tall with small, dark green leaves and white or blue flowers.
Fennel – Bright green, feathery foliage.

Read this:
One day you came home to find your younger brother crying. He had hurt his leg while climbing and it was bleeding. Your mother was preparing some garlic for him to relieve his pain and to help his leg to heal. The builders of the mighty pyramids also use garlic to increase their stamina and endurance. Once they went on strike when their rations were reduced!

Do you like the flavour of garlic? Have you ever heard of others using it as a medicine?
Some scientific studies have indicated that garlic may have antibacterial and antifungal properties. It may also be useful in preventing heart disease. NB – This information is not medical advice! Please consult a doctor for personal medical diagnosis and treatment.

After a few days your brother's leg was still red and sore. Your grandmother went out to find some Thyme to use as an antiseptic. While she was there she also looked for Fennel for her sore, arthritic joints. Your mother burnt some Rosemary as incense to clean the air and said prayers to Bet, the god that protects children.

Discuss and list some uses for Thyme and Rosemary today.
A chemical extracted from Thyme (Thymol) has antibacterial properties and is used in some brands of mouth wash. Extracts of rosemary may also have antibacterial properties which could be useful in the treatment of acne. Both herbs are commonly used in cooking. NB – This information is not medical advice! Please consult a doctor for personal medical diagnosis and treatment.
Smell the leaves of the Fennel.
Talk with your friends about what it reminds you of?
Many people find a similarity between the smell of fennel leaves and liquorice. Students may have found wild fennel growing along creeks or cleared areas of land.

Discussion point:
Prior to the discovery of antibiotics people used other medicines and plant extracts to treat infections. Students may have heard of Tea Tree Oil being used by Australian Aborigines or Betel leaf being used by people from Indonesia.