Ancient Egypt: Life & Death Student Activities

Education @ Adelaide Botanic Garden 

Map

Acknowledgments Content and text Steve Meredith & Michael Yeo

Cover diagram Creative commons. Photos Indiana Yeo

Copyright: ©2015 The State of South Australia, Department for Education and Child Development and the Botanic Gardens of South Australia. This publication is protected by copyright. It may be reproduced by South Australian teachers for use with their students.

Acknowledgments

AStudent ActivitiesWho are you?

Your name is pa-sheri (male) or ta-sherit (female) and you are a 13 year old Egyptian living in the year

4300BCE in a village close to the city of Assiut. Your father works as an embalmer and you often help

him with his work. This trail will lead you through some of your daily activities and help you (and your

friends) identify the plants that you use.

1. Sycamore Fig

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.

Explain why she needs to preserve the fruit.

In the hot sun of the afternoon workers come to sit under the tree and play a game of Senet.

2. Cedar of Lebanon

Often when you pass the workshop of the coffin maker, you can smell the distinctive smell of the cedar wood. This wood comes from a country far away called Lebanon and is very expensive.

Talk about why the fig tree was a great place to play Senet.

Record some other activities the Ancient Egyptians may have organised under the tree.

 

Rub your hand along the leaves. Take it in turns to describe what it smells like.

 

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

 

Find Lebanon and Egypt on the map below.

Discuss how you think the Lebanese traders brought the wood to Egypt?

 

List some reason why you think this tree produces such good timber.

 

3. Henna, Flax (linen) and Indigo

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

Talk about how henna is used today.

 

4. Blue Lotus of Egypt

Growing in the marshy swamps along the Nile and in the irrigation ditches is the beautiful 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.

Take it in turns to bend down and smell it. Describe the scent to your friends.

 

Discuss some reasons why the waterlilies might represent this for your people?

 

5. Date Palm

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

6. Prickly Juniper

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.

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.

Run your hand along the leaves of the Juniper to smell the oil. Describe the smell to a friend and record it here.

 

7. Papyrus

Along the marshy edges of the river is thick, waving papyrus Another day, your Grandma 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. Although you and your family cannot write, you have seen scholars using paper made of papyrus.

In you group talk about some reasons why you believe that all life began in water?

Why is papyrus given to the dead to carry?

 

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?

Why do your people make small boats from papyrus and not from wood?

 

8. A Pharaoh’s Pharmacy; Wild Garlic, Thyme, Rosemary and Fennel

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! 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.

Do you like the flavour of garlic? Have you ever heard of others using it as a medicine?

 

Discuss and list some uses for Thyme and Rosemary today.

Smell the leaves of the Fennel.

Talk with your friends about what it reminds you of?