Agenda for Today! Ancient Egyptian Art Introduction Gallery Observation Quick background knowledge Design your own tomb BrainPop! Pyramids Egypt Video

How do you think a pyramid was built?

What about those pyramids?? The ancient Egyptians called pyramids “Houses of Eternal Life.” They believed that if a pharaoh’s body could be preserved (mummified) after death, the pharaoh had a good chance at living forever in the afterlife. If the pharaoh lived forever, he or she would save all the people who lived during that reign, too!! The word pharaoh actually means “Great House.”

More about the pyramids To ancient Egyptians, heaven would be just like everyday life. In heaven, you would still need food, friends, and furniture, just as you did in regular life. That is why the pyramids were filled with the pharaoh’s earthly treasures.

A little background… Ancient Egyptian civilization was admired for its power and wealth. In addition, the Egyptians produced great buildings, art, and learning.

Art inside of the Pyramids Most of what we know about life in Egypt comes from paintings found on the walls of tombs!! Although the paintings show Egyptians working and playing, the purpose of the paintings was not for decoration. The main purpose was to provide the person buried in the tomb with all of the objects and pleasures shown on the walls.

The gods are often shown in the tomb paintings 

More about Egyptian tomb art Egyptian works of art were done in order to serve the pharaohs, or kings. The art paintings mainly showed scenes of deities and daily life. Artists also created wonderful sculptures. Most of them were statues of people or gods. Smaller statues of Egyptians were placed in tombs along with their mummies. If the person’s mummy was destroyed, the statue could replace it as a home for the dead person’s spirit!!

Create Your Own Tomb!! Now that you understand the importance of mummies and the afterlife, you are going to pretend that you are a pharaoh and create your own tomb!! I will pass out a piece of paper, which is the drawing of the inside of a tomb and pyramid. In the tomb, you will draw the items you want with you in the afterlife and some Egyptian symbols. Make it neat, colorful, and representative of you!! 

A look at the mummies inside of the pyramids… We have learned a little about the pharaohs’ afterlife, Let’s preview the importance of mummies now!! http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/mummies/