Wednesday, September 21, 2005

What I learned about Egypt

I learned about Canopic jars. The Egyptians put the organs of the dead in jars except the brain and heart. They threw out the brain because they thought they didn’t need it. They left the heart in the body.

I learned that Egyptians believed that at death the heart was to be weighed against the golden feather of truth. If they did a bad dead, the heart would weigh more than the feather and they would not go to the eternal afterlife.

I learned about the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone gave the archaeologist info about Egyptian, Demotic, and Greek languages. The Rosetta Stone helped us understand Egypt.

I learned how mummies were made. First all the organs were removed, then they were put into salt call natron, then oil, spices, and jewelry were added. They then wrapped the body in mummy linens, and then coated it with resins. The mummies were normally people of royal birth.

A few things found at an Egyptian archeological site.

- weapons - throw stick

- musical instruments - clapper, sistrum

- art - bas relief

I learned the difference between ecofacts and artifacts. Ecofacts were once living creatures, Artifacts are things that a person made.

I learned about Archeologists. They are people who study the past.

I learned about the Egyptian form of writing. It is called hieroglyphics and is mainly pictures.

I learned about the geographical features of Egypt.


- Physical features; sandy, little water, little shade

- Region; dry and sandy

- River; Nile River

- Desert; Sahara Desert

- Climate; very hot

Essential Question: How can we unlock the mysteries of a civilization?
By studying them.