Week 5: The Pyramids of Egypt 2400 BC
Ancient History Resources for Homeschool and Personal Study. This weeks topics: Egypt, Cheops, China, Yu the Great, the Elamites, Mesopotamia and Africa
Ancient History is studied through the collection of archeological evidence, written records and oral stories or myths. Just because evidence shows a particular belief or custom was common at a particular time does not mean that everyone in that civilization shared that belief. When you study the topics for this week, you can either go deep on one topic for the week and skip the others or you can do a new topic each day. This outline is just a suggested pace, you can go slower or faster as needed. This outline is intended to provide you with a place to start. You will still need to do your own research.
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| Yu the Great |
Homeschool Topics for Week 5
Egypt
Khufu/Cheops
China
Yu the Great
The Elamites
Mesopotamia
Africa
Discussion Questions
Egypt
The Pyramid Age or Golden of Egypt lasted from 3100 BC to 2150 BC. It is known as the Old Kingdom or Fourth Dynasty. No subsequent Pharaohs surpassed these early rulers in architectural and engineering marvels.
Khufu/Cheops
Not much is known about Khufu as accounts of him were written long after his reign. The most interesting account comes from the Amalekites. In that account, found on Wikipedia, "Khufu built the pyramids after repeated nightmares in which the earth turned upside-down, the stars fell down and people were screaming in terror. Another nightmare showed the stars falling down from heaven and kidnapping humans, then putting them beneath two large mountains. King Khufu then received a warning from his prophets about a devastating deluge that would come and destroy Egypt. To protect his treasures and books of wisdom, Khufu built the three pyramids of Giza."
The Great Pyramid at Giza
Khufu built the Great Pyramid after his father built two other pyramids and got the engineering right. The Great Pyramid at Giza has become an icon for all Egyptian culture. It was built on a perfectly level stone foundation oriented to the four cardinal directions. The entire structure was encased in white limestone so that it would shine in the sun. A NOVA documentary with the latest discoveries is linked in the videos below.
The Afterlife
The Egyptians feared death. They tried to use magic to guarantee their survival in the afterlife. First they preserved the body of the deceased. Then they made an elaborate container for the body. Then the body was buried with items that would be needed on a journey to the afterlife. Spells were written on the coffin and a map, later known as a Book of the Dead, was included to guide the deceased. The big test for the deceased occurred in the Hall of Two Truths where the deceased's heart was weighed against his or her past deeds. No Pharaoh wanted to fail the test so tombs were created to protect the soul in it's journey.
China
Banpo of the Yanshao Culture
The Yanshao culture was neolithic and gradually moved to a sedentary society. Women governed the society. People worked together to farm and hunt. The site at Banpo produced hundreds of evidences of their tools, agriculture and animal husbandry. You can tour a Banpo community in the video below.
Yu the Great
Yu successfully devised a system of flood controls that were crucial in establishing the prosperity of the Chinese heartland. His great achievement was to dam the Yellow river and stop the flooding. He studied the river and figured out why his father's efforts had failed. How does study help us solve problems effectively?
The Biblical Shem had a son named Elam who founded this civilization. The great city of the Elamites was Susa in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains. Susa was conquered by Sumerian kings and in between declared it's independence. Maritime trade between Elam and the Indus Valley can be inferred from the many Indus artifacts discovered at Susa. The layered dress on this Elamite silver cup is very interesting.
Mesopotamia
Ziggurat
Ziggurats are architectural structures built to observe the moon and the stars and worship deity.
Tchogha Zanbil is the world's best preserved ziggurat dedicated to the Elamite divinities Inshushinak and Napirisha. Glazed terracotta statues such as bulls and winged griffins guarded the entrances to the ziggurat.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
Gilgamesh was worshiped as a demi-god although there is some reason to believe the myth is based on a historical person. In the myth, he has superhuman strength. He and Enkidu defeat a monster. Enkidu dies of disease. Gilgamesh learns from Enkidu's ghost that the underworld is not a great place. Gilgamesh decides after his last quest that his architectural accomplishments will have to substitute for immortality.
Africa
The BerbersThe Meshwesh tribe of Libya herded animals. Meshwesh men had tattoos and long hair with longer side locks in the front. Because they traded with the Egyptians who wanted their cattle, they were also recorded as being a threat to the Egyptians.
Tifinagh
Tifinagh is an ancient symbolic script of the Berbers. The name of the language comes from the verb efnegh meaning "to write." See activity below.
Books (all links go to Goodreads)
Videos
The Great Flood (Yu the Great)
Activities
1. Make a ziggurat out of Lego blocks
2. Compare cave art from Africa with cave art from Australia
3. Write your name in Tifinagh (traditional script) or modernized script from Left to Right. (Traditionally the Tifinagh script does not indicate vowels except with a single dot at the end of the word which stands for any vowel.)
4. Using a garden hose and dirt, create a "river." Use mud or stones to try and dam the river. What challenges did you have to overcome?
5. Check out some Egyptian activities here
6. Draw a map of the journey from mortal life to the afterlife. What adventures do you think the soul has on it's journey?
7. Explore the 3D image of the original inscription of the Epic of Gilgamesh
Image Credit: Author Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain