Week 7: The Rise of Mesopotamian Civilizations 1500 BC
Ancient History Resources for Homeschool and Personal Study. This weeks topics: Famous rulers of Egypt, The Hebrews and Jericho, The Mitannis and "God-napping."
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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| Tutankhamen's funerary mask |
Homeschool Topics for Week 7
Famous Rulers of Egypt
The Hebrews and Jericho
The Mitannis
"God-napping"
Discussion Questions
Famous Rulers of Egypt
Hatshepsut - Queen of Egypt
Hatshepsut was a queen who wore a fake beard. She sent a trade expedition to Punt and got back living Myrrh Trees which were transported in baskets. She built a huge temple for her deceased remains called Deir-el-Bahari. She put lush gardens in the terrace in front of her temple. A Senet game board with carved lioness-headed, red-jasper game pieces bearing her pharaonic title, a signet ring, and a partial shabti figurine bearing her name were found in her tomb
Akhenaten - Monotheism in Egypt?
Akhenaten decided to try and introduce monotheism to Egyptians. This shift away from traditional religion did not go over well and was reversed after his death. "Akhenaten's monuments were dismantled and hidden, his statues were destroyed, and his name excluded from lists of rulers compiled by later pharaohs. Was he a heretic or an idealist? According to wikipedia, one change in the way ordinary Egyptians viewed God was significant. "The relationship between the gods and the worshipers became more direct and personal, circumventing the pharaoh. Rather than acting through the pharaoh, Egyptians started to believe that the gods intervened directly in their lives, protecting the pious and punishing criminals."
Nefertiti
Akhenaten's wife was Nefertiti. She was the mother of Tutankhamun.
Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun was physically disabled with a deformity of his left foot along with bone necrosis that required the use of a cane, several of which were found in his tomb. He had other health issues including scoliosis and had contracted several strains of malaria. The theory that he was murdered was disproved later. He was wearing a skullcap in his coffin.
The Hebrews and Jericho
The Hebrews left Egypt under the direction of Moses. Their journey is called "The Exodus." Moses brought Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai. He wrote God's law and the history of Israel in the first five Books of Moses in the Bible. Joshua who led Israel into Canaan surround the walled city of Jericho. In a famous story, the walls fell down after the people went around it for seven days and seven times on the seventh day blowing trumpets and making a lot of noise.
The Mitannis
King Musili of the Mitannie's sacked Babylon. One theory is that the eruption of the Volcano Thera motivated him to take food from the distant city of Babylon. A tradition among the Mesopotamians was to take the gods of the conquered people with them. This became known among later scholars as "god-napping." It turns out that King Musili didn't want the additional task of ruling Babylon so he let his Indo-European friends know that it was up for grabs.
"God-napping"
The carrying away of a city's gods was a part of warfare in ancient times. The gods worshipped by Mesopotamians were often lodged in the temples. Temples also contained other offerings of greater or lesser value. Conquered people were not force to convert to a new religion. The gods were not destroyed for fear of bad luck. Since the gods were seen as protectors of the city, a city without a god was vulnerable to invasion. Read more here
Books (all links go to Goodreads)
BBC Time Watch: Akhenaten and Nefertiti
Activities
1. Learn to play the Egyptian game of Senet
2. Make the King Tut Paper doll
3. Use wooden blocks to make a circular wall around a "city" and then break it
4. Write a story about what you would do if someone came and took your "gods." Would you still worship without them or would you find a different solution?
5. Inspect an image of Tutankhamen's funerary mask up close. What parts are metal and what parts are stone? Why is the center decoration on the hat shared with two symbols and what are they?
6. Read Makeup Tips for Ancient Egyptian Gals and make your own deodorant sachet
7. Try this mummification experiment with hot dogs and Baking Soda
Image Credit: Roland Unger / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain