PRESENTED BY

THE DAYTON ART INSTITUTE’S EDUCATOR RESOURCE CENTERAND ALL EDUCATOR RESOURCE PACKETS

SPONSORED BY

Transforming Transactionsinto Relationships

This resource packet is provided tosupport the exhibition, The Questfor Immortality: Treasures ofAncient Egypt, presented by NCRCorporation, on view at TheDayton Art Institute, September 1,2005-January 3, 2006.

The packet includes general back-ground information about ancientEgypt, the culture, the people, andtheir religious beliefs. It is intend-ed for teachers of all grade levelsbut requires adaptation for specificlearning levels.

In addition, the packet focuses onsix specific works providing information about the objects andsuggesting activities that relatedirectly to math, language arts,

science, social studies, and finearts. Words in bold print aredefined in the glossary at the endof this section. You will also find abibliography that includesresources for teachers and students. We hope that this packetwill assist you in preparing yourstudents for their visit to the exhibition.

You may also want to visit InsideEgypt, an exciting new addition tothe Experiencenter, The DaytonArt Institute's interactive gallery.Through hands-on activities, students will learn about the building of the Great Pyramids atGiza, write coded messages inhieroglyphs, and make drawingslike the ancient Egyptians. Atactile diagram of a cross-section

view of the Great Pyramid, accompanied by an audio description and braille text, willassist blind visitors and those withlow vision. In addition, severalactivities will make direct connections to ancient Egyptianobjects from the museum’spermanent collection. InsideEgypt is on view May 21, 2005through April, 2006. TheExperiencenter is open every dayand is free to the public.

Inside Egypt is sponsored byGeorge and Pam Houk, The IamsCompany, Iddings Foundation,Levin Family Foundation,Reynolds & Reynolds CompanyFoundation, and the Frank M. TaitFoundation

PYRAMIDION OF AMENHOTEP-HUY, Nineteenth Dynasty, reign of Ramesses II, 1279-1213 BCE; grandiorite. The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

RESOURCE PACKET INTRODUCTION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

4ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

5MAP OF ANCIENT EGYPT

6FACTS ABOUT ANCIENT EGYPT

7EGYPTIAN SOCIETY

9GODS AND GODDESSES

11HIEROGLYPHS

13EGYPTIAN TOMBS

14MUMMIFICATION

15 THUTMOSE III

I6 JOURNEY TO THE AFTERLIFE

21 GLOSSARY

23 BIBLIOGRAPHY

COFFIN OF ISIS-EM-AKHBIT,Twenty-first Dynasty, reign ofPsusennes II, 959-945 BCE;painted wood, gold. TheEgyptian Museum, Cairo.THIS EDUCATOR RESOURCE PACKET

IS SPONSORED BY BANK ONE.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The Quest for Immortality:Treasures of Ancient Egypt, presented by NCR Corporation, represents the largest collection ofancient artifacts to ever travel outside Egypt. It consists of morethan one hundred objects specifically chosen to illustrate theafterlife beliefs of the ancientEgyptians, a culture that existedmore than 3500 years ago.

The objects–sculpture, jewelry andnumerous funerary artifacts–reflect the Egyptian burial rituals, religious beliefs about godsand goddesses, concepts of theafterlife, and the pursuit of immortality. Much of the exhibition dates to the NewKingdom period (c.1569-1081BCE) and the life of a particularpharaoh, Thutmose III. However,objects dating through the LatePeriod (c.724-333 BCE) are also included.

Throughout ancient Egypt’s longhistory, its complex civilizationflourished and many thingsremained fairly constant, such asthe use of hieroglyphs and therigid rules that dictated artisticstyles. Yet there were somechanges, such as the architecturaldesign of the tombs of pharaohs.When people think of ancientEgypt, the pyramids come to mindfirst. The rise of the pyramid age,occurring during the “youth” ofthis civilization, is a period that isnot focused on in this exhibition.

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Most of the objects in this collection were created a thousand years after thepyramids. By this time the use of pyramids had been abandoned for a new anddifferent style of funerary architecture– tombs that were carved into the lime-stone cliffs across from Thebes on the west bank of the Nile River.

Highlighted in this exhibition is a very important, though perhaps less wellknown pharaoh, Thutmose III. Thutmose III was the sixth pharaoh of theEighteenth Dynasty in the New Kingdom, an eventful period in Egyptian history. Fourteen pharaohs fall under the Eighteenth Dynasty, some of whomhave very familiar names: Akhenaten, Hatshepsut, and of course,Tutankhamun, better known as King Tut. An exhibition highlight is the full-scale reconstruction of Thutmose III’s burial chamber. Inside, visitors canview the earliest known complete painting of the Amduat, the great textdescribing the sun god’s journey through the underworld.

This exhibition provides an opportunity for our visitors to learn about themany facets of Egyptian funerary rites, religious beliefs, and the quest for eternal life. The ancient Egyptians viewed the afterlife as a place to pass intowhere an individual’s spirit would continue to live on. It was viewed as anextension of this world. Therefore, processes such as mummification and supplies of food and objects used in daily life were important in this passage.Although most of these objects were made to be placed in the tomb of thedeceased and must now be viewed out of their original context, these ancientobjects give us a glimpse into an ancient civilization’s quest for the eternal.

SPHINX OF THUTMOSE III, Eighteenth Dynasty, 1479-1425 BCE;granodiorite. The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

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FACTS ABOUT ANCIENT EGYPT

Egypt is located in NorthernAfrica, bordering the Middle Eastand the Mediterranean Sea.

The Nile, the longest river in theworld, divides the length of Egypt.Beginning at its source in centralAfrica, the Nile River winds north-ward for over 4,000 miles to theMediterranean Sea.

Miles of desert protected Egyptover the centuries from invaders,allowing the ancient Egyptian civilization to develop isolatedartistic traditions, as well asadvanced political, religious andagricultural systems.

Egyptian culture was primarilyagricultural relying on the annualflooding of the Nile River thatbrought fresh water and fertilizedsilt to renew the soil for crops.Agricultural themes emergerepeatedly in Egyptian art.

Although located in southernEgypt, the area is referred to asUpper Egypt because of its highelevation. Lower Egypt is in thenorth and includes the low floodplains of the Nile.

Ancient Egyptian society wasorganized as a hierarchy, with thepharaoh at the top and farmers andlaborers at the bottom.

The earliest Egyptian writing system consisted of picture symbols called hieroglyphs.

Egypt’s rulers were believed to bedivine kings, sons of the solar godRe. The term “pharaoh” means“great house” and was first usedby the New Kingdom ruler,Thutmose III.

Thirty-one dynasties of pharaohsruled for over 2500 years in Egypt.

The ancient Egyptians believed inpolytheism, the worship of manygods. Different gods and goddesses, including those representing the sun and the NileRiver, played a role in explainingnatural occurrences.

Ancient Egyptians believed thatafter death, they could be reborninto a new life in the underworldruled by the god Osiris.

Funerary texts helped the deceasedachieve immortality. The Amduat(“that which is in the nether-world”) was a text reserved forroyalty which traced the twelve-hour journey through the under-world.

In preparation for the afterlife,pharaohs built elaborate tombs forthemselves. In the Old Kingdom,the pharaohs built pyramids tohouse their remains. Later, tombswere carved into the sides of cliffs.One famous area now referred toas the Valley of the Kings islocated on the west bank of theNile across from Thebes.

Mummification was the first steptaken to prepare for immortality.Occurring over a seventy day period, mummification was aprocess for preserving the body.Important internal organs, thelungs, liver, stomach, and intes-tines were removed, dried in salts,and placed in canopic jars. Thebody was also dried with salts andwrapped in multiple layers of finelinen. Bodies were often adornedwith jewelry, protective amulets(small magical charms) and funerary masks before beingplaced in decorated coffins.

6 FOUR CANOPIC JARS OF PRINCE HORNAKHT (detail ofJackal), Twenty-first Dynasty, reign of Osorkon II, 874-850BCE; alabaster. The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

EGYPTIAN SOCIETY

The Class SystemAncient Egyptian society wasarranged as a hierarchy, with people grouped according to statusand ability. The pharaoh, believedto have been appointed by thegods, had the power to communi-cate with the gods in order tooversee and maintain the naturalorder and harmony of the Egyptianworld. As a member of this top tierof society, the pharaoh was thechief authority over all humanendeavors and was responsible forthe well-being of every Egyptian.He or she collected taxes, organized labor and maintainedlaw and order. The second hierar-chical tier consisted of the nobles, government officials and priests.Also important to society werescribes, scholars and artisans.Most Egyptians were at the bottomlevel of society, working as farmers and laborers who splittheir time between tending cropsand building temples or mortuarycomplexes for the pharaoh.

Egyptian LifeEgyptians lived in a remarkablystable environment. WealthyEgyptians lived a pleasant life,with servants and an abundance ofleisure time. Traveling was a popular activity for the wealthy,but only inside Egypt. The peopleviewed areas outside of Egypt asunappealing and did not like foreign clothes or habits. Most ofthe population was poor andworked hard, often as farmers,with little hope of doing better inthe future. This was not thought ofas unjust. It was an accepted beliefthat some people were born towork, while others were born topositions of authority. Althoughancient Egyptian history spannedover 3000 years, lives of ordinarypeople changed little. Theybelieved in the rules of society andsaw no reason for change.

The Importance of theNile RiverStretching over 4000 miles, theNile River was the single mostimportant natural element in thedevelopment of ancient Egyptiancivilization. Towns, situated highabove its banks, overlooked thelush, green fields supported by theriver and the surrounding desertsthat formed a protective barrierfrom invaders. A major transportation route and habitat formany species of fish and animals,the Nile flooded every year,depositing new layers of fertile

soil for the next season’s crops.Mainly an agricultural society,Egyptians grew corn, wheat, barley, and vegetables, includingonions, lettuce, cucumbers, peas,and beans. In addition, theydevised canals and irrigation ditches to extend water use. Eventhe Egyptian calendar was basedon the seasons determined by the Nile.

The Endurance of aCivilizationBeginning about 3100 BCE, thirty-one dynasties controlledEgypt, guided by a succession ofkings called pharaohs. Eachdynasty was known by its royalhouse or ruling family and wasdistinguished by political events,wars, or artistic and technologicaladvances. When one family lostpower and another group tookcontrol, a new dynasty began.Long periods of stability wereknown as kingdoms: the OldKingdom (c.2687-2191 BCE), theMiddle Kingdom (c.2061-1665BCE) and the New Kingdom(c.1569-1081 BCE). Times ofunrest and instability were knownas the Intermediate Periods.

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PENDANT IN THE FORM OF A HATHORIC HEAD, Twenty-first Dynasty, reign of Osorkon II, 874-850 BCE;gold and lapis lazuli. The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

The Religious BeliefsEgyptian religion was polytheisticand permeated almost every aspectof life. Hundreds of Egyptian godsand goddesses have been identi-fied, each having a distinct person-ality and purpose. Myths toldabout the gods’ origins and theirexploits often explained puzzlingnatural changes, such as night intoday and life into death. Many godswere identified with animals andthe strengths associated with them.Ancient Egyptians believed thatafter death they would enter aworld much like the one that theyknew, only better. Careful prepara-tions had to be made to ensurehappiness in the afterlife. Egyptianreligious beliefs and perceptions ofwhat awaited them in the afterliferelied heavily on the conditions oftheir daily lives. Their culture waspermeated by the idea of thecycles of life: the cycle of the sun,the cycle of the Nile River and itsannual flooding, and the cycle ofbirth, death and the afterlife.

The Egyptians also believed thateach person’s soul had differentparts. One part was the ba, or theindividual personality. This spirithad the head of a human but thebody of a bird. At night it was ableto fly from the burial tomb andvisit home or other places thatwere important to it in life.Because the ba needed food, pictures of meals were often painted on tomb walls or replicasof food were left in the tomb.Priests or relatives of the deceasedwould bring food offerings to thetomb as well.

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The Afterlife and ImmortalityAncient Egyptians envisioned the underworld as a physical place where lifewould continue as before, but flaws of the body would be healed, crops wouldgrow taller, disease would not exist. All Egyptians hoped to reach this idealrealm, but because their place was not guaranteed, their quest for immortalitythus inspired elaborate preparations for the afterlife. Believing that the soulcould not survive without its body, they practiced mummification and furthershielded the body from physical decay with coffins and sarcophagi. Images ofdeities, amulets and sacred texts were buried with the deceased to providethem with the needed protection during their journey to the underworld. Tombswere furnished with practical goods to ensure a comfortable life in the beyond.

Another part of the spirit was the ka, the life force that lived in every person.When someone died, the ka separated from the body but went on living. Theka looked exactly like the deceased when he or she was alive. A statue of thedead person was usually placed in the tomb in order to guide the ka back to itsbody. Like the ba, the ka also needed food placed in the tomb.

SARCOPHAGUS OF KHONSU, NineteenthDynasty,1295-1186 BCE; stuccoed, painted, andvarnished wood. The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Ancient Egyptians believed thattheir gods inhabited every part ofthe natural world. Their compre-hension of life and the afterlifewas intimately linked to and guided by the many gods and goddesses they worshiped. In thiscomplex family of gods and god-desses, some have multiple names,many have legends associated withthem, and some take on multipleforms. Some were regional orserved various elements of oneconcept, such as Kephri, the risingsun, and Atum, the setting sun—both aspects of the sun godRe. Although they were visualizedin human or animal form, or as animal-headed humans, theEgyptians did not worship theimages themselves, but rather theforce or power they associatedwith them.

It was the pharaoh’s duty to buildtemples and to ensure that offer-ings were made to the gods housedwithin them. In return the godswould bestow blessings on thepeople, such as victory in battle,bountiful harvests and recoveryfrom sickness. In his role as king,the pharaoh was believed to havebeen appointed by the gods and hederived his power from them,forming a link between the godsand the world of humankind.However, he was to some extent aservant of the gods. It was the highpriests, who acted on behalf of theruler in the great state templeserected throughout the country,who played a vital role in thestructure of Egyptian civilization.

With regard to the afterlife,Egyptians were careful to equiptheir dead with detailed instructions for safe passagethrough the perils of the underworld (netherworld), a journey that was required in orderto achieve immortality. Sacredobjects were also placed in thetombs, including images of protective deities that were firstdedicated in temples. Those godsand goddesses that were connectedto the netherworld, regenerationand the solar cycle of rebirth tookprecedence.

Re – A major god in the Egyptianworld, the sun god, Re, formed thelink between earthly life and eternal life. When darkness felland the day ended, Egyptiansbelieved that the sun god descend-ed into the underworld, bringinglight to the place inhabited by thedead. He caused the dead toawake. When Re left the under-world at dawn to bring light to theearth, the dead went back to sleepuntil he returned.

Atum – A personification of Re,Atum is pictured as a human beingbut is identified with the settingsun and the change of light intodarkness.

Khepri – Another manifestation of Re, Khepri was represented bya scarab beetle and signified the rising aspect of the sun and rebirth.

Osiris – One of the most popularand well-known gods, Osiris wasthe absolute ruler of the under-world and presided over the trav-els of the sun and of the deceasedduring the twelve hours of thenight. With Re, the primary god ofthe sun and creator of the universe,he judged the soul of the deceasedby weighing their heart against afeather, known as the feather ofMaat, to determine if he or shemerited admittance to the afterlife.Usually represented as a mummi-fied man sitting on a throne, Osiriswore either the crown of UpperEgypt or an atef-crown, a tallwhite crown with a plume on eachside and a small disk at the top.Sometimes he was shown holdingthe crook and flail, symbols ofroyal authority. The king identifiedhimself with Osiris. 9

GODS AND GODDESSES

STATUE OF OSIRIS, Twenty-sixth Dynasty, reign of Psamtik I,664-610 BCE; graywacke.The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Isis – The sister and wife ofOsiris, Isis had strong associationswith regeneration, birth and magi-cal protection. Because she healedOsiris with magic after he wastorn apart and killed by his broth-er, it was believed she could easethe passage to the afterlife and thatshe could aid in the purificationand mummification of the dead.Seen as a beautiful young womanwith a crown of cow horns andsometimes a sun disk, she sharedcharacteristics with Hathor – bothwere patronesses of fertility anddeities of the sky.

Horus – This falcon god, the sonof Osiris and Isis, reigned as godof the sky and served as theembodiment and protector of theking. He watched over and guidedsouls through the underworld. Hissymbol was the wedjat (Eye ofHorus), representing the triumphof good over evil.

Sakhmet – Strong and sometimesvengeful, the lioness goddessSakhmet was a fierce protector ofthe sun god. The goddess of war,she could determine people’s luck,protect their health, and ensureannual flooding of the Nile.

Thoth – The moon god, Thoth,was responsible for writing andknowledge. Sometimes he wasshown as an ibis or ibis-headedhuman, or sometimes as a baboon,a symbol of wisdom. The ability towrite was a sacred and magicalact, and Thoth guarded the sacredhieroglyphs and protected scribes.He was scribe of the gods, record-ing the verdict of Osiris whenweighing the hearts of the dead.

Maat – The personification oftruth and justice, Maat was repre-sented as a goddess but was moreof an abstract idea. Maat means“things as they ought to be” andwas considered to be the order ofthe universe. Represented with afeather on her head, she appears inthe weighing of the heart ceremo-ny when the heart of the deceasedis weighed against a feather.

Hathor – This sky goddess, tracedback to very ancient times, wasassociated with the stars andknown as one of Re’s children.The wife of Horus, her namemeans “Temple of Horus.” Shewas consistently represented as acow or as a human with cow earsor horns. She was concerned withnourishment and child-rearing andwas strongly associated with love,regeneration, song, and dance.

Anubis – Most often seen aseither a jackal-headed god inhuman form or a seated blackjackal, Anubis was frequentlydepicted as the embalmer, whotends to the mummy on its bed. Heis associated with the Opening ofthe Mouth Ceremony (for detailssee page 14 “Mummification”) andthe judgment of the dead.

Nut – Goddess of the sky, Nutoften appears as a female figurebent over with her feet and handstouching the ground, her bodyarrayed with stars, and sometimesshe is shown as a young womanwith a pair of large wings. Atnight, this sky goddess swallowsthe sun and carries it within herinto the underworld. Twelve hourslater she gives birth to the sun inthe east and the sun is reborn as anew day begins.

10STATUE OF ISIS, Twenty-sixth Dynasty, 664-524 BCE; graywacke.The EgyptianMuseum, Cairo.

HIEROGLYPHS

The ancient Egyptian system ofwriting, one of the oldest writtenlanguages in the world, was devel-oped late in the fourth millenniumBCE, with the earliest inscriptionscomposed before the First Dynastybegan, about 3100 BCE. Differenttypes of writing were used for different purposes throughoutEgyptian history, but the picturewriting known as hieroglyphs(Greek for “sacred engraving”)that was carved on monumentswas intended to survive the ages.

The act of writing was perceivedto be magical by the ancientEgyptians. They believed that thegod Thoth invented writing, sothey called hieroglyphs “the god’swords.” Only a small proportion ofthe population was able to read orwrite, perhaps as little as four per-cent, with priests and high officialsamong the most literate. Scribesspecifically were revered bypharaohs because of their abilityto read and write hieroglyphs.Funerary objects were covered inhieroglyphic prayers, spells anddedications. Offerings for thedeceased were often writtendescriptions rather than physicalitems. Writing “loaf of bread” onan offering was as good as leavingthe real item. Hieroglyphs werepainted or carved and there were several hundred signs in regular use.

Hieroglyphs generally combinedcharacters representing soundswith picture symbols that depictedentire words or ideas. Inscriptionswere generally written from right

to left, but sometimes they werewritten from left to right or evenfrom top to bottom. You could tellwhich direction to read by lookingat the picture symbols that hadfaces. If the face looked to the left,you began reading from the left.The name of a pharaoh wasalways enclosed in an oval ringcalled a cartouche. The individualpicture symbols, or hieroglyphs,were drawings of nearly every-thing the Egyptians saw and usedin daily life.

After the decline of the ancientEgyptian civilization, the ability toread hieroglyphs was lost. The language remained indecipherableuntil 1799 when a group of soldiers in Napoleon’s invadingarmy discovered a large stonefragment while digging the foundations for an addition to afort near the town of el-Rashid

(Rosetta). This fragment, nowknown as the Rosetta Stone, wasinscribed three times with thesame decree, first in hieroglyphs(Egyptian picture symbols), oncein demotic (an Egyptian scriptused for daily purposes), and oncein Greek (the administrative language used in Egypt in the thirdcentury BCE).

The French scholar of ancient oriental languages, Jean-FrançoisChampollion, revealed the finalsecret in deciphering hieroglyphswhen he realized that the picturesymbols recorded the sound of theEgyptian words, not the letters thatmake up the words. By 1822,Champollion had deciphered theentire text of the Rosetta Stone,which was a decree affirming theroyal cult of the 13-year-oldPtolemy V on the first anniversaryof his coronation.

Although the French discoveredthe Rosetta Stone, afterNapoleon’s defeat the stonebecame the property of the Englishunder the terms of the Treaty ofAlexandria (1801). It has beenexhibited in the British Museumsince 1802.

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ROSETTA STONE.

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EGYPTIAN TOMBS

For the ancient Egyptians, deathmeant the beginning of a new stateof existence. Specific preparationswere necessary since all that wasrequired and desired in this lifewould play a role in the afterlife.Consequently, real or model versions of important objects andfood were provided for thedeceased in their tombs. In addition, it was necessary that thebody of the deceased be preservedor mummified so that the ka couldreunite with the body. The ka wasthat aspect of the soul that represented the life force within a person and was represented pictorially as a person’s double.

During the New Kingdom, thekings’ burial chambers werecarved into the limestone cliffsacross from Thebes, on the westbank of the Nile, in the land of thesetting sun. Although most tombsin the Valley of the Kings (themain royal cemetery) were plun-dered by ancient grave robbers,archaeologists have discoveredroyal tombs with elaborate ensembles of funerary materials.Many of these items were craftedfrom gold – the “flesh of the gods”– understood as a symbol of eternity because its luminous surface did not tarnish or chip. Thebody of the deceased, preservedthrough mummification, wasfurther protected by mummymasks, finger and toe covers, andfinally by a series of coffins.

In addition to the physical protec-tion of the body, the Egyptian royals were provided with divineprotection and basic provisions.Images of deities, amulets andjewelry, often inscribed withfunerary texts, were buried withthe king and members of his family. These objects were thoughtto provide magical power thatfacilitated rebirth. Royal tombswere also equipped with practicalaccessories, such as clothing, cosmetics and furniture, becausethe afterlife was considered a real,physical realm in which everydayitems were necessary. These usefulobjects were decorated with religious scenes, texts and symbolsthat invested the deceased withmagical powers.

Egyptian nobles also carved theirtombs in the hillsides west ofThebes, near the Valley of theKings. Their tombs were filled

with expensive burial goods,including coffins, sarcophagi,magical figurines, beaded clothing,furniture, and even food offerings,– demonstrating that the noblesadhered to the same funerarybeliefs as the king.

While Egyptian commoners alsobelieved in these rituals, theycould not afford such elaboratefurnishings. In recent years, cemeteries containing tombs of thepeople who worked on the elaborate burial sites of thepharaohs have been unearthed by archaeologists. Built from oddsand ends of different types ofbuilding materials, inscriptionshave been found indicating whowas buried in the tombs, althoughthese bodies were never mummified.

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MUMMY ON BIER, Reigns of ThutmoseIV-Amenhotep III, c. 1400-1352 BCE;granodiorite.The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

MUMMIFICATION

Egyptians believed that everyone’sspirit had two aspects, the ba, orsoul, and the ka, an invisible twinof the person. When a person diedthe ba and ka were released fromthe body and lived on in the tomb.The ba could fly out of the tomband maintain contact with livingfamily members of the deceased.The ka traveled back and forthfrom the body to the underworld.In order to achieve immortalityand become an effective rebornspirit (akh) in the afterlife, the baand the ka had to be able to recog-nize the body or they could notreturn to it. That is why the bodyneeded to be preserved or mummi-fied. (Before 3000 BCE, the deadwere buried in simple pits in thedesert sands, which dried the bod-ies and naturally preserved them.Once customs became more elabo-rate with the use of coffins andtomb chambers, bodies had to bepreserved chemically.)

Chemical mummification cameinto use by the Egyptians around2500 BCE, first for royalty andthen for anyone who could affordit. This same method continued tobe used for almost 3000 years. Topreserve the body, an incision wasmade in the left flank of the bodyand four major organs wereremoved: the lungs, liver, stomach,and intestines. These were placedin individual canopic jars thatwere buried in the tomb. The brainwas removed through the nose anddiscarded, but the heart was left inplace, as it was thought to be the seat of intelligence. The corpsewas then filled with linen-wrapped

bundles of natron, a salt found inEgypt. The outside was coveredwith natron as well for a period of40 days during which time thenatron absorbed any moisture con-tained in the body. After this phasethe body was cleaned and rubbedwith aromatic oils, spices and resin(a sticky substance secreted byplants). The head and body werepacked with linen and other materials to fill out its shrunkenappearance. The arms werecrossed and the mummy’s finger-nails and toenails were coveredwith caps of gold. The embalmingcut was sewn together and thebody was adorned with jewelry orprotective amulets before it waswrapped in long narrow strips oflinen. Magical amulets were oftenplaced between the layers of wrap-ping. After twenty layers, themummy began to take on its origi-nal body size. The linen bandageswere often collected during a per-son’s lifetime and could includehousehold bed sheets and clothing.

A layer of fine linen purchasedespecially for the mummy com-pleted the wrappings. The boundhead was then covered with a por-trait mask so that the ba and kawould still be able to recognize itin case something happened to themummy. The whole package wasthen wrapped in a shroud andgiven one last coat of resin beforebeing placed in a nest of coffins.

The entire mummification processtook 70 days, after which a long,solemn funeral procession carriedthe mummy and burial equipmentto the tomb. An “opening of themouth” ritual was performed bypriests at this time. The mummy’smouth was not actually opened,but physical abilities, such asspeaking and eating, needed for itsnew life in the next world weremagically restored to the deceased.The mummy was then put into thestone sarcophagus and a heavy lidplaced on top with the canopic jarsstanding nearby. The mourners leftand the tomb entrance was sealed.

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TOE STALLS WITH RINGS, Twenty-first Dynasty, reign of Psusennes I, 1039-991 BCE; gold.The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

THUTMOSE III

The Eighteenth Dynasty marks thebeginning of the New Kingdomperiod in ancient Egyptian history with the reassertion ofEgyptian power and the buildingof an empire.Thutmose III was thefifth ruler in a line of young andfamous rulers during this dynastythat included Hatshepsut, one ofthe few women pharaohs andTutankhamun, the boy king knownas King Tut.

Thutmose III (ruled c.1479-1425BCE) was very young when hisfather, Thutmose II, died. After thepharaoh’s death, Hatshepsut, hiswife and half-sister, assumedpower, first as regent for theyoung Thutmose III, and then aspharaoh. However, by about 1482BCE, Thutmose III became thesole ruler.

As pharaoh of Egypt, Thutmose IIIdevoted himself to the expansionof the empire through numeroussuccessful military offensives,leading campaigns into Canaan,Phoenicia and Syria in the MiddleEast. To the south, he expandedEgypt’s hold over the wealth ofNubia and Kush.

Thutmose set up an efficientadministration, both civil and military, and assessed large yearlytributes from the defeated kingsand chiefs of conquered lands.This allowed Thutmose to construct temples, obelisks and monuments at numerous sitesthroughout his empire, including

a Festival Temple at Karnak. Afternearly 50 years as ruler of Egypt,Thutmose III died.

The impact of Thutmose III onEgyptian culture was profound. He was a national hero who was worshiped long after his death. His reverence for his ancestors andhis care for his people wasacknowledged by the Egyptians, as demonstrated in the cult thatgrew up around him and the many monuments that were built in hismemory. Several of the objectsseen in The Quest forImmortality: Treasures of AncientEgypt, presented by NCRCorporation, were produced duringthe reign of Thutmose III. Anexact replica of the interior wallsof his burial chamber is also a partof the exhibition. On the walls youwill see the Amduat text, the storyof the pharaoh’s journey throughthe underworld.

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THUTMOSE III, EighteenthDynasty, 1550-1069 BCE;wood. The EgyptianMuseum, Cairo.

THE JOURNEY TO THE AFTERLIFE

During the time of the NewKingdom (c.1550-1069 BCE)there was a resurgence of religiousactivity that resulted in the devel-opment of numerous funerary textsdesigned to assist the deceased inattaining immortality. TheAmduat, a text that was reservedfor royalty, describes the deceasedking’s union with Re, the sun godwho descends on a solar boat intothe dangerous realm of the under-world where he brings eternal lifeto the dead. Guided by magicalknowledge and assisted by numer-ous gods, the king travels throughthe underworld on a twelve-hourjourney, at the end of which he isreborn as the sun god and meetsthe day. In some cases the Amduatwas written on papyrus scrolls,but in the case of Thutmose III,the entire book is painted on thewalls of his tomb.

In each hour, the text and illustra-tions form a unit starting with anintroduction in vertical columns.Then each hour is divided intothree horizontal bars, called regis-ters. Generally, the middle registershows the solar boat, a key com-ponent in the Amduat. The textthat tells the story of the Amduatis read from top to bottom. Inaddition to the illustrated long version of the text, there is also ashort version included that repre-sents a summary of the book.

The following is a synopsis of thetwelve-hour journey described inthe images and text on the tombwalls of Thutmose III. This tombwith its Amduat text is recreatedin its entirety as part of the exhibition. When you walkthrough the tomb and study thewalls you will notice that the

hours are not illustrated in consec-utive order. That’s because thestory begins in the west where thesun sets and ends in the east withthe sunrise. Ideally, hours 1-4 areon the west wall, 5 and 6 on thesouth, 7 and 8 on the north, and 9-12 on the east wall. However,because of the orientation ofThutmose’s tomb, some of the registers had to be rearranged andthe prescribed order was not followed exactly.

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Hour 1The life of Thutmose III hasended. The day ends and he isgreeted by the sun god Re whoappears in his nocturnal form withthe head of a ram. Re invites thepharaoh to join him on his boatalong with other gods and goddesses. There is another boatcontaining a scarab beetle representing the sun god’s form inthe morning and pointing to theultimate purpose of this journey,the renewed life of the king after death.

The first hour of the Amduatin the tomb of Thutmose III,detail. Eighteenth Dynasty,1479-1425 BCE; paintedplaster. Valley of the Kingstomb no. KV 34.

Hour 2The boat is guided along a zigzagpattern that probably represents anunderworld Nile River. The guideis the sun god’s daughter, Hathor.Thutmose III and Re see the abundant and well-watered wheat fields of Osiris along the riverbanks.

Hour 3Thutmose, Re and Hathor meetOsiris, the god who rules theunderworld. Surrounding Osirisare several bird-headed gods withknives in their hands, ready to protect Thutmose and Re from all enemies.

Hour 4Suddenly the journey becomesdangerous. The travelers havereached the land of Sokar, a falcon-headed god of the under-world and an aspect of Osiris. The land is populated by monstersnakes, some with several heads orwith legs and wings. Completedarkness surrounds them, a zigzagpath blocks their way, and theriver dries up. Four figures tow the boat across the desert, but magically the boat turns itself intoa double-headed serpent whosefiery breath pierces the darknessand they are transported safelyacross the sands.

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The second hour of the Amduatin the tomb of Thutmose III,detail. Eighteenth Dynasty,1479-1425 BCE; painted plaster. Valley of the Kingstomb no. KV 34.

The third hour of the Amduatin the tomb of Thutmose III,detail. Eighteenth Dynasty,1479-1425 BCE; paintedplaster. Valley of the Kingstomb no. KV 34.

The zigzag path in the fourthhour of the Amduat in thetomb of Thutmose III, detail.Eighteenth Dynasty, 1479-1425 BCE; painted plaster.Valley of the Kings tomb no.KV 34.

Hour 5The travelers continue through theland of Sokar with several figuresjoining in the effort of pulling thesolar boat safely through a danger-ous narrow pass. Eventually theyreach the secret cave of Sokarwhich is guarded by a two-headedsphinx. Sokar grasps the wings ofa multi-headed serpent represent-ing the sun god Re and the two areunited in the underworld.

Hour 6As midnight approaches, the journey continues into the darkestparts of the underworld. The travelers find themselves in aplace dominated by the presenceof Sobek, the crocodile god, andNun, the god who represents theworld before creation, out ofwhich the sun god emerged at thebeginning of time and is nowrenewed again. Also, in this placea five-headed snake protects thecorpse of Re’s earth body.

Hour 7At this point, the sun god Remeets his archenemy, a magicalsnake called Apophis. It wasApophis who swallowed the riverthat had carried the sun boat. Butthe goddess Isis comes to rescuethem. She stands in front of theboat, raises her arms and hurlsstrong spells, destroying thesnake’s power while other godsdecapitate more of Re’s enemies.

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The fifth hour of the Amduatin the tomb of Thutmose III,detail. Eighteenth Dynasty,1479-1425 BCE; paintedplaster. Valley of the Kingstomb no. KV 34.

The sixth hour of the Amduatin the tomb of Thutmose III,detail. Eighteenth Dynasty,1479-1425 BCE; paintedplaster. Valley of the Kingstomb no. KV 34.

The seventh hour of the Amduat in the tomb of ThutmoseIII, detail. Eighteenth Dynasty, 1479-1425 BCE; paintedplaster. Valley of the Kings tomb no. KV 34.

Hour 8The worst is now over, but thesolar boat continues to be towed,this time by eight gods (accordingto the number of the hour). Almostall the figures represented in thishour are enthroned on thehieroglyph for “cloth.” Newclothes are part of the generalrenewal of well-being, another feature of rebirth.

Hour 9Three idols appear who are incharge of providing bread, beerand other essential foods for thepharaoh so that he is fully prepared for his life in the netherworld.

Hour 10A large body of regenerating waterappears in front of the solar boat.In it are those who died by drown-ing. In ancient Egypt, the drownedwere of special concern becausethey couldn’t have a proper burial,and therefore, no chance forimmortality. But Thutmose seesHorus, the falcon-headed god, gesturing toward the drowned,assuring them eternal life.

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The eigth hour of the Amduatin the tomb of Thutmose III,detail. Eighteenth Dynasty,1479-1425 BCE; paintedplaster. Valley of the Kingstomb no. KV 34.

The ninth hour of the Amduatin the tomb of Thutmose III,detail. Eighteenth Dynasty,1479-1425 BCE; paintedplaster. Valley of the Kingstomb no. KV 34.

The tenth hour of the Amduatdepicting the deified drownedin the lower register, in thetomb of Amenhotep II, detail.Eighteenth Dynasty, 1427-1400 BCE; painted plaster.Valley of the Kings tomb no.KV 35.

Hour 11The new day will begin soon. Re’sboat now has a solar disk at thefront. Thutmose can see the snakeof time about to eat ten stars in thedark sky, one star for each hourthat the pharaoh has been on hisjourney through the underworld.

Hour 12The last hour of the night hasarrived. Thutmose has been trans-formed and will be reborn as thesun god Re. There is a long snake,followed by the triumphant Re inhis boat. The boat is being pulledby a towline that passes throughthe snake’s head indicating that thesun god will be pulled through thesnake’s body, emerging from itsmouth, reborn and triumphant atsunrise. Re will first appear in hisdaytime form as a scarab beetleand will rise to begin the new day.As he rises into the sky the godsrejoice that the sun, a brilliant diskof gold, will travel across the skyto sink below the horizon at duskand continue its journey throughthe underworld once again. Themummiform figure of Osiris alsoappears in the twelfth hour. Hewill remain in the underworld asits king.

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The eleventh hour of theAmduat in the burial chamberof the tomb of Thutmose III,detail. Eighteenth Dynasty,1479-1425 BCE; paintedplaster. Valley of the Kingstomb no. KV

The twelfth hour of the Amduat in the tomb of ThutmoseIII, detail. Eighteenth Dynasty, 1479-1425 BCE; paintedplaster. Valley of the Kings tomb no. KV 34.

GLOSSARY

Amduata burial text that traces the twelve-hour journey through theunderworld

amulet a magical charm worn as a protection against evil, usuallyplaced in mummy wrappings

ankhthe sign of life

atef crowna tall white crown with plumes oneither side and worn by kings andthe god Osiris

baa name for theindividual personality ofa person, represented as a bird with ahuman head

BCEthe abbreviation for Before theCommon Era; can be used in place of BC

canopic jarsfour specially designed funeraryjars that held the mummified internal organs of the deceased:the lungs, intestines, stomach, and liver

cartoucheoval ring that represents arope with theends overlapped; it encircles thename of thepharaoh

crook and flailthe crook is a curved scepter andthe flail may represent a fly whisk;pharaohs and the god Osiris areoften shown holding these twosymbols crossed over their chests

djed pillarsymbol of stability,associated with thebackbone of the godOsiris

dynastythe succession of rulers belonging to related families;ancient Egyptian history includes31 dynasties

faiencea glass-like material pressed into amold, covered with glaze, andfired; often used to decorate jewelry and small statues

feather of Maatfeather of truth that is used whenthe heart of a deceased person isweighed against a featherassociated with the goddess Maat

hieroglyphspicture writing of ancient Egyptthat represented sounds and/orentire words and ideas

ibisEgyptian wading bird with acurved bill and long legs associated with the moon god, Thoth

kalife force of a person, representedas a twin that could live on after aperson’s death if provided withfood and an image of the person touse as a resting place

Lower Egyptnorthern part of Egypt thatincludes the low floodplains

mummificationthe process of drying and embalming the dead body of a person or an animal in order topreserve it

natrona natural salt from the desert thatwas used in the mummificationprocess

nemeslinen headdress worn by pharaohs

obeliska tapering four-sided stonemonument topped by a pyramidshape (pyramidion)

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papyrusthe pith of the papyrus reed wasused to make a surface on whichto write and paint; the reed itselfwas used for products such asropes, sandals and baskets

pharaohtitle given to rulers of ancientEgypt

Rosetta Stonestone fragment containing a decreewritten in hieroglyphs, demoticand Greek; its discovery led to theability to read ancient Egyptianhieroglyphs

sarcophagusthe outer container for a coffin,often carved from stone

scarabbeetle that lays itseggs in animaldung, then rolls thedung into a ball andmoves it aroundwith its pincers until the eggshatch; symbol of regeneration andnew life

scribeperson trained to read and writewho worked in the service of thepharaoh and the government

shabtia small funerary statue intended tostand in for the deceased in theafterlife and perform manual tasks(also spelled ushebti or shawabti)

sphinxthe combination of the body of alion and a human head; pharaohsoften combined their image withthe lion’s body in order to take onthe power and strength associatedwith the lion

underworldland of the dead, also called thenetherworld

Upper Egyptsouthern part of Egypt, with a high elevation

uraeussacred cobra shownon the headdress ofpharaohs and gods

Valley of the Kingslocated in Upper Egypt nearThebes; the burial sites for numerous pharaohs of the NewKingdom are located in this valley

wedjatthe eye of Horus and symbol ofthe renewal of life

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Suggested readings for teachers:

Abt, Theodore and Eric Hornung.Knowledge for the Afterlife: TheEgyptian Amduat – A Quest forImmortality. Zurich: LivingHuman Heritage Publications,2003.

*Baker, Elaine. Art of AncientCivilizations. Dunstable, England:Folens Publishers, 1992. (curriculum resource grades K-3)

*Broida, Marian. AncientEgyptians and Their Neighbors:An Activity Guide. Chicago:Chicago Review Press, 1999. (curriculum resource grades 4-8)

*Bryan, Betsy and Eric Hornung,ed. The Quest for Immortality:Treasures of Ancient Egypt.Washington: National Gallery ofArt and United Exhibits Group,Copenhagen: in association withPrestel Publishers, 2001.

*Chertok, Bobbi, Goody Hirshfeldand Marilyn Rosh. Learning AboutAncient Civilizations Through Art.New York: Scholastic ProfessionalBooks, 1993. (curriculum resourcegrades 3-6)

Grimal, Nicolas. A History ofAncient Egypt. Oxford: BlackwellPublishers, 1992.

*Honan, Linda. Spend a Day inAncient Egypt. New York: JohnWiley and Sons, Inc., 1999. (curriculum resource grades 4-8)

Lurker, Manfred. An IllustratedDictionary of the Gods andSymbols of Ancient Egypt. NewYork: Thames and Hudson, 1996.

*O’Halloran, Kate. Hands-onCulture of Ancient Egypt. Portland,Maine: J. Weston Walch,Publisher, 1997. (curriculumresource grades 4-8)

Reeves, Nicholas, and Richard H.Wilkinson. The Complete Valley ofthe Kings: Tombs and Treasures ofEgypt’s Greatest pharaohs. NewYork: Thames and Hudson, 1996.

Serino, Franco. The Monuments ofEgypt and Nubia by IppolitoRosellini. Cairo: The AmericanUniversity in Cairo, 2003.

*What Life Was Like on the Banksof the Nile. Alexandria, Virginia:Time-Life Books, 1997.

Suggested readings for students:

Aliki. Mummies Made in Egypt.New York: Harper Collins,Publishers, 1979.

Hart, Avery and Paul Mantell.Pyramids: 50 Hands-on Activitiesto Experience Ancient Egypt.Charlotte, Vermont: WilliamsonPublishing, 1997.

*Hart, George. Ancient Egypt.New York: Alfred A. Knopf(Eyewitness Books), 1990.

Macaulay, David. Pyramid.Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1975.

McDonald, Angela. AncientEgyptian Animals. London: TheBritish Museum Press, 2004.

Mellett, Peter. Learn AboutPyramids. London: AnnessPublishing Ltd., 2003.

Morley, Jacqueline. How WouldYou Survive as an AncientEgyptian? New York: FranklinWatts, 1995.

Suggested videos:

*Egypt. Image Videos. 55 minutes

*This Old Pyramid. Nova. 90 minutes

*Secrets of Lost Empires: Obelisk.Nova. 60 minutes.

*Secrets of Lost Empires:Pyramid. Nova. 60 minutes.

*Books and videos that areavailable in the EducatorResource Center of The DaytonArt Institute.

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Suggested websites:

http://www.britishmuseum.org

http://www.guardians.net/egypt

http://www.iwebquest.com/egypt/ancientegypt

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians

http://www.pbs.org/empires/egypt/education

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FALCON WITH KING,Thirtieth Dynasty, c. 350 BCE; limestone.The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.