EGYPT
GEOGRAPHY: NE Africa, Nile River, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Sahara Desert
GOVT.: Monarchy under pharaohs; president and council of ministers today.
RELIGION / BELIEFS: then = polytheism / mythology; now = monotheism / Islam
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Mummification = embalming, sarcophagus = coffins, ankh = cross, papyrus = paper, 10 base counting system, etc.
GOVT.: Monarchy under pharaohs; president and council of ministers today.
RELIGION / BELIEFS: then = polytheism / mythology; now = monotheism / Islam
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Mummification = embalming, sarcophagus = coffins, ankh = cross, papyrus = paper, 10 base counting system, etc.
EGYPTIAN CARTOUCHES (nametags):
EGYPTIAN FOODS -- include barley bread, pita bread, hummus, leeks, radishes, garlic, watermelon, and pomegranate juice.
During the Egypt unit, students learned about the mummification process by mummifying a Cornish game hen. Students were split up into groups of 6-8 students. Parent letters with "recipes" went home at the beginning of the school year. Each group brought in supplies that they needed for their project. Groups changed natron (salt solution) and weighed their chickens, every two weeks. At the end of the 8 week project, groups then had to prepare their chickens for the Afterlife. The chicken best prepared for the Afterlife will be pictured at the bottom of this page, after students' votes are tallied. (They are not allowed to vote for their own chicken.)
MUMMIFIED CHICKEN
(a form of chicken not on our lunch menus)
1 Cornish game hen - smallest one you can find
1 box gallon size Ziploc bags
8 boxes of table salt
12 small boxes of baking soda
3 different containers of spices (cinnamon, rosemary, cloves, allspice, etc.)
2 pkgs. of gauze
1 cardboard box for burial
gold or foil wrapping paper
DIRECTIONS
1. Gather all supplies together.
2. Open chicken package and pour into sink.
3. Wash chicken with water and dry thoroughly with brown paper towels.
4. Get to know your chicken. Record its weight.
5. Place your chicken’s name and your class period on the outside of 2 ziploc bags.
6. Place a small strip of paper towel in the bottom of one bag. This is to capture any chicken juices that the salt is unable to dry out and is only needed for the first round of packaging.
7. Place this bag inside the other bag (double-bagging).
8. In a separate bowl, pour 2 containers of salt and 3 boxes of baking soda and mix together. This mix is closest to the natron Egyptians would use.
9. Place small amount of natron in bottom of bag, covering the paper towel. (skip this step after the first packing)
10. Place chicken into bag, head first. Chicken should not touch the paper towels, only the natron.
11. Fill chicken’s chest cavity with natron.
12. Start filling the rest of the bag with natron to cover the chicken.
13. Close both bags.
14. Wash hands and disinfect work area, since chicken can carry nasty bacteria.
15. Place into tote for 2 weeks.
16. Choose and record next preparers’ names.
17. Take out chicken and discard bags and salt mix. Scrape out/off excess natron with fork.
18. Repeat steps 4-17 three more times.
Clicking on a small picture below will pull up a large picture of it.
MUMMIFIED CHICKEN
(a form of chicken not on our lunch menus)
1 Cornish game hen - smallest one you can find
1 box gallon size Ziploc bags
8 boxes of table salt
12 small boxes of baking soda
3 different containers of spices (cinnamon, rosemary, cloves, allspice, etc.)
2 pkgs. of gauze
1 cardboard box for burial
gold or foil wrapping paper
DIRECTIONS
1. Gather all supplies together.
2. Open chicken package and pour into sink.
3. Wash chicken with water and dry thoroughly with brown paper towels.
4. Get to know your chicken. Record its weight.
5. Place your chicken’s name and your class period on the outside of 2 ziploc bags.
6. Place a small strip of paper towel in the bottom of one bag. This is to capture any chicken juices that the salt is unable to dry out and is only needed for the first round of packaging.
7. Place this bag inside the other bag (double-bagging).
8. In a separate bowl, pour 2 containers of salt and 3 boxes of baking soda and mix together. This mix is closest to the natron Egyptians would use.
9. Place small amount of natron in bottom of bag, covering the paper towel. (skip this step after the first packing)
10. Place chicken into bag, head first. Chicken should not touch the paper towels, only the natron.
11. Fill chicken’s chest cavity with natron.
12. Start filling the rest of the bag with natron to cover the chicken.
13. Close both bags.
14. Wash hands and disinfect work area, since chicken can carry nasty bacteria.
15. Place into tote for 2 weeks.
16. Choose and record next preparers’ names.
17. Take out chicken and discard bags and salt mix. Scrape out/off excess natron with fork.
18. Repeat steps 4-17 three more times.
Clicking on a small picture below will pull up a large picture of it.
MUMMIFIED CHICKEN PROJECT -- Getting started
MUMMIFICATION PROJECT -- 1st changing of natron...whew!
MUMMIFICATION PROJECT--2nd changing of natron...less smelly?
MUMMIFICATION PROJECT -- final changing of natron...shouldn't stink at all?
MUMMIFICATION PROJECT -- preparing for the Afterlife.
Each student had part in preparing their chicken for the Afterlife, in the Land of the Two Fields, along the Great Nile River. To finish out the mummification process, some people had to clean, oil, spice, and wrap the chicken. Others had to prepare its sarcophagus, and create scarab beetles, or a magic spell to place into the Book of the Dead. Some, perhaps decorated a protective phoenix or a headdress, and let’s not forget that each needed a cartouche, or nametag, written in hieroglyphics. The final product was voted on to see which chicken was best ready for the Afterlife.