The History of Egypt
The TIPS community relived the opening of Tutankhamen’s Tomb in 1922 by the English archeologist Howard Carter. After giving the audience a background glimpse of ancient Egypt through video and slides, the 4th Graders then went on to reenact the opening of the famous tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The students combined their work in history with work in I. T. to present a marvelous show. Narrated by their teacher, Pamela Van Arsdale, the show included photographs from her trip to Egypt, now slightly modified by the students themselves to bring the subject alive. We began in Saqqara.
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Djoser and the Step Pyramid
The Step Pyramid at Saqqara is the world's first major construction in stone. It was built by the architect and doctor Imhotep for Zoser in the 27th century BC. Zoser used Imhotep's great talent to have a tomb built which was larger and grander than any previous tomb. Underground burial vaults or low flat brick constructions called mastabas had been used up to this time. Imhotep was able to develop the original concept of a mastaba by adding layers of carefully cut stone until a six-tiered pyramid 60 meters high was constructed, which was then covered with fine limestone.
Egypt began its development of pyramid building with the Step Pyramid. As it was built new techniques for working with stone were developed. The builders learned how to move, place and secure the huge blocks of stone necessary for the undertaking, knowledge which would continue to develop throughout the building of Egypt's great pyramids. Once the Egyptians had mastered the art of building in stone, they went on to build true pyramids.
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King Khufu and the Great Pyramid
King Khufu had the Great Pyramid built as his tomb. The Great Pyramid, with a ground plan of 230 sq. meters and a height of 146 meters, is the largest in Egypt. It is believed that approximately 2,300,000 blocks of stone with an average weight of 2.3 tons each were needed to build it. The Great Pyramid is not only known for its enormous size, but also for the perfection and accuracy of its construction.
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The Sphinx
Carved from natural bedrock, the Sphinx has been an enigma since ancient times. It is interpreted as a protective spirit guarding the pyramids. It may have been built by the Pharaoh Khafre whose face may therefore be represented on it. Its poor condition is a cause of ancient and modern concern. From the accounts of early Arab travelers it seems that the nose was hammered off sometime between the 11th and 15th centuries in an attempt to eliminate the significance the statue held.
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Hatshepsut
Daughter of a Pharaoh, Hatshepsut married her half-brother, Thutmosis II. When he died she became regent to his heir, Thutmosis III, a son by another wife. Hatshepsut then, with the help of her priests, became a pharaoh in her own right. As such she was addressed as “His Majesty” and even wore a beard for ceremonial purposes, although there is a life-size statue of her in the Metropolitan Museum of Art which depicts her with a very feminine air. The inscriptions on the side of the throne of this statue have also been feminized and address her as “Daughter of Re.”
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Thutmosis III
Tuthmosis III, Hapshepsut’s nephew, became Pharaoh after her. Thutmose was about 30 years old when he, at last, took the Egyptian throne. After Hatshepsut's sudden disappearance, the neighboring countries of Egypt declared themselves free and refused to pay any form of tribute anymore. Thutmose reacted immediately and brought together a large army which he commanded himself. His first battle in Megiddo was his first victory in a long list of victories. His fame was so great that his enemies would run away when they saw him at the head of his army rushing towards them. He was a great warrior king who enlarged the Egyptian empire to its widest limits.
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Rameses II
Rameses II was the greatest builder in all of Egypt’s history. He was also a great warrior king, whose armies defended Egypt’s borders. During his sixty-seven year reign he carried out a vast building program: the Ramesseum in Luxor, the temples at Abu Simbel, and many others. He also modified and added to temples built by earlier Pharaohs. Rameses II also had many statues of himself made and placed in temples in all parts of the country. He built more monuments and statues than any other pharaoh. All of Egypt knew the power of the great Pharaoh and could feel the protection his reign provided.
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Amenhoptep III
Amenhotep III ruled for thirty-eight years. His reign was primarily a time of peace and prosperity. He was also a great builder. Unfortunately all that remains of his magnificent temple near Luxor are two giant statues, one of which is shown here.
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Akhenaten
Akhenaten introduced the worship of one god, Aten, to the Egyptians. He moved the capital city to a new location. Originallly called Amenhotep IV, the Pharaoh changed his name to Akhanaten, which means "he who acts on behalf of Aten" - the sun god.
Howard Carter Opens Tutankhamen's Tomb
 | To continue our assembly it was now time to open the tomb of Tutankhamen. Our presentation began, not in Egypt, but in England at Highclere, the home of Lord Carnarvon, who was providing the money for Howard Carter's excavations. Lord Carvarvon, played by Hal Wollocombe, tried to make Howard Carter (Joaquin Varas) understand that there was no more money for excavations. However, he soon gave in and agreed to finance one more season of digging. |  |
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It was not long before something wonderful happened. As the workmen dug near the tomb of Rameses VI in the one last triangle of ground that they haven’t explored yet, a water boy found a step cut into the rock as he was trying to stand his water jar up. When Carter arrived at the site, Reis Ahmed, the foreman, said, "Mr. Carter, the water boy has found a step cut into the rock. He was trying to find a place to set down a jar of water, when he struck something hard. He called me and I had the workmen dig until they uncovered a step."
Carter’s workmen soon uncovered steps leading down into a tomb. A sealed tomb with royal seals. He immediately sent a telegram to Lord Carnarvon, covered the steps again and posted guards. Only when Lord Carnarvon arrived did they proceed to excavate the entire staircase and open the tomb.
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Inside they found wonderful things and the mummy of Tutankhamen, the only king of Egypt whose treasure had not been stolen. In our version they also found magnificent statues of the gods and goddesses of Egypt.
But suddenly the gods and goddesses begin to move and speak. Ra was the first to speak, "How dare you profane the tomb of a king and god of Egypt? Have you no respect for the dead? I am Ra, the creator and god of the sun. Every day I travel across the sky in a great ship and at the end of the day I die and begin my night voyage. The next day I am born again. I am the father and grandfather of all the gods."
 | "You must be punished for entering the tomb. I, Horus, am one with the Pharaoh. I am a fighter, a warrior who defends the Pharaoh. So now I must fight and destroy you, tomb robbers." Carter explains that they are not tomb robbers but archaeologists who will take these treasures to museums where people from all over the world can marvel at their beauty. The gods are not convinced. Ra says, "What are archaeologists but another name for tomb robbers? The Pharaoh’s treasure goes with him to the next world. It cannot be taken to a place called a museum." |  |
 | The goddess Maat speaks, "The taking of the treasure would disturb the fundamental order of the universe and all creation would perish. As the daughter of Ra, I am pledged to bring order out of chaos and ensure that each Egyptian king is honourable and promotes order and justice. And so was Tutankhamen. His honour must be preserved. Then Anubis speaks, "I, god of the dead, will conduct Tutankhamen through the underworld to the Fields of Peace, where he will become a god and remain forever. For this journey he must have the treasure that he will need there. You cannot take it. I have overseen the process of his mummification. It was done with great skill and he is well prepared for the journey." |  |
 | The archaeologist explained that all the treasure of all the other pharaohs had been stolen and melted down. They wanted to put Tutankhamen's treasure in a museum not only so that others could see it but also to protect it. When Tutankhamen was awakened he first thought he was in the promised land. Carter explained that, if he agreed, his treasure would be taken to a place, which would be prepared especially for it. Every day thousands of people would come and gaze upon it and remember his name. He would be more famous that Rameses II and Thutmosis III. He will be the most famous Pharaoh of all time. |  |
And so it came to be. The treasure of Tutankhamen was taken to the museum in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, where it can be seen even today. Thousands of visitors come from all over the world to gaze upon the treasure. Tutankhamen became the most famous Pharaoh in all of Egypt’s history because Howard Carter found his treasure.
Click here for the complete script of The Adventures of Howard Carter in the tomb of Tutankhamen. You can also contact me at pam@tipschile.com. If you would like to view more photos of Egypt, please go to A Teacher's Tour of Egypt.