Symbolism in Ancient Egypt
In these lessons, students will:
- Deconstruct the symbols used by ancient Egyptians;
- Uncover clues about ancient Egyptian culture and society;
- Exmaine ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs as a visual language;
- Analyze ancient Egyptian symbols and their uses;
- Explore identity, status and power in ancient Egypt.
LESSON 1: What’s in a Symbol?
Hieroglyphs are a formal writing system used by the ancient Egyptians that contains both alphabetic elements as well as visual symbols to represent words. Students will analyze this visual language in order to discover ideas and beliefs of ancient Egyptians.
LESSON 2: Symbols of Identity
Pharaohs had more than one name. In this lesson, students will analyze King Tut’s birth name and throne name to understand how ancient Egyptians used symbols to communicate identity.
LESSON 3: Symbols of Power
Pharaohs were both the religious and political leaders, making them central to ancient Egyptian life. To illustrate this immense power, various symbols were used to highlight their status and importance. Some include the crook and flail, dual crown, cobra, and their throne name as depicted by hieroglyphs. In this lesson, students will continue to deconstruct symbols to understand power and compare this to contemporary standards.