Activity Idea: Inner Coffin of Djedmut (Quick Tip)

Use the following strategies with Inner Coffin of Djedmut

• Discuss how animals are portrayed on the case. Create portraits of your household pets or farm animals in the stylized style of ancient Egypt. Label the animal portraits with names written in hieroglyphs.

• Discuss the locations of hieroglyphs and imagine their meaning. Compare this form of writing to our English alphabet. Using the hieroglyph chart as a guide, write your name in these symbols. Make hieroglyphic name tags to wear at school. When questioned by other students and teachers, explain their meaning.

• The hieroglyphs, decorations and pictures on the mummy case tell the story of Djedmut’s life and desires for the afterlife. Make a container telling a story about yourself, your interests, your family, your pets and your wishes for the future. Decorate your container with revealing clues. Draw and cut out symbols to put inside the story container. Present the story container to the class and explain the symbols and decorations.

• Egyptians believed that the deceased would journey to the afterlife. Plan an imaginary journey you would like to take. What would you need for the journey? Who would you want to lead you or go with you? What is the reason for your journey? Outline your plans. Then write a story describing what you saw and did on your journey. Share it with the class.

• Careful observation of the mummy case will reveal figures that combine human bodies with animal features. Locate some of these human/animal gods and imagine their roles in ancient Egyptian life. Write a myth about one of these Egyptian gods, including information about how the god acquired its animal qualities.