Ancient Egyptian Tomb

*Please note, early ClassVR headset models (155) may take longer to load this scene and performance could be affected.* Discover the secrets of ancient Egyptian tombs and prepare your students for a thrilling expedition to the Valley of the Kings, Egypt! Taking on the role of an archaeologist’s assistant, they will explore an ancient Egyptian tomb as it is being excavated, uncover the secrets of Egyptian afterlife beliefs, and even step back in time to watch as a priest performs rituals of mummification... Only the most powerful Egyptians received this grand farewell and now your students are able to uncover their mysterious path to the afterlife. This immersive experience will give students an exciting and unique insight into ancient Egyptian burial practices. What do they tell us about the ancient Egyptians and how are their burials different from ours today? **Note to Teachers:** This experience has been created to give students the opportunity to step back in time and experience the golden age of archaeology in the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt. We have placed the tomb in the New Kingdom (circa 1570–1069 BCE), as this was a time known for its political stability, economic growth, and the reigns of some of Egypt's most famous pharaohs and nobles, such as Tutankhamun. Rather than associating our noble tomb owner with a specific well-known figure, we have chosen a popular name from that era to represent a typical high-status individual during this period. This experience is designed to support lessons on world history, ancient civilizations and the ancient Egyptians. While we aim to keep core elements of the experience as factually correct as possible using primary and secondary sources, there are some elements of fictional storytelling. # Learning Objectives 1. Outline the key beliefs and rituals associated with the afterlife in ancient Egypt{.info} 2. Identify and decode key information about ancient Egypt from hieroglyphic texts and artifacts{.info} 3. Analyze how the afterlife beliefs of ancient Egypt compare to modern practices{.info} # Preparing for the Experience Before entering the *Ancient Egyptian Tomb* experience, engage your students by asking them what they already know about the ancient Egyptians and why we still learn about them today. You can talk to students about the timeline of ancient Egypt, reminding them that the ancient Egyptian civilization lasted over 3,000 years making them the longest surviving civilization in history! From the earliest hieroglyphics in the Early Dynastic Period (circa 3100–2613 BCE), the ancient Egyptians believed in divine kingship, where rulers were not only political figures but also gods. This ideology was reinforced by building monumental tombs and pyramids for kings and elites so they could journey into the afterlife. Over 3,000 years, Egyptian beliefs and values evolved. In the Old Kingdom (circa 2613–2181 BCE), Egyptian religious beliefs expanded with the Pyramid Texts, a collection of spells, rituals, and hymns that protected and guided the deceased into the afterlife. The Old Kingdom is also known as the "Age of Pyramids," as during this time, skilled Egyptian workers built the iconic Great Pyramids of Giza. During the First Intermediate Period (circa 2181-2040 BCE) more people could afford to be buried, and even ordinary people were provided with a guidebook into the afterlife with Coffin Texts, a collection of ancient Egyptian funerary spells written on coffins that helped the dead navigate the afterlife. Fast forward a few years and the New Kingdom (circa 1570-1069 BCE) was born! This is the period when ancient Egypt became an empire. As more people wrote and sent letters during this period, it is one of the most extensively documented periods of ancient Egyptian civilization. This is also the period that our experience has focused most heavily on. **Preparation Questions** 1. What do you already know about what the ancient Egyptians believed about the afterlife?{.task} 2. Where is the Valley of the Kings located? What might be special about its location? {.task} 3. Why do you think the Egyptians built tombs, temples and pyramids?{.task} # Step-by-Step Experience Guide Teachers can use this step-by-step guide to lead students through the experience once they are in the headset. Alternatively, students can use the guide below independently or in a group. ## The Valley of the Kings!{.objective .objective1}  You are standing right in the Valley of the Kings! Did you know that Tutankhamun was buried here? This place is very special because it was the burial site of almost all the pharaohs and powerful nobles of the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties during the New Kingdom circa 1570-1069 BCE. The Valley of the Kings, once part of the ancient city of Thebes, is located in modern-day Egypt near the city of Luxor, on the west bank of the Nile River. Its location is very important! Hidden within the western hills behind *Dayr al-Baḥrī* and the desert, these tombs were often filled with gold artefacts and other valuable treasure, carefully constructed to sink deep into the mountain to hide them from looters. ## Quick Fire Questions - How do you think the surrounding desert landscape and rocky hills help protect the tombs?{.task} - What challenges might ancient Egyptian workers have faced while carving these tombs?{.task} - What particular items might the tomb owners have wanted to protect?{.task} ## Archeology Dig{.objective .objective2}  It's your first day on the dig, and the year is circa 1923. There have been huge recent discoveries in the Valley of the Kings, and now you are part of it! Just last year, with the help of Egyptian experts and locals, British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered King Tutankhamun's tomb. It was the richest and best-preserved tomb discovery to date. Take a look around this dig site. A local Egyptian worker is shifting some rubble from the nearby hills. Numerous Egyptian local workers and experts contributed to archaeological excavations during the 19th and 20th centuries and still do today by providing physical labor, local expertise, and specialized skills such as translation. However, their efforts have often been left out of historical records. Head toward the canvas tent. Here, the archeological artifacts are sorted, cataloged and prepared for transportation. You'll notice a local Egyptian translator is helping an archeologist decipher something. Take a closer look at the key on the table; it's an alphabet. As an extended activity at the end of this guide, you will be asked to figure out the name of the person buried in this tomb, so remember to look for this key inside the tomb. ## Quick Fire Questions - What clues suggest how archeologists moved artifacts?{.task} - What artifacts do you notice under the canvas tent? What might these have been used for?{.task} ## Tomb Entrance{.objective .objective3}  Step toward the tomb entrance. How big is it compared to what you imagined? We often associate grand Pyramids with the burial of pharaohs and the ancient Egyptian elite, but in the New Kingdom, tombs buried into the cliff face were more popular, to hide tombs away from looters. Both tombs and pyramids were filled with treasures and expensive materials to accompany the dead into the afterlife. To protect these valuables, they were designed with debris-filled corridors and false walls. Still, despite this, many were still robbed. Turn back to the tomb’s entrance. Can you see the rectangular slots on the lower walls? These held beams and ropes used to carefully lower the sarcophagus into place. ## Quick Fire Questions - Heading inside the tomb, what do you notice about its structure? How might this have protected the deceased?{.task} - What do you notice about the floor, why do you think it might be slightly sloped?{.task} ## First Descending Corridor{.objective .objective4}  You're now deep within the tomb! While tombs varied in shape and size, they almost always had corridors and chambers, often designed to confuse intruders. **Book of the Dead** As you approach the shaft, you'll see a partially excavated relief on your right showcasing a scene from this tomb owner's “Book of the Dead” or the “Book of Going Forth by Day.” Ancient Egyptians believed these painted scenes guided the soul in the afterlife through a collection of spells. The book was a personalized manual of spells that often spoke about the person's life; almost like a biography! These scenes would help the dead journey through a number of rituals and stages to reach the Field of Reeds, the heavenly paradise in Egyptian mythology. They were painted onto walls, funerary objects and papyrus using pigments from vegetables and minerals. **Hall of Two Truths** Go toward the spotlight! The painted scene you see is based on the “Papyrus of Ani,” which depicts the Hall of the Two Truths. In the Hall of Two Truths, the dead would stand before the god of the underworld, Osiris (depicted with green skin) to declare that they were innocent of any wrongdoings, like lying or stealing. If they could prove that they lived under *maat* or harmony, the soul could continue its journey to the afterlife. Quick Fire Questions - What Egyptian gods do you notice? Can you remember what they represent?{.task} - What types of actions might stop someone from passing the Weighing of the Heart ceremony?{.task} - How is the idea of *maat* similar to how we think about doing good deeds today? {.task} ## Weighing of the Heart Ceremony{.objective .objective5}  Watch your step! Tread carefully across the unstable planks of this shaft room. Some Egyptologists say shaft rooms like this were used to put off tomb robbers, while others say they prevented floods and kept water from entering further into the tomb. As you approach the pillared chamber ahead, you'll be met by two statues known as deity tomb guardians, thought to protect the tomb and the dead inside. When you’re inside the pillared chamber, make your way toward the archeologist to see what he has discovered! **Weighing of the Heart Ceremony** Take a closer look at the painted scene on the wall. This shows the next step toward the Field of Reeds: The Weighing of the Heart ceremony. During this ceremony, the deceased had their heart weighed against the feather of the goddess *Ma'at*, a symbol of truth and justice. The ancient Egyptians believed the heart kept track of everything a person did in life. If the heart was heavier than the feather, it meant the person wasn't kind or good, and Ammut, the “Devourer,” would eat it, sending the soul into darkness. If the scales were balanced, Osiris welcomed the soul into the afterlife. **Anubis** Holding the scales is Anubis, the Egyptian god of cemeteries and protector of graves. He is commonly depicted with the black head of a jackal, an animal linked to death. By associating Anubis with jackals, the Egyptians hoped to protect their bodies from being eaten. ## Quick Fire Questions - What actions do you think would make a person good?{.task} - What gods were involved in these ceremonies? Can you find them?{.task} - Why do you think they used scales to symbolize balance?{.task} ## Hieroglyphics and Reliefs{.objective .objective6}  Head deeper into the tomb through the second descending corridor, where you'll see a partially excavated example of hieroglyphics on a wall relief to your left. **Hieroglyphics** Hieroglyphics were the ancient Egyptian writing system used to represent words, sounds, and ideas. They were a combination of logograms (symbols representing words or ideas) and phonetic symbols (representing sounds). Archeologists and scholars like you began trying to decipher hieroglyphs as early as they were discovered. In the early 19th century, there was a breakthrough, however, when the French scholar Jean-François Champollion successfully deciphered the Rosetta Stone in 1822. Champollion figured out that hieroglyphs weren't just pictures, but that they also used symbols for sounds, like letters in our alphabet! ## Quick Fire Questions - How do hieroglyphics compare with the language you use today?{.task} - How can the pictures be interpreted to tell a story? Do you see anything related to water, nature, gods or animals?{.task} ## Burial Chamber – Mummification{.objective .objective7}  Mind your step! Walk down the stairs toward the next chamber. What can you see? This is the burial chamber, a very special place that few people were allowed to enter. Your team has already started excavating the mummy buried within its sarcophagus or coffin. Step closer to the mummy. Mummification was central to the ancient Egyptian concept of the afterlife, and the process took around seventy days. Specially trained people, known as Sem priests, were responsible for the intricate rituals of embalming, treating and carefully wrapping the body to prepare it for its afterlife journey. ## Quick Fire Questions - What do you notice about the body? What do you think the mummy is wrapped in?{.task} - What do you think the ancient Egyptians believed about life after death, based on how they mummified people?{.task} ## Burial Chamber – Removing Organs{.objective .objective8}  Look at the book on the table. Your team is slowly gathering information about what happened during the mummification process. What can you decipher from the clues in the book? The hieroglyph key next to the book is part of an extended learning challenge. You can find it in the *Extended Learning section* at the end of this Teacher Guide. **Mummification Process** The mummification process was gruesome! The brain was taken out through the nose using a hooked tool, and the stomach, liver, lungs and intestines were removed and stored in four canopic jars. Which canopic jar stored which organ? Can you find them in the book? **Making the Body Look Real** Walk back toward the body. Once the organs were removed, the deceased body was wrapped in linen and false eyes were often added to make it look more lifelike. Sometimes, they even added a mask to the face called a cartonnage mask. Does this mummy have one? **Final Touches** The mummy was then placed into a sarcophagus or coffin, beautifully decorated and inscribed with funerary texts. ## Quick Fire Questions - Why do you think they wanted the body to look more lifelike?{.task} - What materials do you think they used to preserve the body?{.task} ## Burial Chamber - Personal Belongings in the Afterlife{.objective .objective9}  Turn left or right to explore the tomb’s hidden side chambers! You might even see one of your team members excavating a piece of pottery! These side chambers contained everything the deceased would need in the afterlife. The items placed inside could vary, depending on what the deceased believed they would need in the afterlife. They were usually built beside the burial chamber or the pillared antechamber. Look around both the small rooms; what objects can you see here? How might they have helped the soul live a good and fulfilling afterlife? In these chambers, you'll see: **A Senet Game Set** An ancient Egyptian board game otherwise known as *senet net hab*, translating to “game of passing through.” It was a board game that was played by everyone with 30 squares. Its rules are long forgotten, but it was meant to entertain the dead in the afterlife. **Mummified Objects** Ancient Egyptians believed that mummified food, such as bread, meat, and fruits, nourished the deceased. They were typically wrapped and placed in boxes shaped like the objects inside. Cats were considered divine creatures and were often mummified and preserved in the same way as humans. Imagine taking your mummified pet with you into the tomb for the afterlife! **Guardian Statues** Guardian statues shaped like human figures or animals symbolized strength and protection. They were often placed in ancient Egyptian tombs and temples to protect the deceased from evil spirits. ## Quick Fire Questions - What other types of items do you think people would have taken with them?{.task} - What could these objects tell us about the tomb owner’s life and interests?{.task} ## Back in time to a New Kingdom Burial{.objective .objective10}  Your journey has not ended! Venture past the sarcophagus and walk through the doorway... What is that to your left? Step through the inscribed wooden doorway, and you will be transported back in time. Keep walking through until you reach the other side! **Opening of the Mouth and Eyes Ceremony** Welcome to the New Kingdom period of Ancient Egypt. You have stepped back in time to circa 1570-1069 BCE, over 3,000 years ago!! Enter the burial chamber. Can you find the priest? What do you think he’s doing? This is a Sem priest dressed in leopard-skin robes, a specially trained individual responsible for preparing and treating the body of the deceased. These priests also conducted sacred prayers and rituals designed to guide the soul through the afterlife, guaranteeing eternal life to the deceased. One of their key duties was performing the Opening of the Mouth and Eyes ceremony. They used specialized ritual tools, such as the ones you can see next to the open sarcophagus, including a serpent blade and an adze-shaped blade. With these, the Sem priest would touch the mouth and eyes of the deceased four times, enabling the spirit to eat, drink, breathe and see in the afterlife while reciting special prayers. Another part of the ritual was often sacrificing an animal for the deceased to eat in the afterlife. What animal can you see in this tomb? **Side Chambers** Walk around the chamber; what do you notice about the side chambers? These would have been sealed to protect the items inside using natural materials like wood. ## Quick Fire Questions - What do you think the Sem priest might be saying?{.task} - Notice the lighting. How has this changed?{.task} - Why do you think it was important to the ancient Egyptians for the deceased to be able to eat, drink, breathe and see?{.task} - How do you think the ancient Egyptian practice of placing objects in tombs is similar to or different from how some people today bury personal items with their loved ones?{.task} # Extended Learning Use this extended lesson idea to decipher the tomb owner's name! Now that you've discovered the secrets of ancient Egyptian burials, can you figure out the name of the person this tomb belongs to? 1. **Locate the Cartouche:** Head to the back-in-time burial chamber and find the cartouche with the tomb owner's name. Look for an oval shape with hieroglyphs on the burial chamber walls. Psst, they are often above burial chamber doors! 2. **Use the Alphabet Key:** Match the symbols inside the cartouche to the corresponding letters in the alphabet key that you'll find in a few places inside and outside the tomb. 3. **Decipher the Name:** The name reads from left to right and has nine letters. We've added "E's" to help you because the ancient Egyptians didn’t write down most vowels like we do today. Egyptologists have since added these sounds to make the words easier to read and say. **_ _ E _ _ _ _ E _** # Cross-Curricular Links **English** What would you take with you into the afterlife? Consider ancient Egyptian beliefs and write a list of five to 10 things you would bring into your tomb. In two to three bullet points, explain how these items would help you navigate the underworld to reach the Field of Reeds otherwise known as *A'aru,* the ancient Egyptian version of paradise. **Mathematics** Did you know that the ancient Egyptians used math for counting, measuring time, building pyramids, taxes, calculating land mass and even cooking? Can you learn to count like an Egyptian? Similar to us, the ancient Egyptians counted in ones and tens. Using the hieroglyphs in the table below, can you write out a mathematical equation for your classmate to figure out?  **For example:** *Seven tombs each contain 10 mummified cats. How many mummified cats are there? Answer: 70.*  # Teacher Resources ### Download the Teacher Notes Below [](https://avnfs.com/1QOJyjify0NiYyEJBdCEivvtPHRSn0-SjeAFCgyBUTA?size=7055092&type=application%2Fpdf&name=Ancient+Egyptian+Tomb+Teacher+Notes+-+Teacher+Version.pdf) ### Download the Student Notes Below [](https://avnfs.com/4WRUU0tYUuwbHqEJBFUhgMk7MjBOobcriryYemRmAOk?size=6469436&type=application%2Fpdf&name=Ancient+Egyptian+Tomb+Teacher+Notes+-+Student+Version.pdf)