23.1.12

history, up close

     Our history studies took an interesting detour. When she learned we would be visiting Houston, a friend shared about the Tutankhamen exhibit and we made plans to meet there. The kids helped me search the shelves of two libraries and we read through a tall stack of books about mummies, pharaohs, and Egypt before our trip. We even watched a TV show about ancient Egypt which explained a lot about the pharaoh Ramses.


     In our unplanned unit study we all learned such disgusting facts such as this gem Emily read to us "the brain was usually extracted through the nose." Another she shared "coarse bread was the ancient Egyptian's staple food. Many mummies have badly worn teeth from eating it every day."  Mummified crocodiles and cats also led to more discussion. 


     Using the Veritas Press History Cards and Classical Conversations, the kids have been learning facts for a history timeline. The multiple periods in Egypt have a bit more meaning when specific events can be learned that coordinate with them. King Tut lived and ruled approx. 1341 BC – 1323 BC during the New Kingdom of Egypt. 

     My husband enjoys watching Storage Wars. I had this mental image comparing the people who discovered King Tut's tomb acting excited like the people in his show. I know, far stretch, but just imagine looking into that excavation and finding all of those "treasures" piled up, well, similar to the storage units being opened.

     I hoped to find out more information about which pharaoh was the one during Moses's lifetime, but nothing in this exhibit of pharaohs and King Tut related any history to the Bible. I've looked it up online, too, but still don't have a definitive answer, so if you have more insight in this please share.

     The exhibit even changed the BC designation to BCE which the tour guide shared is "designated for nonbelievers." Though I was disappointed with what was left out, there was still a lot included that we all found interesting. The glimpse into how things were, including models of boats- 35 buried with him that were supposed to "magically" turn into life size boats when needed. Interesting, but sad. Obviously King Tut was after Noah.

     Some things I found most unusual were solid gold toe and finger coverings. The last room of the exhibit contained a replica of the mummy and displays of the scientific exploration done on the actual mummy of King Tut. The latest one shared was DNA testing which seemed to prove who his father was. DNA amazes me.

     Statues of many other pharaohs were on exhibit. The color in the art that lasted thousands of years surprised me. Many of the statues were cracked and broken, and even holes were left in the eyes of one where there had been jewels. Though the Bible was not mentioned, over and over there was reference to "the book of the dead." One verse that came to mind when contemplating the display was Isaiah 40:8. This one forgotten tomb, unearthed thousands of years later, shows the futility of all of the "magic" they believed in.

Jennifer

This post is linked to:
Memory Making by Christine @ Crunchy Country Catholic 
  Learning Art at Our House by Jessica @ Modest Mama 
  history, up close by Jennifer @ a glimpse of our life 
  Fitting in the Arts When Homeschooling by Laura O in AK @ Day by Day in Our World 
  The Art of Exploration by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds 
  Appreciating the Arts by Cindy Horton @ Fenced in Family 
  Beauty in Homeschooling? by Cindy @ For One Another 
  The Art of Art by Brenda Emmett @ Garden of Learning
The Beauty of the Arts - Where Does It Fit? by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory 
Learning and Art Library by Angie @ Petra School 
by Christa Darr @ Fairfield Corner Academy 
How to Fit "The Arts" in School by Christine @ Our Homeschool Reviews

and to the

5 comments:

  1. Lucky you to see this exhibit. I saw it in Washington DC and it was fantastic unfortunately I didn't have kids then so they did not get to see it. We have read lots of books on ancient Egypt and King Tut. So glad you and your kids got to see it. Thanks for linking up to the Home school field trip hop:)

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  2. We visited the King Tut exhibit when it was in Philadelphia several years ago. It was fascinating! But as you mentioned, also rather sad - the futility of the Egyptians' preparation for the afterlife. 8-(

    We just started discussing the Exodus with our youth group and the timeline I consulted shows that it probably took place during the reign of Rameses II. The only reason I remember that is because we talked about and looked at the timeline just last night!

    Great field trip!

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  3. There's a DVD the Discovery channel put out a while back called Rameses: Wrath of God or Man?. Its focus was on looking for anthropological evidence of the Exodus. A bit sensationalized, as Discovery is wont to do. It's been a while, but I remember previewing it with hubby and thinking it was too graphic for my kids at the time (I may need to look at it again). I think the evidence was inconclusive, but there were some suggestions there...anyway, something you might be able to find at your library.

    Thank you for linking up with the Virtual Curriculum Fair. ;0)

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  4. You were sooo lucky to get to see this. My kids would LOVE this!

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  5. And the teacher learned as much as the students :) funny how reading about the King cut exhibit – and remembering seeing it when I was younger – which was so long ago that I would normally feel old – but the exhibit hasn't changed – I remember to learning from the exhibit that they pulled the brains out of the nose – a lovely fact – and very kind of your daughter to bring it to your attention – you do need to be informed. No? Anyway – I really heartthe job that homeschooling moms do – I think that the one who loves them best is the one who can teach them best – and thus – YOU are there teacher. God bless and keep you and each and every one of yours Jennifer.

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