Ancient Egyptian Profile

Explore the rich visual culture of ancient Egypt! Create a captivating multimedia portrait in historic Egyptian style.

• 1.

  How do we know what life was like thousands of years ago? With some cultures, there are many clues left behind. Ancient Egypt's <I>material culture</I> (artifacts, objects) is very elaborate and well preserved. So much original art has been found. Egyptologists have learned a lot about daily life in this civilization from the art and other objects.

• 2.

  Ancient Egyptian artists apparently liked to portray people to the subject's best advantage. Therefore, they drew a person's profile as well as a side view of the hips, legs, and feet. The rest of a person was shown straight on---a frontal view of the eyes, shoulders, and chest. What are your best sides?

• 3.

  On white paper, sketch a head in the ancient Egyptian style with Crayola® Metallic Colored Pencils.

• 4.

  The Egyptians cared about their personal appearance and cleanliness. Both men and women wore make-up: eye shadow, painted lips, and fingernails. Perhaps the cosmetics protected people from the sun, sand, and infection. Fill in cosmetic details of your portrait with Crayola Gel Markers.

• 5.

  Egyptian clothing was made from simple fibers, usually flax (linen). Show this fabric on your subject's shoulders.

• 6.

  Both men and women adorned themselves with jewelry: earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings. These were made from a variety of metals, colored beads, and semi-precious stones. Amulets were worn as protection against illness. Add ornamentation to your pi

• 7.

  Use Crayola Glitter Glue to add final decorative touches. Air dry flat.

Benefits

• Students explore the meaning of the term <I>material culture</I> and its role in piecing together the past.
• Students research ancient Egyptian material culture and the style of ancient Egyptian art.
• Students reproduce a portrait in the manner of artists in ancient Egypt.

Adaptations

• Discuss the reasons why the Egyptian culture is so well preserved. Include the geological as well as social and political ones. What do you imagine has been found to make historians believe the things they do about ancient Egyptian life? Visit a museum wi
• Compare the life of ancient Egyptian women to those in other ancient cultures such as native American or Chinese. Learn about women's level of freedom, roles in the family and community, and status in society.
• Purchase some essential oils such as myrrh to do olfactory research about Ancient Egyptian lifestyles.
• Organize an Egyptian banquet with historic recipes, music, and dress.