Ancient Egypt: "Wonderful Things!"

Class 3V rounded off their study of Ancient Egypt with an afternoon stepping into the shoes of the famous archaeologist, Howard Carter.

The scene was set: it was autumn 1922, in the Valley of the Kings.  Lord Carnarvon, a British aristocrat, had spent eight years financing the search for the lost tomb of the boy Pharaoh, Tutankhamun, but to no avail.  His patience (as well as his money!) was running out.  Howard Carter knew this was his last chance.  He was almost giving up hope...

Quite unexpectedly, a young boy, who was employed by Carter as a water carrier, stumbled across some old stone steps buried in the sand.  Could this be the entrance to the lost tomb?

Filled with trepidation, 3V took it in turns to investigate the mysterious tomb that had appeared in the literacy area.  Since the the tomb was sealed, awaiting the arrival of the Egyptian authorities, the class had time only for a very quick peek into the gloom.  They knew they had to remember what they had seen in order to make field sketches of their finds...

Armed only with a torch (and a stylish 1920s hat) each pupil took a turn investigating the contents of the tomb.  They could only look for a few seconds, in case the stale air inside the ancient tomb overcame them.  They had to use all their powers of observation to remember what they had seen, in order to create a field sketch of an artefact.

Just like Howard Carter, they saw "wonderful things" inside!

After they had looked into the tomb, the class had to work to piece together the evidence they had found.  What could these artefacts tell us about the tomb's famous resident?

We looked in detail at the different artefacts.  There were so many different grave goods, each made of lavish materials such as gold and jewels.  We decided that the tomb must belong to someone very important.  But where was Tutankhamun himself?

We looked closely at photographs of the tomb again.  There was a patch of plaster that didn't seem to match.  A guardian statue stood on each side... What could be hiding behind the wall?

The anticipation in the room was palpable as we peeled back the plaster... to reveal an enormous wooden coffin emblazoned with hieroglyphs!  Surely this must be the tomb?  Inside, there was another stone coffin, and another, and another, until finally the glorious golden sarcophagus was revealed!  We were able to confirm that we had indeed found the tomb of the boy king, Tutankhamun.

A volunteer examined the tomb, on which the famous curse was inscribed: "Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the King."  In spite of the risk, the final box was opened, to reveal the beautiful, ornate mask of Tutankhamun himself, amid gasps of delight from the children.

The children had such an enjoyable afternoon discovering Tutankhamun's tomb for themselves, and using photographs of the the discovery and the artefacts found by Howard Carter to piece together the story.  They learned that artefacts left behind by the Ancient Egyptians could tell us so much about the way the Pharaohs lived, and died, so long ago in the Valley of the Kings.