Mr Adby from Partake History visited Swift Class today to share his expert knowledge of the Ancient Egyptian civilisation.
He began the day by talking to the class about the process of mummification and Egyptian burials.
Next the children had the opportunity to be archaeologists. Mr Adby shared a series of aftefacts including a replica canopic jar, an ushabti (a statue that Egyptians believed would become a lifesize, living person in the afterlife who would do all the work that you didn’t want to do), and a range of amulets including the Eye of Horus, an Ankh and a scarab beetle (that Egyptians believed represented rebirth).
After break, Mr Adby introduced a spice challenge. The children had to use a pestle and mortar to grind the spices, then smell them. Finally, they had to decide how they smelled; whether it reminded them of a place or a type of fruit or food; and what they thought it was used for. The spices were cinnamon, cumin, frankincense (used in the mummification process and also for perfume), corriander and myrrh (also used in the mummification process).
The final part of the morning saw Bea being transformed into an Egyptian princess!
After lunch, the children designed their own cartouche whilst Mr Adby set up in the hall for the drama that we were to take part in. This was about the death a young Egyptian prince – Sethi. The children dressed as Egyptians and participated in the burial ceremony. When the ceremony ended, there was complete silence – it was a really magical moment that the whole class had created through the drama!