To Live Forever Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum

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    Ancient Egypt was one of the worldsoldest and greatest civilizations. Startingaround 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians

    studied math, astronomy, and medicine,made beautiful art, and built huge buildings

    and statues for almost 3,000 years!

    Ancient Egyptians believed that after theydied they began a new life, called an

    afterlife in a place called the Netherworldor duat . They spent a lot of time and money

    preparing for their next lives.

    Use this guide to exploreeach gallery and see first hand howthe Egyptians provided for their life

    in the Netherworld.

    Sarcophagus Lid of Pa-di-DjehutiPtolemaic Period, ca. 305-30 B.C.E.LimestoneCharles Edwin Wilbour Fund

    T h e J o h n a n d M a b l e R i n g l i n g M u s e u M o f a R T

    To Live Forever Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museum

    Sarcophagus Lid for Pa-di-InpwPtolemaic Period, ca. 305 - 30 B.C.E.LimestoneCharles Edwin Wilbour Fund

    Hints for your Journey:Only pencils are allowed on this trip. Remember to look with your eyes and not with your hands.

    The mummies get angry when you touch their things. Use the maps on the top o the pages and the numbersnext to the pictures to fnd your way. Stray rom the path at your own risk

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    Tomb ChecklistCheck o these items as you ind them in the galleries. Then inish theTomb Checklist by adding three more items you would want to take

    to your next li e (they can be anything rom a video game to a pony).Create hieroglyphic symbols or each item you choose.

    Anthropoid Coffin of the Servantof the Great Place, TetiNew Kingdom, Dynasty 18,ca. 1339-1307 B.C.E.

    Wood, paintedCharles Edwin Wilbour Fund

    Mummy

    Coffin

    Amulet

    Shabty

    Fish

    Water and Drinks

    Fruits and Vegetables

    Clothing

    Plants and Flowers

    ___________

    ___________

    ___________

    Visit the Family DiscoveryCenter in this exhibition,

    #10 on the map, to play senet, write your name in

    hieroglyphics, and more!

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    Getting Ready for the NetherworldAncient Egyptians believed that getting into the Netherworld was not easy. The path waspacked with challenges and tests. Egyptians spent a lot o time and money getting ready or

    these tests. A ter they died, their relatives would even put a cheat sheet in their tombs tohelp them out.

    This relie shows part o The Book of the Dead , the cheat sheet put in a dead persons tomb that gave instructions, advice, and almost 200 magical spells to help the person pass the tests and challenges to enter the Netherworld.

    Look carefully at this relief. What kind of instructions do you think it gives?

    Can you figure out which godis which?

    A. Anubis had the head o a jackal(or dog) and helped bring deadpeople to the Netherworld.

    B. Kebehsenue (also called

    Qebehsenue ) sometimes had thehead o a alcon and protected theintestines.

    C. Thoth was the god o wisdom andknowledge. He had the head o an ibis bird and carried a pen andscrolls.

    D. Hapi (also called Hapy)sometimes had the head o ababoon and protected the lungs.

    Whos WhoThe Egyptians believed in many di erent gods. Each god had a job:some brought much-needed loods to this dessert country, someo ered protection, and some took care o people a ter they died.Four gods are on the side o Tetis co in.

    r o m l e f t t o r i g h t : T h o t h , K e b e h s e n u e f , A n u b i s , H a p i

    Relief with Netherworld DeitiesNew Kingdom, ca. 1332-1250 B.C.E.LimestoneCharles Edwin Wilbour Fund

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    Did you know Teti paid nearly a yearssalary or his co in. Hehad to pay or each color

    the artist used.

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    I Want my Mummy!A ter Egyptians died, their bodies were prepared or their next li eand made into mummies. All Egyptians were mummi ied. How they were mummi ied depended on how much their relatives wanted

    to spend. The most expensive way o making a mummy had many steps. It was usually only done or Egyptian kings,

    called pharaohs, and very rich people.

    Canopic Jar of Hor Depicting a JackalLate Period, 664-525 B.C.E. or laterLimestoneCharles Edwin Wilbour Fund

    The Egyptians alsomade mummiesout of animals.They mummified dogs,cats, crocodiles,birds, and even fish.

    Can you find anymummified animals inthis gallery?

    Did you know During a uneral, a priest would touch the mummys mouth with a specialwand, called a pesesh-kef , so that they would be able to eat and drink in the a terli e. This was calledThe Opening o the Mouth. Can you ind the pesesh-kef in this gallery!

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    How to Make a Mummy1. Remove the brain and most o

    the organs.

    2. Put some o the organs in specialcontainers called canopic jars.

    3. Cover the body with a dryingsalt called natron .

    4. Remove the body rom the saltand wrap it in strips o linen cloth.

    5. Put special charms calledamulets between thelinen and the body to protect

    the deceased.

    6. Cover the ace o the mummy with a special mask.

    7. Put the mummy in a co in andbegin the uneral.

    Can you find thefour canopic jarsin this gallery?

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    A Home for the MummyThe ancient Egyptians built tombs as homes

    or their mummies. Since they thought that they would live in their next lives like they did in this one, Egyptians illed their tombswith the things they would need. They believed that by putting these supplies in

    their tomb they would be able to have theitems orever in their next lives.

    Egyptians le t ood, drinks, and supplies or deceased amily members next to alsedoors in tombs. They thought that by leaving

    the items there, their loved one wouldbe able to take them to the Netherworld.

    Say What?The ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphics , or picture symbols, to write. Reading hieroglyphics can be very hard! The pictures can stand or a letter, a sound, a whole word, or an idea. Hieroglyphic sentences can bewritten rom top to bottom, le t to right, or right to le t. The symbols can also ace right or le t depending onwhether the sentence starts on the right or the le t.

    Most Egyptians could not read or write hieroglyphics. I they needed something written they hired pro essionalwriters, called scribes , to write or them. Scribes studied or years to learn more than 700 picture symbolsand were very important in Egypt. A scribe could work as a record-keeper or a landowner, a priest in a

    temple, an o icial in the government, or even as an advisor to a nobleman.

    Can you find these hieroglyphics in the above relief? What do you think they mean?

    L e f t t o r i g h t : L i f e o r t o l i v e ; c u p ; h o u s e o r b u i l d i n g ; o f , t o , o r t h e l e t t e r N ( i f t h r e e o f t h e s e s y m b o l s a r e p u t o n t o p o f e a c h o t h e r i t t h e n m e a n s w a t e r o r d r i n k )

    Upper Part of a False Door of SethewOld Kingdom, ca. 2500-2350 B.C.E.Limestone, paintedCharles Edwin Wilbour Fund What would you leave at the tomb of someone you loved?

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    Mummy Money Matters When we think o Egyptian tombs, we usually think o gold and treasures. Not everyone in Egyptcould a ord these expensive things. Getting everything ready or their tomb was the biggestexpense in an ancient Egyptians li e. Even the poorest Egyptians would get supplies ready or

    their next li e. Families with less money would o ten use cheaper materials like wood or terracottainstead o the stone, gold, and jewels the richer people would use. Some people would evenreuse objects rom the tombs o other people.

    Look around the gallery. List objects that you think were the leastexpensive, average cost, or the most expensive. How did you decide howexpensive the object was?

    Least Expensive Average Cost Most Expensive

    ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

    ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

    ______________________ ______________________ ______________________

    Compare and ContrastOne o these mummy covers was made by apro essional artist and was very expensive,while the other was probably made by a lessexpensive pro essional artist or an amateur likea amily member or riend.

    How are the mummycovers the same?How are they different?

    Which do you think wasmore expensive? Why?

    Shabty of MuthotepThird Intermediate Period, ca. 945-712 B.C.E.Faience, glazedCharles Edwin Wilbour Fund

    Ancient Egyptians o ten put hundreds o shabties in their tombs. A shabty is a small statue that had a magicalspell on it. The shabties were supposed to come to li e and do work or the dead person in the Netherworld.These shabties were made out o a material called faience , a type o ceramic.

    What work would you have your shabty do for you?

    Head and Chest from a SarcophagusRoman period, 4th century A.D.Terracotta, paintedCharles Edwin Wilbour Fund

    Mummy Cartonnage of a WomanRoman Period, 1st century A.D.Linen, gilded gesso, glass and faienceCharles Edwin Wilbour Fund

    Want more information on ancient Egyptians?Download a resource guide for To Live Forever at www.ringling.org

    To Live Forever: Egyptian Treasures from the Brooklyn Museumhas been organized by the Brooklyn Museum. All pictures courtesy o the Brooklyn Museum.This exhibition is unded, in par t, by the Sarasota County Arts Council, the Sarasota County Tourist Development Council, and the Sarasota Board o County Commissioners.

    Created by The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Education Department, 2008Project Managers: Jennifer Sabo, Katherine Yount, Eve Rosin

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