In 1906 a group of Egyptologists discovered an intact tomb. Was this the tomb of a king and queen? The objects appeared ordinary. No, it was the tomb of an ordinary couple and their names were Kha and Merit. They were a working-class couple and their tomb gave insight into the lives of ordinary Egyptians. In this episode, Joanne Fletcher looks at the afterlife of the Egyptians.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that your death was the most important moment in your life. If you could prepare for it, you could be in for a glorious afterlife. Both farmer and pharaoh made investments in the afterlife. In Thebes, death was the biggest business in town. Merchants were gathered together in this one place. An Ancient Egyptian could get flowers and purchase their funerary objects for their tombs. Kha spent time not only preparing for his death but also preparing the places for the Pharoah’s when they died. Kha started his preparation by purchasing his own Book of the Dead. The Book of the Dead had incantations that helped the dead travel to the afterlife. It even protected the dead from demons. For the most part, the Books of the Dead were mass-produced. However, Kha’s version was made especially for him. Kha’s Book of the Dead would have cost six months' wages. Kha and Merit’s Book of the Dead was a rare find. Joanne then explores Kha’s chapel. The chapel was close to Kha’s house and after Kha died he moved across the street. Both the living and the dead lived alongside each other. Kha’s chapel would be an oasis of peace for the family and was colorfully decorated. He used blues and greens, which were the most expensive colors to use. No expense was spared when the chapel was constructed. Fletcher feels that the chapel was a building to keep life going. This chapel was the first clue that would lead to Kha and Merit’s tomb. An Italian discovered the tomb. His interest was amassing as many antiquities as possible. However, his tactics were a bit unscrupulous. Tombs were ransacked of their artifacts and then sold to the highest bidder. Eventually, he sold his collection to the King of Sardinia and a museum was created. Fletcher visits the museum and one of the most important pieces in the museum was a piece from Kha and Merit’s tomb. The piece shows Kha worshiping Anubis and Osiris, both Ancient Egyptian gods of the dead. This piece most likely was made during Kha’s lifetime and would lead to the discovery of Kha and Merit’s tomb. The main investment Kha and Merit made for their afterlife would be their tomb. Kha may have gotten inspiration for his tomb from the royal tombs. Joanne explores an unfinished tomb. Although these tombs would have been out of bounds for ordinary Egyptians, Kha had the money and connections to get his tomb built. He may have traded his skills with his colleagues to get his tomb built. There was a great deal of time and resources involved in creating Kha’s tomb. Instead of building his tomb beneath his chapel, Kha hid his tomb to prevent robbers. Another Italian was determined to find Kha and Merit’s tomb. He knew about them from the object in the museum and now he needed to find their tomb. Would he succeed in finding the tomb? What would Kha and Merit’s tomb tell him about this family? Tune into this documentary to find out more. This would be a good episode to show in a class on Ancient Egypt because it discusses the afterlife and how the Egyptians prepared for the afterlife. It also talks about the lives of ordinary Egyptians. This would be a good addition to a teacher’s documentary arsenal.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Author
The reviews I do are my opinion and my opinion only. My opinions should always be taken with a grain of salt. I just want to help teachers out selecting documentaries. Worksheets
My Teachers Pay Teachers Store! Worksheets available as a Word Document.
Lulu Store
I am also on Lulu! If you're interested in genealogy I have several books available!
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
Privacy Policy
HistoryDocTube will not collect any personal information and will not sell any personal information to a third party. We will not request any personal information.
The purpose of this blog is to share information on what can be used in a classroom, private school, or home school setting as well as serve as a portfolio of my personal and professional work. The reviews are my opinions and should be treated as such. I just want to provide a tool for teachers to select documentaries for their classrooms. |