Immortal Egypt - Episode 1

Good morning!  The school year is winding down for many districts around the US.  It is not the time to prepare for the next school year...or is it?  Well, today I will introduce you to another series that could be brought into the classroom. 

Immortal Egypt is a four episodes series on Ancient Egypt presented by Joann Fletcher.  The first episode kicks off the series by exploring the origins of Ancient Egypt.  Fletcher explores the different stories of Ancient Egypt, weaving them all together with intelligence and humor.  She is a historian that should be brought into the classroom.  Students will enjoy learning about Ancient Egypt from her.

Fletcher travels to Quarta, Egypt, and discovers the earliest remnants of the Egyptian Civilization.  The Quarta cliffs bore witness to the earliest beginnings of Egyptian Civilization.  The people who dwelt in Quarta were early hunters and took care of cattle.  Quarta was situated in grassland before the climate changed and left it in a desert landscape.  Egypt was fed by the rains until the climate changed which meant people moved to settle near large lakes and rivers.  Hippos, humans, boats, and cattle images were carved into the cliff walls, a tantalizing clue about what was to come. 

The calendar was invented to predict the rains which then led to the earliest forms of religion.  People started working together in the community.  The cow was important to the ancient people.  The cow was a source of milk and meat, eventually, the cow became known as the goddess Hathor.  She was one of the earliest deities created.  Eventually, the ancient people developed 1000’s of deities.  These deities were built on familiar, everyday life.  Some of the created deities were created as a way to control the element they were a deity of.
Eventually, due to climate change, the ancient people started to congregate around the Nile River.  The Blue and White Nile came together in Sudan to form the bigger Nile River.  The annual Nile Flood was an important event to Ancient Egyptians because it became an agricultural civilization.  Upper and Lower Egypt started forming at specific points on the Nile River. 

The writing was also developed during this time.  It was developed as a means of calculating taxes for the Ancient Egyptians.  The Rosetta Stone helped archeologists translate the hieroglyphic symbols. 
Eventually, Upper and Lower Egypt came into conflict.  In 3100 BC, Upper and Lower Egypt were united under one Pharaoh.  Namah became the first Pharoah of a united Egypt.  Hathor was his protector.  He was the template from which all other Pharoah’s took their inspiration from.  He had the tie on the beard, had a crown, and took the smitting pose.  It made every single Pharoah after Namah copy him, as a way to legitimize their claim to the throne.  A list of Kings was put together as another way to provide legitimacy to the current Pharoah’s reign.

Royal burials were developed at this time and the precursor to the Valley of the Kings was found.  Originally, when a Pharoah died all their courtiers were killed and buried with the Pharoah.  This changed and courtiers were allowed to live.  These courtiers would go on and build their elaborate tombs.

To continue to learn about the early beginnings of Ancient Egypt continue to watch this documentary. 

Fletcher tells a fascinating story about Ancient Egypt.  It is even more than what I originally learned in school.  It goes to show that with new discoveries, our interpretation of history changes.  Teachers need to use an episode of this fantastic series in the classroom.  If there is a substitute teacher in the room, have them pull an episode up on YouTube to show the students.  Or you can use clips of this series in a lecture it is up to the teacher.  If there is a student project involving Ancient Egypt, then I would point them to this series for more information. 

You can access the documentary here.