Senet Game: Treasures of Tutankhamun Lesson, Game & Teacher's Guide

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Teachers' Guide for the "Senet" Game

Introduction

As students play the Senet game and search for correct answers, they will gain knowledge and understanding about ancient Egyptian civilization, especially about "Tut," the "Boy King," who ascended the throne of Egypt about 1334 BC, during the Eighteenth Dynasty. The tomb of Tutankhamun, discovered by British archaeologist, Howard Carter, in 1922, contained several Senet game boards. And though we know that Senet was a popular board game played by the ancient Egyptians, no one knows exactly the ancient rules of the game. Quite possibly the game had some connection to the afterlife, but we are not certain of this. As students view pictures from the "Treasures of Tutankhamun" exhibit, they will be moved to ask questions about the nature of human existence, societal values, and religious faith in ancient Egypt—and our present day.

Lesson Focus

This interactive board game was designed to be used in conjunction with the Texas Humanities Resource Center's online exhibit, "The Treasures of Tutankhamun." Students will view and study the exhibit, then answer questions in the game that relate to the exhibit. The game was designed for high school students, but may be played successfully by middle school students as well.

Vocabulary

Teachers should be familiar with the following terms, some of which students will be asked to identify in this game:

• hieroglyph - one of the characters or symbols making up a system of hieroglyphic writing, usually a more or less recognizable image of an animal, a man, the sun, a stalk of grain, etc.
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• papyrus - reed like plant from which the ancient Egyptians made a kind of paper
• chariot - vehicle with two wheels, drawn by horses, used in ancient times for war, racing, etc.
• quiver - case for holding and carrying arrows
• mummy - the preserved body of a human being
• coffin - a box or case in which a dead body is buried
• tomb - grave or vault for the dead
• pharaoh - any of the rulers of ancient Egypt
• pyramid - Egyptian monument having a square base and triangular sides sloping to an apex (topmost point), built by the early kings to serve as their tombs

Extension Activities

• Create Venn diagrams comparing and contrasting ancient Egyptian and modern U.S. funeral and burial practices.

• List all the different ancient Egyptian religious beliefs covered in this exhibit. Compare this with the numerous religions in our modern day, multicultural United States society.

• Women governed Ancient Egypt at times. Name the women who ruled Egypt. How many women have held the highest political office (the presidency) in the United States. The vice presidency? Senate seats? Ask students to brainstorm reasons for the lack of women in leadership roles in American society. How does our political culture compare with the Ancient Egyptians'?

• The office of Pharaoh was assumed to possess divine qualities. Discuss with students what effects it would have on us as Americans if we believed our president had God-like powers? How would it affect our political system?

• Create a timeline of Ancient Egypt. The chronology of Egypt extends far into the past, and it is measured in sequences of kingdoms and dynasties. Throughout the span of centuries, from 3032 to 340 BCE, the rulers are classified as members of dynasties, or families; these dynasties are numbered from one to thirty. Using the information given below regarding the chronology of ancient Egypt, draw a timeline from the First Dynasty to the end of the Thirtieth Dynasty, about 342 BCE. Use different colors to show the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, the First, Second, and Third Intermediate Periods, and the Late Period, and the beginning of Foreign Domination. Then locate & label Tutankhamun on this time-line.