Assignment 2.02 Museum Internship- 5 Greatest Contributions of Ancient Egypt

Malia Bolster Museum Internship Dear Mr. Giza (Museum Curator) I appreciate the wonderful opportunity of displaying my “Contributions of Ancient Egyptian Civilization” exhibit in your magnificent museum. I’m so thankful to the Ancient Egyptian societies for all of the inventions and ideas they passed on to us, and am excited to share them in this exhibition. My very best regards, Malia Bolster (Museum Intern). Malia Bolster

The Code of Hammurabi The Code of Hammurabi Original Steel Monolith (1772 BC) with cuneiform engraving. 7.4 Ft. Tall We are honored to have been able to borrow this artifact from its home in the Louvre, in Paris. Hammurabi was the sixth king of Babylon and ruled for forty-two years. He enacted the “Code of Hammurabi” which consisted of over 282 laws. It is the first example of written law and was the model for all societies that followed. Most notable law in code? ‘An eye for an eye….’

Papyrus ◄Notice: Please do not disturb the papyrus plant. This is a live exhibit! Example of Ancient Egyptian writing on papyrus scroll. (please do not touch. Scroll is very old and delicate) These scrolls need to be kept at 70° to keep them preserved. Papyrus was discovered in ancient Egypt. It is a paper-like material made from peeling papyrus reeds and pounding them, until mashed together. This can produce sheets and scrolls. This method of recording information made it much easier for future generations to transfer information and learn about Ancient Egypt. It also was the inspiration for paper today.

The Calendar ☼ (still in use icon ) Season Month Akhet "inundation" Tekh Menhet Hwt-Hrw Ka-Hr-Ka Proyet "emergence" Sf-Bdt Rekh Wer Rekh Neds Renwet Shomu "low water" Hnsw Hnt-Htj Ipt-Hmt Wep-Renpet The calendar was created in ancient Egypt. Egyptians created it so they could record the flooding and receding waters of the Nile, as well as their harvest. Harvest time was also time for the Pharaoh’s tax collector to receive his share (much like our April 15th ☺). Many calendars have been created all over the world as a result of the Egyptian calendar. ☼ Still in use: The Egyptian calendar had 30 days in a month and 365 days in a year… like ours! The seasons above represent: flooding, sowing, and harvest, also very much a part of our agriculture.

Astronomy We are honored to have been able to borrow this artifact from its home in the Louvre, in Paris. Dendera Zodiac ← Ceiling imprint showing ancient astronomy signs. Due to it’s great size, it has ↑This astronomical chart is from Senemut’s tomb from the 18th dynasty, and shows how the stars affect their calendar. been moved here in segments, and requires an entire room to exhibit. Astronomy is the study of celestial objects like stars, planets, comets, and galaxies. The Ancient Egyptians discovered the importance of understanding how these elements in the heavens affected their earth. They aligned the pyramids towards the North Star, and the temple of Amun-Re with the rising mid-winter sun. Their calendar was created by using astronomy which let them know when the Nile would flood annually. The Dendera Zodiac exhibit is known as the only complete map of the ancient sky, and is a great contribution and basis for later astronomy systems.

Mummification Mummy and tools used by Egyptians in the process of preparing corpse for after-life. Right→Canopic Jars for organs-Low Right→Natron and Bitumen for preserving. Hypocephalus Disk- Place under head of Mummy- Now believed to be an actual chart of the human brain which shows that Ancient Egyptians studied the brain in great detail. It corresponds to parts of the actual brain! What a contribution! Mummification was a ritualistic preparation of a dead body that involved cleansing and embalming it, and removing and preserving organs. The Egyptians did this for religious reasons but the resulting contribution to us is great. We get the amazing opportunity to learn about their culture and customs, get glimpses of what their people looked like and knowledge of the body and microbes that allows us to embalm our dead. Through mummification they also left written record of anatomy and even brain charts!