How to Make Your Own Ancient Cartouche
A cartouche is an oval frame for an ancient Egyptian name tag composed of Egyptian hieroglyphics. Kings and queens wore them around their necks, and when they died a cartouche tablet was put on their tombs. Hieroglyphics are symbols rather than alphabetical characters. The symbols are codes that represent sounds and ideas. There are two ways to make a royal cartouche for your name in hieroglyphics.
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Things You'll Need
- Gold construction paper
- Pen or colored markers
- Modeling clay
- Scissors
- Paint
- Paint brush
- Heavy string or yarn
- Drinking straw
Instructions
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Making an Ancient Cartouche From Clay
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1
Mold a piece of modeling clay into an oval shape. Flatten it and poke a hole in the top with a drinking straw. Allow to dry overnight.
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2
Apply a coat of gold paint. Allow the paint to dry.
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3
Visit www.kidzone.ws in the Resources section for a list of symbols and their meanings and sounds. Practice making hieroglyphics on paper before drawing them in a column on the cartouche.
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4
Simulate original hieroglyphics by cutting a drinking straw end into a V shape. Dip the cut straw end in black paint and draw your hieroglyphics. In ancient Egypt, hieroglyphics were applied to the gold cartouche with a sharpened reed dipped in soot.
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5
Cut yarn or string long enough to make a pendant necklace and put it through the hole in the top of the cartouche. Either tie or tape the string together to complete your cartouche necklace.
Construction Paper Cartouche
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6
Cut a piece of gold construction paper in an oval shape and back it with cardboard cut in the same shape. Glue the pieces together.
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7
Cut a round hole in the top of the oval for a string to slide through. Either draw the hieroglyphics that represent your name and color or paint as desired, or find templates of hieroglyphic symbols to print or trace.
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8
Put the string through the hole to complete your royal necklace or wall hanging.
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Tips & Warnings
The symbols in original Egyptian cartouche were either raised gold or black.
