Projects on Ancient Egyptian Art

Tourists go to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt to tour the pyramids.

Ancient Egypt brings to mind the pyramids, mummies and their mythology, all of which can be used to create art projects in the classroom or for homework assignments. Archaeologists have uncovered the foundations of homes of the average Egyptian as well as tombs such as King Tut's. Art work has been restored and hieroglyphs deciphered, making it possible to create walls of art, dioramas and artifacts inspired by this ancient culture.

Clay Tablets With Hieroglyphs

The discovery and translation of the Rosetta Stone made translation of hierogyphs possible.

For this project you'll need clay, a rolling pin, a toothpick, a plastic knife and a list of the hieroglyphs and the letters they correspond to. Roll out a handful of clay until it is 1 inch thick. Use the knife to trim off the edges. Use the toothpick to carve the hieroglyphs into the tablet to spell your name and when you're done set it aside to dry overnight. If you want to get fancier you can carve drawings onto the tablet.

Create a Diorama of a Tomb

With a shoe box, glue, construction paper, crayons and pencils, you can recreate a tomb. Cover the walls of the box with paintings and hieroglyphs using photographs of a tomb as a guide. Draw, color and cut out one dimensional statues and place them around the tomb. Build tables and chairs and a coffin from the paper or use small boxes and decorate them.

Parchment Painting of an Egyptian God

Using parchment paper, a pencil and water colors, recreate a portrait of one of the gods. The ancient Egyptians used red, green, blue, yellow, white and black in their paintings and decorating. Examine portraits and statues of the god and include the characteristics that define them. Horus has the head of a falcon. On top of his head he wore of wig of gold and on top of that a crown that resembles a jug. Anubis has the head of a jackal with a gold wig.

Make an Egyptian Beaded Necklace

For this project you'll need beads and 12-inch pipe cleaners. In many paintings the men and women are wearing multicolored necklaces that resemble collars. Use beads in red, green, blue, yellow, white and black and string four rows of beads in any pattern you like. Leave about an inch at the end of each pipe cleaner. When you have strung all of the beads, twist the ends of one end of the four pipe cleaners together and then repeat this process on the other end of the pipe cleaners. Place the collar around your neck with the open side in the back and mold it to fit.

References

• Great Scott: Hieroglyphics Alphabet
• Artyfactory: Egyptian Art
• Craft Bits: Pipecleaner Beaded Necklaces

Resources

• Guardians: Egypt, Kids