Hands-On Activity · Lesson 1.4
The Tomb Inventory
Ancient Egypt II: Pharaohs, Power, and the Afterlife
You have been given scattered evidence from a pharaoh's tomb and reign. Your job is to sort it, connect it, and explain what it reveals about Egyptian power.
Sort, connect, chart, defend.
Work through the four steps in order. Every answer should point back to a numbered Evidence Card.
Evidence Cards
Eight pieces of evidence from the tombs, temples, and reigns of New Kingdom pharaohs. Some cards show more than one kind of power. Decide where each one fits best.
The Hyksos Driven Out
Pharaoh Ahmose I drove the foreign Hyksos rulers out of Egypt, beginning the New Kingdom.
About 1540 BCEA Seated Statue of Hatshepsut
A life-size limestone statue shows Hatshepsut on a throne, wearing the royal headcloth. Statues like this announced her divine right to rule.
About 1473–1458 BCEVictory at Megiddo
Thutmose III led his army to victory at the Battle of Megiddo in Canaan, one of many campaigns that pushed Egypt's borders into Canaan and Syria.
About 1457 BCETribute from Conquered Lands
Thutmose III marched his armies as far as the Euphrates River and brought home enormous wealth and tribute from the lands he conquered.
The Great Temple at Abu Simbel
Ramesses II built this temple so precisely that twice a year the rising sun shines all the way inside to light up statues deep in the mountain.
About 1264 BCEStorehouses of Grain
The pharaoh controlled vast stores of grain and goods collected as taxes from Egypt's farmers.
The Living Horus
Egyptians believed the pharaoh was the living form of the god Horus, and that the pharaoh's presence kept the Nile's floods coming.
A Wrapped Body in the Tomb
A preserved, wrapped body was buried with jewelry, tools, and food so the spirit would have what it needed in the afterlife.
Build your Tomb Inventory.
Fill in each part on screen, or print the page and write by hand.
Political power or religious power?
Write each card's number and name in one column. If a card shows both, put it where it fits best.
Political Power
Religious Power
Link each card to Ma'at or the afterlife.
One sentence per card.
| Card | How it connects to Ma'at or the afterlife |
|---|---|
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
| 7 | |
| 8 |
New Kingdom timeline
Place the four dated cards in order from earliest to latest. Write the date and what happened.
Why did Egyptians accept one person holding this much power?
Write two sentences. Use at least one card number as evidence.
Record what you found.
Your Evidence Log entry and checklist are part of your lesson points.
Evidence Log
Accountability Checklist
Use today's vocabulary.
Use at least two of these words in your writing.
Pharaoh
The ruler of ancient Egypt, seen as both a political leader and a living god.
Mummification
The Egyptian practice of preserving a dead body through embalming so a person's spirit could survive in the afterlife.
Hieroglyphics
The Egyptian writing system that used pictures and symbols to represent sounds and ideas.
Dynasty
A series of rulers from the same family who pass power from one generation to the next.
Empire
A large territory of many different lands and peoples controlled by one powerful ruler or government.
Egypt built an empire by conquering new lands during the New Kingdom.