Ancient Egypt?

[Parrothead]

I've just realized that the only high school level study I have on ancient Egypt is the chapter or so in Herodotus' Histories.

 

Now I'm going to have to back up and at least give a passing nod to them. What does a study of the Egyptians look like at the high school level?

[Candid]

We used this book: http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Egypt-David-P-Silverman/dp/019521952X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1371236220&sr=8-3&keywords=ancient+egypt

 

 

We also used http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Egyptian-Literature-An-Anthology/dp/0292725272/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371236244&sr=8-1&keywords=ancient+egyptian+poetry for lit.

 

The history book was on the dullish side, written by different authors, but thorough and up to date. The lit book was great.

[swimmermom3]

I've just realized that the only high school level study I have on ancient Egypt is the chapter or so in Herodotus' Histories.

 

Now I'm going to have to back up and at least give a passing nod to them. What does a study of the Egyptians look like at the high school level?

 

How much time do you want to spend?

 

We took a couple of lessons and read in our text, listened to the two lectures on ancient Egypt on the History of the Ancient World: A Global Perspective from The Teaching Company and read some literature.

 

We were short on time since we only had a semester to cover pre-history to 600 C.E., otherwise we would have spent more time. We enjoyed two resources we picked up from the TOG list: Ancient Egyptian Literature and Ancient Egypt by Silverman. We picked through and read what we wanted. If you have the Bedford Anthology of World Literature, you don't really need the other volume. We may have watched a documentary; I don't remember off the top of my head.

 

Our Strayer text had a very good DBQ section "Considering the Evidence: Life and Afterlife in Mesopotamia and Egypt. That was a great exercise for looking at primary sources and then my son wrote a paper on the topic.

 

I know that it has been commented on this board before about why anyone would spend their time on some ancient, obscure literature,but we really enjoyed the time we spent with the literature of both Mesopotamia and Egypt. We discovered it was far more sophisticated than we expected and it was interesting to see the contrast in tone between two civilizations that were founded in arid lands along rivers that flooded, and yet due to the nature of that flooding, had remarkably different cultural outlooks.

[Lori D.]

I've just realized that the only high school level study I have on ancient Egypt is the chapter or so in Herodotus' Histories.

 

Now I'm going to have to back up and at least give a passing nod to them. What does a study of the Egyptians look like at the high school level?

 

 

Most high school history textbooks cover the culture, history, and contributions of the Ancient Egyptians in a contained, manageable amount of time. Are you using SWB's The History of the Ancient World: From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome. Or Spielvogel's Human Odyssey or Western Civ? Or some other textbook? Any of those would give you a reasonable amount of material for covering Ancient Egypt. If you want more depth or a text that solely focuses on Ancient Egypt, check out the teen or adult non-fiction section of your local library and see what is offered.

 

As far as Great Books or primary source materials, I don't know as though I've seen any high school program cover Ancient Egypt, other than a 1-3 paragraph excerpt in a history textbook (for example: Spielvogel's Human Odyssey). However, if you want to include some in your studies, Fordham University has a very nice, easy-to-navigate website with the text of primary source materials reproduced, and organized by: region/country; then topic. Here is their list of primary source documents for Ancient Egypt.

 

 

It's easy to go too deep when you start your first year of history and Great Books study. ;) I found using a textbook a helpful way to limit us to a do-able amount of material for the straight history reading, and then added in a few great books over the course of the year. If DSs expressed a real interest in a particular time period / culture / event / person, then we'd hang out there a bit longer and go a bit more in-depth. For me, even with a Great Books approach, because there is WAAYYY TOOOO MUUCCCHHH for anyone to learn it all -- and esp. in just 4 years of high school, I felt it was more important to keep alive the love of learning, and allow depth where DSs had high interest, and then a more cursory quick look for exposure at other key peoples/events to get back onto schedule.

 

So, if your DD gets really into ancient Egypt, then stop and dig in for awhile -- but, be prepared to adjust your schedule and drop other things to make time for it if you really need to complete Ancients by the end of the school year. Or, make DD's interest into the research project for the year, with a multi-page paper and a project as output, and done separately from the history/Great Books scheduled time so that you can continue on schedule.

 

Just one way of doing it! BEST of luck in finding what works best for your family! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Parrothead]

Thanks for the info, and the links. I suppose I need to find out what is most important to her.

 

I'd already put those books in my cart just in case.

 

ETA: I think I'm going have us spend six weeks in ancient Egypt, 20 weeks in Greece and 10 weeks in Rome. That should get everything covered and allow a little leeway on either side of the year.

[Candid]

Thanks for the info, and the links. I suppose I need to find out what is most important to her.

 

I'd already put those books in my cart just in case.

 

ETA: I think I'm going have us spend six weeks in ancient Egypt, 20 weeks in Greece and 10 weeks in Rome. That should get everything covered and allow a little leeway on either side of the year.

 

We did the two books I listed plus a few minor add ons in three weeks. I actually think he would have enjoyed and appreciated them more if we had spent more time on them and not read so much each week.

[Lori D.]

ETA: I think I'm going have us spend six weeks in ancient Egypt, 20 weeks in Greece and 10 weeks in Rome. That should get everything covered and allow a little leeway on either side of the year.

 

 

[she whispers, not wanting to rock the boat:] "But what about Mesopotamia and the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest surviving piece of Literature that wrestles with the oldest questions -- mortality, and what does it mean to be human? And what about the Biblical book of Genesis and Exodus (which tie in with Egypt) and ancient Israel/Palestine?"

[Parrothead]

 

 

 

[she whispers, not wanting to rock the boat:] "But what about Mesopotamia and the Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest surviving piece of Literature that wrestles with the oldest questions -- mortality, and what does it mean to be human? And what about the Biblical book of Genesis and Exodus (which tie in with Egypt) and ancient Israel/Palestine?"

 

 

I already have Gilgamesh, that story will be scooted in after Egypt. In my mind I've counted it as a week of Greek LOL

 

I'll figure it out.

[IrishMum]

You could also look at the Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt by the Teaching Company. We listened to the audio in the car, and during meals. The professor, Bob Brier, does a much longer course History of Ancient Egypt. It is amazing, but not for anyone under time pressure :) Both are on sale ATM.

[swimmermom3]

We used this book: http://www.amazon.co...s=ancient egypt

 

 

We also used http://www.amazon.co...egyptian poetry for lit.

 

The history book was on the dullish side, written by different authors, but thorough and up to date. The lit book was great.

 

 

That's too funny. We must have been writing at the same time and I think you were the person that told me about the Egyptian literature book. We enjoyed that and TOG's suggestion for Mesopotamian literature.

[swimmermom3]

I already have Gilgamesh, that story will be scooted in after Egypt. In my mind I've counted it as a week of Greek LOL

 

I'll figure it out.

 

 

Wanting to join Lori in not rocking the boat,but...Gilgamesh first! And Chucki, what translation of Gilgamesh are you using? :D

[Parrothead]

 

 

Wanting to join Lori in not rocking the boat,but...Gilgamesh first! And Chucki, what translation of Gilgamesh are you using? :D

 

 

The cheap one from amazon.

 

I don't know off the top of my head. I'm surrounded by books at the moment, but Gilgamesh isn't part of my "fortress" T the moment.

 

But I can copy and paste. I think it is this one. http://www.amazon.com/Gilgamesh-New-Rendering-English-Verse/dp/0374523835/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1371258720&sr=8-7&keywords=Gilgamesh

[The Governess]

This is a cool resource (it is a large book full of full-color photographs): http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0811864898/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?qid=1371258864&sr=8-5&pi=SL75

 

I have this too, but haven't read it yet: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0393330796/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1371258938&sr=8-1&pi=SL75

 

 

[Parrothead]

So, Gilgamesh, genesis, the Egyptians, exodus, the Greeks, the Phoenicians, more Greeks, then the Romans?

 

Have I forgotten anyone else?

[Candid]

So, Gilgamesh, genesis, the Egyptians, exodus, the Greeks, the Phoenicians, more Greeks, then the Romans?

 

Have I forgotten anyone else?

 

I have mentioned Words of Delight, right? Amazing book on the Bible as literature. If you are doing a whole year of ancients, I'd do it. I'd spread it out. It will be the most difficult stuff your student will read in ancient lit all year because it is analysis.

[swimmermom3]

The cheap one from amazon.

 

I don't know off the top of my head. I'm surrounded by books at the moment, but Gilgamesh isn't part of my "fortress" T the moment.

 

But I can copy and paste. I think it is this one. http://www.amazon.co...words=Gilgamesh

 

You know how we were talking about the process for choosing what to cover when literary device-wise when looking at Great Books? Sometimes the best teaching moments come while you are researching for yourself.

 

The David Ferry version of Gilgamesh is not technically a translation. Ferry is a gifted poet, but this version is a "rendering." It's a bit like reading someone's paraphrase of the Gettysburg address. You are one more step removed from the original material. Ferry is great if you are really short on time and need a bit of a sanitized retelling, but it lacks character.

 

Part of the excitement of Gilgamesh is that it is one of the oldest pieces of literature we know and I mean the pieces part literally. Very few of the ancient works come to us in one whole piece. They are often fragments from different times, places, and even cultures that have been woven together to get us something close to the original and yet it never will be the original.

[swimmermom3]

I have mentioned Words of Delight, right? Amazing book on the Bible as literature. If you are doing a whole year of ancients, I'd do it. I'd spread it out. It will be the most difficult stuff your student will read in ancient lit all year because it is analysis.

 

I keep meaning to pick this up for myself. Sailor Dude is using The Bible and Its Influence for a secular literary perspective. We have really enjoyed it. Also, we are using the Jewish Study Bible for the Old Testament and the King James Bible for the New Testament and it i working well.

[Candid]

I keep meaning to pick this up for myself. Sailor Dude is using The Bible and Its Influence for a secular literary perspective. We have really enjoyed it. Also, we are using the Jewish Study Bible for the Old Testament and the King James Bible for the New Testament and it i working well.

 

I know that I've seen The Bible and Its Influence before; sometimes I think even as literary study for the ancient time period. I am just going by title and description but it strikes me to be more like Lewis's The Discarded Image which describes the Medieval world view (with maybe more of a future looking part that points out specific pieces of literature or culture that the Bible shows up in).

 

Ryken is almost the opposite; he is trying to figure out what the original intent was, the original literary intent in particular. Now obviously a lot of theology does that too, but the literary part is interesting. His take on both the Song of Solomon and Revelation are both interesting and rare.

[Parrothead]

 

 

You know how we were talking about the process for choosing what to cover when literary device-wise when looking at Great Books? Sometimes the best teaching moments come while you are researching for yourself.

 

The David Ferry version of Gilgamesh is not technically a translation. Ferry is a gifted poet, but this version is a "rendering." It's a bit like reading someone's paraphrase of the Gettysburg address. You are one more step removed from the original material. Ferry is great if you are really short on time and need a bit of a sanitized retelling, but it lacks character.

 

Part of the excitement of Gilgamesh is that it is one of the oldest pieces of literature we know and I mean the pieces part literally. Very few of the ancient works come to us in one whole piece. They are often fragments from different times, places, and even cultures that have been woven together to get us something close to the original and yet it never will be the original.

 

 

Hmmm.... Okay. Do I get points for having Miller's "An Old Babylonian Version of the Gilgamesh Epic? ".

 

Which translation should I order?