Here's the most interesting history articles I've read recently...many with great pictures.
ISREAL
Top of Colonade Found - Possibly from Solomon's Temple
Solomon Era Mining Camp
Solomon's Quarries
View From Mount Nebu (Where Mosus viewed the Promised Land)
ROME
Roman Area Gladiatorial Arena Buildings
Arch of Titus (Picturing Removal of Treasures from Temple in Jerusalem) Colorized
EGYPT
New Pyramid Found
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Monday, April 24, 2017
Greco-Roman Decor: Statues
Both Greece and Rome were full of statues...statues of gods and
goddesses,
statues of prominent individuals, statues of animals, etc. When Paul visited Athens he spoke to them about the many idols they
had and tried to point them away from these false gods towards Christ. In his letter to the Romans he dealt with the issue of whether a Christian could eat food that had been sacrificed to idols.Of course, statues are generally too costly to buy just for a week at VBS. But there are other ways to include them in your decor...
Borrow Them
You can often find garden and statuary shops willing to lend out their statues. And of course you can ask your church members for loans of any garden statues or suitable figurines they may have.
Rent Them
Wedding and party rental companies may have statuary and columns that you can rent for a reasonable price.
Make Them
Below you can find a few method on how to make a "faux marble" statue.
But before we go on, a disclaimer...
3D Print a Statue
Photo by Emelie Howard
The statue above was printed on a 3D printer. Depending on the size of the printer you can even print much larger pieces. Here is a list of just a few of the statue plans available (I believe most of these are free/open source). You can find other items, like Roman helmets, costume items, styluses, etc. too.
Make a Plaster Statue
Jefferson Park Baptist in Charlottesville, VA. Photo by Sherri States.
Here's a very inexpensive way to create a Roman Bust, . The statue above is a styrofoam wig form mounted on a lid box with two coat hangers to hold it in a place, an old white T-shirt and cloth wrapped around covered in plaster of Paris. You can find a full tutorial on how to do this here.
You don't have to stop with busts. Anything can be covered in plaster to make a statue. The horse statue at right (also by Jefferson Park Baptist) was made by plastering over a old plastic children's rocking horse.
Actually, you don't have to stick with white either. New research has show that statues in both Greece and Rome were originally painted! Centuries of exposure wore off the paint, so that what we find today is white marble...but 2,000 years ago the statues were actually quite colorful.
Whether you want to go with the traditional marble look or try for some authentic color, is up to you. You can also make a similar affect with paper-mache and paint.
Here is an example of how one church made a a duct tape form for a plaster torso...
You can see how well this comes out on top of a column. The method looks pretty self-explanatory, but there's a step by step tutorial here. You would want to make sure to have a good disposable layer between tape and skin (here it looks like they used a t-shirt or cloth of some sort...in another example I saw plastic wrap used). I'm pretty sure they had to cut him out of that, and then tape it back up and fill it with paper or some other filler before plastering.
(Thanks so much to Michelle Barrera for these great pictures from Teaching Word Faith Center in Fort Worth, TX!)
One last method which I don't have any photos for, but which is really cool, is to use spray foam for a statue medium.
Recruit a Human Statue
Another fun idea is to have a human sculpture. Other than make-up and clothes, there's no cost involved, though it does require a volunteer.
Two ladies from our church did an excellent job as human statues. You can see one of them in the picture above. They covered their hair in a white cloth, wore a white tunica, and covered all exposed skin with white stage make-up. You can find some tutorials on how to make 1st Century Roman women's clothes here, and men's clothes here.
Most of the time our statues stayed perfectly still, but once in a while they would break their pose a little to interact with the kids in a subtle way. The kids just loved this!
I have also seen a version where the actor wraps a column around him to make himself into a human "bust." You can find the tutorial for that here.
You don't have to stop with busts. Anything can be covered in plaster to make a statue. The horse statue at right (also by Jefferson Park Baptist) was made by plastering over a old plastic children's rocking horse. Actually, you don't have to stick with white either. New research has show that statues in both Greece and Rome were originally painted! Centuries of exposure wore off the paint, so that what we find today is white marble...but 2,000 years ago the statues were actually quite colorful.
Whether you want to go with the traditional marble look or try for some authentic color, is up to you. You can also make a similar affect with paper-mache and paint.
Here is an example of how one church made a a duct tape form for a plaster torso...
(Thanks so much to Michelle Barrera for these great pictures from Teaching Word Faith Center in Fort Worth, TX!)
One last method which I don't have any photos for, but which is really cool, is to use spray foam for a statue medium.
Recruit a Human Statue
Dayspring Baptist Church, Waco, TX
Another fun idea is to have a human sculpture. Other than make-up and clothes, there's no cost involved, though it does require a volunteer.
Two ladies from our church did an excellent job as human statues. You can see one of them in the picture above. They covered their hair in a white cloth, wore a white tunica, and covered all exposed skin with white stage make-up. You can find some tutorials on how to make 1st Century Roman women's clothes here, and men's clothes here.
Most of the time our statues stayed perfectly still, but once in a while they would break their pose a little to interact with the kids in a subtle way. The kids just loved this!
I have also seen a version where the actor wraps a column around him to make himself into a human "bust." You can find the tutorial for that here.
Draw a 2D Statue
Photo by Michelle Barrera, from
Teaching Word Faith Center in Fort Worth, TX
Teaching Word Faith Center in Fort Worth, TX
A two dimensional statue can also be a nice touch, especially in a hallway or other space where you might not have room for a three-dimensional one (plus, butcher paper is cheep!). If you don't want to hand-draw a statue, you can find an image of one online, put it on a 3D projector (ask schools for loans if your church doesn't have one), and trace a statue on butcher paper from the projection.
Make a Cardboard Statue
Make a Cardboard Statue
Faith Baptist Church
I can't tell you how to make this, but I can tell you it was made out of cardboard. It was too cool not to share.
Shared on Throwback Thursday
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Pinterest Perplexes Me Sometimes
Check out what came up under "related pins" when I posted a Roman stylus on pinterest? Crazy huh? If I had pinned a Roman Centurian or something, it would make more sense, but man, it's a Roman writing impletment, even if it looks sort of like a dagger. Anyways, it made me chuckle, so I had to share.
Monday, February 6, 2017
How to Make Greco-Roman Columns
Dayspring Baptist Church, Waco, TX
Several years back for Vacation Bible School our church took our children on a trip through the 1st Century city of Rome where we learned about Paul and the Underground Church." In the process we created a lot of Greco-Roman Décor, and found a lot of inspiration both from groups who had done this program and the similarly decorated Athens Holy Land Adventure.
I wanted to pass on the great ideas we learned about for others who might be doing the same programs, a piece of Greek or Roman theater, or a wedding or party with this theme. You will find some creative and inexpensive decorating ideas below.
3 Dimensional Columns
Columns are essential to Greco-Roman décor, and three dimensional columns are, I think, the most stunning way to go.
Where to Buy 3D Columns
We invested in two large 12' cardboard columns (pictured above) and have used them over and over for different Holy Land VBS (not just Rome, but for Pharoah's palace in Egypt, and the Synagogue in Nazareth and Galilee). Large columns like these can make for a very dramatic effect. You can find similar ones at Stumps Party Supply. For shorter columns you can find a nice selection at Oriental Traders for a good price, but be warned to leave lots of time for delivery (shorter columns are also not difficult to make, which of course is even cheaper...see below for various methods).
If you do not have a good place to store columns for use in future years, you may want to consider renting columns from a local wedding/event service.Poster Board
Use Poster Board and Pizza Boxes
This one seems super simple and inexpensive! A pizza place might be willing to donate some clean, unused boxes (especially if you also bought lunch for volunteers there)! You could use corregated cardboard for a ribbed texture and a little more support (our columns for our intro picture were made like this, with foam "crests" in stead of pizza boxes.
Make them With Cardboard Tubing
You can use carpet tubes (what carpet comes rolled around) for thin columns. Places which sell carpet are often happy to donate these. For thicker columns you can buy construction tubes (also known as building tubes, cardboard concrete forms, and Sonotubes). You can find these individually at home improvement stores, but from what I've seen they only smaller ones (48" long or shorter). There are several manufacturers that sell longer full column length ones, but generally only in bulk. You could possibly contact a local construction company and see if they would sell or donate some in smaller quantities.
Use Building Tubes, Pots, and Plaster
Decorative Faux-Stone Column - Shorter but very realistic. I've seem people use plastic pots with molded edges for some very decorative molding...same idea though.
Use Building Tubes, Pool Noodles, and Foam Board
DIY Network shows you how to make faux stone columns...very realistic looking. Pool noodles are a more pricey material, but if you can buy them out of season (at the end of summer, early fall clearance sales) they cost less.
Very Realistic, Structural Method With Tall Building Tubes
The blog Tootsie Time shows how she made permanent columns for her home. They are beautiful.
Use Textured Wallpaper to Add Ridges
Once you have a base (see above) you can use textured wallpaper to add ridges. I got this idea from Jennifer Hosler.
She used Easy Textures Paintable Wallpaper (Pattern No 99424F) to cover a carpet tube column. I didn't find that exact one but I found a similar style by another brand here.
"Warren" Method of Constructing Columns
Kate Taylor Warren and her husband shared the following method they came up with to make columns like you see above.
Inside each column is a 90" heavy cardboard carpet tube. Each has a 2-3 foot wooden fence post fit snugly inside and screwed to a 20" board as a horizontal base. The part of the column you see is five sheets of under-wallpaper insulation cut in lengths that circle around to make a 20" diameter cylinder. A construction stapler was used to staple them to the carpet tube in the back.
The material they use, found in a DIY store where wallpaper is sold, consists of a very thin layer of polystyrene bonded to a layer of heavy brown paper. It pops out easily to hold its shape when circled and stapled, and is easy to paint. Kate Warren and her husband are in England, so I'm not sure whether the same material is available here in the States, but it would be worth checking into.
They measured the "stripes" on the individual sheets and marked them so they could be painted before assembly on the carpet tube. This was an easier and safer way to paint--no climbing ladders and trying to get straight lines painted.
The columns are set on squares of stryofoam (called polystyrene in the UK). The cornice (or pediment) is not resting on the columns but is suspended from the ceiling. Otherwise it would be rather unstable.
Pool Noodle Columns
You can find full step by step instructions on how to make pool noodle columns here also (though it was for a more permanent feature, so had some steps you could skip for VBS). Here's some in-process pics shared by Marian Seidel of Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Houston, TX. (She's still in the in process phase so I don't have final pics right now).
1. You start with cardboard carpet roll tubes for a base.
2. Cute pool noodles in half lengthwise with exacto knife (to make two parts like celery sticks, not two shorter pool noodles).
3. Put foam into noodle like you would put cheese whiz on the celery stick, and press onto roll.
4. Use 3 nails, one at the bottom, top and middle to secure.
5. Trim as necessary. (Save pieces...see #6)
6. Make a stand (sorry, I don't have instructions on how to make stands, but you can see some examples there. I believe there is a stick or in the middle that you just drop the carpet tubes onto). Use extra pool noodle pieces and/or foam to stuff into carpet tubes to stabilize.
7. Paint
TIP: If you're planning this long in advace you can save money if you buy pool noodles out of season (at the end of summer, early fall clearance sales).
Corrugated Plastic Columns
2D Colums
Flat paper columns are simple and inexpensive. You can draw them on butcher paper or posterboard (for thicker, more reusable affect) or order pre-made ones online.
I love how Trinity Presbyterian Church of McKinney, Texas used simple paper columns and a roof to frame the doorway to "Paul's House." While it takes a little drawing skill, it doesn't look unreasonably hard, and yet is very effective in transforming this from just another room to a house in Athens.
And, if you prefer to avoid drawing/painting it yourself, here are several paper column options I found online (click pictures to find on Amazon)...
Semi-3D Columns
For a semi-three dimensional look try one of the techniques below.
Foam Board ColumnsInside each column is a 90" heavy cardboard carpet tube. Each has a 2-3 foot wooden fence post fit snugly inside and screwed to a 20" board as a horizontal base. The part of the column you see is five sheets of under-wallpaper insulation cut in lengths that circle around to make a 20" diameter cylinder. A construction stapler was used to staple them to the carpet tube in the back.
The material they use, found in a DIY store where wallpaper is sold, consists of a very thin layer of polystyrene bonded to a layer of heavy brown paper. It pops out easily to hold its shape when circled and stapled, and is easy to paint. Kate Warren and her husband are in England, so I'm not sure whether the same material is available here in the States, but it would be worth checking into.
They measured the "stripes" on the individual sheets and marked them so they could be painted before assembly on the carpet tube. This was an easier and safer way to paint--no climbing ladders and trying to get straight lines painted.
The columns are set on squares of stryofoam (called polystyrene in the UK). The cornice (or pediment) is not resting on the columns but is suspended from the ceiling. Otherwise it would be rather unstable.
Pool Noodle Columns
Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Houston, TX
Photo by Marian Seidel
You can find full step by step instructions on how to make pool noodle columns here also (though it was for a more permanent feature, so had some steps you could skip for VBS). Here's some in-process pics shared by Marian Seidel of Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Houston, TX. (She's still in the in process phase so I don't have final pics right now).
1. You start with cardboard carpet roll tubes for a base.
2. Cute pool noodles in half lengthwise with exacto knife (to make two parts like celery sticks, not two shorter pool noodles).
3. Put foam into noodle like you would put cheese whiz on the celery stick, and press onto roll.
4. Use 3 nails, one at the bottom, top and middle to secure.
5. Trim as necessary. (Save pieces...see #6)
6. Make a stand (sorry, I don't have instructions on how to make stands, but you can see some examples there. I believe there is a stick or in the middle that you just drop the carpet tubes onto). Use extra pool noodle pieces and/or foam to stuff into carpet tubes to stabilize.
7. Paint
TIP: If you're planning this long in advace you can save money if you buy pool noodles out of season (at the end of summer, early fall clearance sales).
Corrugated Plastic Columns
You can use sheets of
corrugated plastic (PVC Roofing) either to make freestanding columns, or to wrap
around posts and other features. While pricey, this method has the benefit of being weather resistant, so is great for outdoor features. You can find this type of sheeting at most hardware stores.
You can see one of these types of columns in the background of picture to the right. Thanks to Rebecca Edwards for this picture.
Photo and instructions by Ruthann LaMoreaux Litchford
HOW TO MAKE COLUMNS/PEDIMENT
The pediment is the triangular roof on top
MATERIALS
12 ft white pvc roofing panel (corrugated plastic), cut in half to 6 feet;
Heavy duty scissors or snips
(1) 4x8x2 foam insulation board, white
(1) liquid nails tube (& caulk gun)
(1) roll white duct tape
(1) bread knife or box cutter
(4) Wooden Chop Sticks
TO MAKE COLUMNS
1. Cut panel into (2) 6ft pieces using heavy duty scissor or snips and duct tape into tubes.
2. Score and snap insulation board into squares for column bases - for each base I cut (1)13x13" & (1)11x11" & (2)6" circles. Use liquid nails to adhere these into a stack.
3. Once dry assemble column onto one base and slide a second base on top.
4. Using remainder of insulation board score & snap a large triangle along with enough framing to surround it. (The one pictured used 6ft wide base x 2 ft high triangle. Bottom framing board was 11" wide to sit securely on column topper. Side framing pieces were 5 or 6" wide.)
You can see one of these types of columns in the background of picture to the right. Thanks to Rebecca Edwards for this picture.
Dayspring Baptist Church, Waco, TX
Another church used these to make the following....
HOW TO MAKE COLUMNS/PEDIMENT
The pediment is the triangular roof on top
MATERIALS
12 ft white pvc roofing panel (corrugated plastic), cut in half to 6 feet;
Heavy duty scissors or snips
(1) 4x8x2 foam insulation board, white
(1) liquid nails tube (& caulk gun)
(1) roll white duct tape
(1) bread knife or box cutter
(4) Wooden Chop Sticks
TO MAKE COLUMNS
1. Cut panel into (2) 6ft pieces using heavy duty scissor or snips and duct tape into tubes.
2. Score and snap insulation board into squares for column bases - for each base I cut (1)13x13" & (1)11x11" & (2)6" circles. Use liquid nails to adhere these into a stack.
3. Once dry assemble column onto one base and slide a second base on top.
4. Using remainder of insulation board score & snap a large triangle along with enough framing to surround it. (The one pictured used 6ft wide base x 2 ft high triangle. Bottom framing board was 11" wide to sit securely on column topper. Side framing pieces were 5 or 6" wide.)
5. Miter the corner edges with a knife/cutter. Liquid glue it all together.
Dry 24 hours.
6. Use a poster or any signage you want to fill in the
center.
7. Place pediment onto columns and push chop sticks through into
column base for attaching. Score, snap, glue, chop stick. Done.
If you are making a
colonnade on a stage you can create depth and and add an illusion of a larger scene by starting
with taller columns and then using descending smaller columns, set at an
angle like the picture on the right... continuing the colonnade
with a backdrop with painted columns at the back.
In the following picture you can see the angling technique (though I don't know whether their columns decended in size).
(I got this idea and the drawing in this section from cdevries, who writes a number of wonderful articles on theater design. It was from a section on 3 More Ways to Improve Your Theater Set about creating depth. The picture above is from Faith Baptist Church. Used with permission.)
TIP: How to Create Depth
In the following picture you can see the angling technique (though I don't know whether their columns decended in size).
(I got this idea and the drawing in this section from cdevries, who writes a number of wonderful articles on theater design. It was from a section on 3 More Ways to Improve Your Theater Set about creating depth. The picture above is from Faith Baptist Church. Used with permission.)
2D Colums
Picture by Mindy Love Harper
Flat paper columns are simple and inexpensive. You can draw them on butcher paper or posterboard (for thicker, more reusable affect) or order pre-made ones online.
I love how Trinity Presbyterian Church of McKinney, Texas used simple paper columns and a roof to frame the doorway to "Paul's House." While it takes a little drawing skill, it doesn't look unreasonably hard, and yet is very effective in transforming this from just another room to a house in Athens.
And, if you prefer to avoid drawing/painting it yourself, here are several paper column options I found online (click pictures to find on Amazon)...
Semi-3D Columns
For a semi-three dimensional look try one of the techniques below.
Dayspring Baptist Church, Waco, TX
We carved foam board with a hot knife and painted the indentations grey to make these columns. Then we put them up in front of some pretty party paper to cover up a wall sculpture you see peeking out of the top there. I believe the paper we used was flat, but the only paper with the same design I was able to find now online was this corrugated version (which is probably more expensive than what we used, but would offer more stability).
Cardboard Column "House"
Photo by Michelle Robeson La Flamme
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Shared On Throwback Thursday
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
What To Do With Stacked Chairs
When we had an Egypt themed VBS, we found another way to use our "chairs." We made "houses" out of them, and used these for our "Tribe Time" (which I believe was called "Family Group Time" that year).
I liked how a colored piece of cloth looked like a lintel over the doorway (pictured above). A tribe sign also decorated each house.
Inside we made less effort to cover up the chairs (ran out of sheets). We decorated with blankets and pillows for the kids to sit on, and various other knick knacks our tribe leaders brought. Each tribe got a camp-fire for their room...something left over from the previous Wilderness VBS.
While they didn't look perfectly like houses, the outside was still a lot nicer to look at than stacked chairs.
You can see two of our rooms in the corner of this picture...they looked nice with the marketplace tents. We had four in total, one in each corner. Having these rooms right in the marketplace made for less traveling (there was also two Sunday school rooms used, right outside our marketplace...but we didn't have to use rooms in our other building, which is a further walk).
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
History Round-Up
Some of the most interesting (sometimes for the text, sometimes for the photos) history articles related to the Bible I've stumbled on since the last History Round-Up. Enjoy!
Old Testament
Is the Syrian Today the Assyria of the Bible?
Ein Gedi - A Testimony of God's Grace and Provision
Cash of 3,000 Year Old Canaanite Gold Found
Did the Old Testament Offer Only One Way to God?
50 People in the Bible Confirmed by Archeaology
New Testament
Under a Jail - Possibly Herod's Palace
Unsealing of Christ's Reputed Tomb Turns Up New Revelations
New Digs to Take Place at Masada (and pics of old finds)
Old Testament
Is the Syrian Today the Assyria of the Bible?
Ein Gedi - A Testimony of God's Grace and Provision
Cash of 3,000 Year Old Canaanite Gold Found
Did the Old Testament Offer Only One Way to God?
50 People in the Bible Confirmed by Archeaology
New Testament
Under a Jail - Possibly Herod's Palace
Unsealing of Christ's Reputed Tomb Turns Up New Revelations
New Digs to Take Place at Masada (and pics of old finds)
Saturday, November 5, 2016
Egyptian Writing Activity
There's something interesting that you won't find in most kids books
on Egypt ...that
there were TWO types of writing used in in Egypt.
Hieroglyphics is the type of writing most people associate with Ancient Egypt. It featured characters that looked like pictures, and could stand for either sounds or the objects depicted (depending on context).
BUT, it was not the only type of writing being used in Egypt at this time....and not even the most common type.
Most Egyptians used a form of writing known as hieratic. It derived from hieroglyphics but was used alongside it (sort of like we have printing and cursive). Over time the two forms of writing began to have different functions. While priests and monument carvers still used hieroglyphics to record things of religious and historical importance, merchants and traders and everyone else used hieratic to write their grocery lists, records, and love notes.
You can see in the examples of both hieratic and hieroglyphics in the ancient religious text shown above (hieratics make up the main body of the text written under the scene at the top, but in the top right corner above the seated women you can see hieroglyphs).
Documents like these would usually be written on papyrus, a type of woven paper, or sometimes on animal skins--both of which were time consuming to make and therefor expensive. But the common people, the laborers and farmers and traders, if they could write wrote their hieratic notes on flat limestone rocks, and broken bits of pottery, which were cheap and readily available.
Kids learning to be scribes in Egypt would practice writing on flat rocks and broken pottery ...it is just as "historical" as writing on papyrus. So, for this activity I gathered up smooth rocks at a local garden center, and also broke up an old terra cotta pot. I explained a little bit about the history of both styles of Egyptian writing and game them some sample alphabets of both. I had them choose a terra cotta shard, or a rock, to paint hieroglyphs and hieratic on with red and black paint (the most commonly used ink colors in ancient Egypt).
I also made reed "brushes" and scribe pallets (a craft I found in Make It Work: Ancient Egypt) for the kids to use. You could have older kids make these themselves, but the craft does involve using an sharp knife. Alternatively you could pre-cut the pieces and have kids glue them together and make the indentations for the ink themselves.
SUPPLIES:
For Stone Painting
For Reed "Brushes":
Guide for Writing Hieroglyphs and Hieratics
Egyptian Alphabet Comparison Sheet
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Collect stones or break a terra-cotta pot. It's a toss up which is better to use. The terra cotta is smoother and easier to paint on, but has jagged edges (though not as sharp as glass). Many garden centers have stones you can buy, or will not mind you taking smaller broken pieces from larger flat stones they sell. But if you choose to break a terra cotta pot with a hammer in stead, wear safety glasses OR put the pot in the plastic trash bag before breaking to keep broken bits from flying up. Make sure to sweep area thoroughly afterwards. (Fun alternative if you have a second story: clear all people from the area and toss the pot from a 2nd story window. You can tell I enjoy destruction...just a bit).
2. For the pallet, I liked using Balsa wood strips for the top part, but a harder wood strip in the same size for the back, to add strength. Because I was making several of these it was actually cheaper to do this (the harder wood cost less than balsa), but if you were making just one it would cost less to cut one strip of balsa in two and use it for both top and bottom. I found my pre-cut wood strips at Hobby Lobby.
4. Cut the bottom and top strips to exactly the same length (8 - 10 inches).
5. The original craft called for cutting out the ink wells with a craft knife, but I thought it would be easier to press them in the soft balsa wood in stead (you can see how this turned out in the pictures). It does make for a shallower bowl, so if you want to cut them out with a knife for a deeper ink well, do so during this step. Otherwise, I think it would probably avoid some of the warping I got later to press them after gluing (though I have not tried this) For the area to hold your reeds cut a rectangular strip from near the bottom of the top later of balsa wood...leaving about two inches at the top for your inkwells, as shown below.
7. Glue your top balsa piece to your bottom wood piece...put a book on top to press them pieces together while they dry.
8. To press out your inkwells (if you haven't choosen to cut them in step five), find a hard object with a small rounded surface. I used the handle of a small hammer. You could also use a screwdriver handle or even a marble. Press the rounded object into the balsa wood hard until it makes an indentation. (The example below shows only one layer because I made the mistake of pressing before gluing the top and bottom layers).
This is one step that even a young child can help with. Wha-la...your scribe's pallet is done...now it need some reeds to fill it.
9. Go outside and look for some weedy grass...something long and skinny, not wide and flat. Cut off any "seed heads" and cut into segments just shorter than your reed holder.
10. Last, put a drop of red and black ink in your pallet inkwells, grab your rocks or terra cotta pieces, and start painting hieroglyphics and hieratics (this page can be used for a reference)!
Hieroglyphs
Hieroglyphics is the type of writing most people associate with Ancient Egypt. It featured characters that looked like pictures, and could stand for either sounds or the objects depicted (depending on context).
BUT, it was not the only type of writing being used in Egypt at this time....and not even the most common type.
Hieratic Writing
(and a few hieroglyphs too)
(and a few hieroglyphs too)
Most Egyptians used a form of writing known as hieratic. It derived from hieroglyphics but was used alongside it (sort of like we have printing and cursive). Over time the two forms of writing began to have different functions. While priests and monument carvers still used hieroglyphics to record things of religious and historical importance, merchants and traders and everyone else used hieratic to write their grocery lists, records, and love notes.
You can see in the examples of both hieratic and hieroglyphics in the ancient religious text shown above (hieratics make up the main body of the text written under the scene at the top, but in the top right corner above the seated women you can see hieroglyphs).
Documents like these would usually be written on papyrus, a type of woven paper, or sometimes on animal skins--both of which were time consuming to make and therefor expensive. But the common people, the laborers and farmers and traders, if they could write wrote their hieratic notes on flat limestone rocks, and broken bits of pottery, which were cheap and readily available.
Egyptian Writing
and Scribes Pallet Craft
Kids learning to be scribes in Egypt would practice writing on flat rocks and broken pottery ...it is just as "historical" as writing on papyrus. So, for this activity I gathered up smooth rocks at a local garden center, and also broke up an old terra cotta pot. I explained a little bit about the history of both styles of Egyptian writing and game them some sample alphabets of both. I had them choose a terra cotta shard, or a rock, to paint hieroglyphs and hieratic on with red and black paint (the most commonly used ink colors in ancient Egypt).
I also made reed "brushes" and scribe pallets (a craft I found in Make It Work: Ancient Egypt) for the kids to use. You could have older kids make these themselves, but the craft does involve using an sharp knife. Alternatively you could pre-cut the pieces and have kids glue them together and make the indentations for the ink themselves.
HIEROGLYPHS AND SCRIBES PALLET CRAFT
SUPPLIES:
For Stone Painting
- Red and Black Paint (goes in Pallet if you make that)
- Flat-ish stones and/or a terra-cotta pot (and hammer + trash bag or safety glasses)
- Balsa wood strips (find at hobby store)
- Harder wood strips for base (optional...see note in instructions)
- Wood Glue
- Round object (see step 8)
- Cardboard to cut on (a cereal box folded flat works well)
- Utility Knife
For Reed "Brushes":
- Any old reed-like weedy grass
- Scissors
Guide for Writing Hieroglyphs and Hieratics
Egyptian Alphabet Comparison Sheet
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Collect stones or break a terra-cotta pot. It's a toss up which is better to use. The terra cotta is smoother and easier to paint on, but has jagged edges (though not as sharp as glass). Many garden centers have stones you can buy, or will not mind you taking smaller broken pieces from larger flat stones they sell. But if you choose to break a terra cotta pot with a hammer in stead, wear safety glasses OR put the pot in the plastic trash bag before breaking to keep broken bits from flying up. Make sure to sweep area thoroughly afterwards. (Fun alternative if you have a second story: clear all people from the area and toss the pot from a 2nd story window. You can tell I enjoy destruction...just a bit).
2. For the pallet, I liked using Balsa wood strips for the top part, but a harder wood strip in the same size for the back, to add strength. Because I was making several of these it was actually cheaper to do this (the harder wood cost less than balsa), but if you were making just one it would cost less to cut one strip of balsa in two and use it for both top and bottom. I found my pre-cut wood strips at Hobby Lobby.
4. Cut the bottom and top strips to exactly the same length (8 - 10 inches).
5. The original craft called for cutting out the ink wells with a craft knife, but I thought it would be easier to press them in the soft balsa wood in stead (you can see how this turned out in the pictures). It does make for a shallower bowl, so if you want to cut them out with a knife for a deeper ink well, do so during this step. Otherwise, I think it would probably avoid some of the warping I got later to press them after gluing (though I have not tried this) For the area to hold your reeds cut a rectangular strip from near the bottom of the top later of balsa wood...leaving about two inches at the top for your inkwells, as shown below.
7. Glue your top balsa piece to your bottom wood piece...put a book on top to press them pieces together while they dry.
8. To press out your inkwells (if you haven't choosen to cut them in step five), find a hard object with a small rounded surface. I used the handle of a small hammer. You could also use a screwdriver handle or even a marble. Press the rounded object into the balsa wood hard until it makes an indentation. (The example below shows only one layer because I made the mistake of pressing before gluing the top and bottom layers).
This is one step that even a young child can help with. Wha-la...your scribe's pallet is done...now it need some reeds to fill it.
9. Go outside and look for some weedy grass...something long and skinny, not wide and flat. Cut off any "seed heads" and cut into segments just shorter than your reed holder.
10. Last, put a drop of red and black ink in your pallet inkwells, grab your rocks or terra cotta pieces, and start painting hieroglyphics and hieratics (this page can be used for a reference)!
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