Human Heritage: A World History

"Egyptian Excavation"

Introduction
If you were going to be buried with your most prized possessions, what would you choose? In this chapter you learned that the pharaohs of ancient Egypt chose to be buried in the pyramids along with their treasures. Unfortunately, thieves have been looting the ancient pyramids since dynastic Egypt, and little is left to tell the complete story of the mysteries of the pyramids. Today's archaeologists work to preserve any clue that may give society more information about the ancient Egyptians. Dedicated archaeologists work under difficult conditions, and their research is slow and tedious. You can learn about a recent excavation site by visiting the NOVA Online/Pyramids Web site.

Destination Title: NOVA Online/Pyramids

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Directions
Start at the NOVA Online/Pyramids Web site.

• Click on the "Follow the Excavation" topic.
• Browse the site, taking notes as you go. Be sure to click on the following topics: "The Dig," "Palace Hypothesis," and "Newsflashes."
  Read through the information, and then answer the following questions.

1			What questions was Mark Lehner, the archaeologist, concerned with answering when he first began his excavation at the Giza Plateau?
2			How did Mr. Lehner know that he had uncovered an ancient bakery?
3			What evidence did the Giza archaeologists find that suggested that they were excavating a palace?
4			Archaeologists read hieroglyphs painted on the walls of the pyramids to learn about ancient Egyptian culture. Name some of the things that have been discovered by understanding hieroglyphics.
5			Imagine you are an archaeologist on Mark Lehner's Giza team. On a separate sheet of paper, write a journal entry describing what you hope to find during the next year's excavation. Include points about what was found this year, and what the evidence suggests for future discoveries.