Crimewatch Ancient Egypt: Tomb Robbers
This fun activity is a brilliant way of developing pupils’ deductive thinking skills in a realistic context. Pupils are cast in the role of police detectives trying to solve a 3,000 year old crime, one with a difference. This time they know the culprits. What they don’t know is who the victims are. Working against the clock, pupils have to return the goods to the correct tomb. This is important work. Fail, and the people will never get to the afterlife. Knowing that people took into the afterlife items they had used in this one gives pupils enough to get going. The rest requires real brain work.
Learning objectives
- pupils experience a sense of awe and wonder at finding these undiscovered ancient riches
- they understand that ancient Egyptians wanted the life they had led, and the good things they had enjoyed, to continue after death
- they understand that funeral arrangements included providing the deceased with everything they would need to fully participate in the afterlife
- they understand that it was necessary for a person’s name to continue to exist, for their body to remain intact and the spirit forms which survived death to be regularly
