8A -- The Israelites leave Egypt (Week One)

 This lesson is split into three one week lessons.

Moses, birth to c. 1349 BC Exodus

1. Lesson Pages from Supplemental Materials:

·         From Adam to Us: p. 117-124, 130-132 (additional activities for these pages are in the accompanying Map Book and Student Workbook)

·         Story of the World, vol. 1: p. 103-109 (additional activities for these pages are in the accompanying The Story of the World: Activity Book One)

2. Study material for family discussion (older students can read on their own, parents can read and summarize for younger students):

Exodus 1-5, 7-14

Most historians put Moses and the Exodus around the time of Pharaoh Ramses II. However, this is based loosely on the Bible mentioning that the Pharaoh used the Israelite slave labor to build up the cities Pithom and Raamses. However, this task is set by the first Pharaoh to bring the Israelites into slavery, not the last (Exodus 1: 11). And, if you look at the footnotes, Raamses is identified as Avaris or Tanis. Avaris was the capital built up by the Hyksos, which we already theorized may have been the dynasty to put the Israelites into bondage. (A map of the Nile Delta with Avaris and Tanis)

 I looked through Egyptian history for a Pharaoh that fit a few criteria. First, he would be or would be related to one of the last pharaohs to be named with the Mosis/Mose/Moses name part (which means “born of” or “child of”). This usage began with Ahmose ruling in 1570 BC, and the last pharaoh to have it was Thutmosis IV ruling in 1419 BC. No ruler would have wanted to remember the name Moses after the Exodus.

 Second, the pharaoh of the Exodus could not be followed by his oldest son, since his oldest would have died in the tenth plague. Amenhotep III, son of Thutmosis IV, was followed by his second son because his oldest died before he could reign.

Third, I thought it likely that the pharaoh to follow the pharaoh of the Exodus would have a religious crisis, because the Egyptian gods completely lost face to the Israelite God with the plagues. Again, the second son who followed Amenhotep III was the famous heretic pharaoh who turned away from all the Egyptian gods to worship a new god, Aten. He even changed his name from Amenhotep IV to Akhenaten. He was married to the famously beautiful Nefertiti. (A family chart of the 18th dynasty)

It turns out I am not the only one who thinks that Amenhotep III was the pharaoh of the Exodus:

https://jbqnew.jewishbible.org/assets/Uploads/454/jbq_454_FriedmanAmenhotepzz.pdf

 

After Akhenaten, the ruler was King Tut, or Tutankhamun, (who is also on the 18th dynasty family chart with two possible mothers) who is technically really only famous because his tomb was found intact, a rarity for the Egyptian pharaohs. He began rule as a young boy, and died before he was twenty. But the treasure trove of artifacts he left helped shape our ideas of ancient Egypt.

In this same time period the Hittites had a fierce ruler raise them up out of a time of trouble. His name was Suppiluliuma I. King Tut’s widow contacted him to have one of his sons marry her and save her from the men who wanted to take over the kingdom. This request did not work out well for anyone involved. The son that was sent was killed at the border, the widow was forced to marry a man named Ay who was possibly her mother’s father, and Suppiluliuma attacked Egypt.

 

3. Attention Getter: It might be fun to set this one up by watching Prince of Egypt the evening before. You can start the discussion with the theory that it was not the Pharaoh Ramses that was involved in the Exodus.

 

4. Videos:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/children/videos/scripture-stories/old-testament/15-the-baby-moses?&lang=eng

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/children/videos/scripture-stories/old-testament/16-the-prophet-moses?&lang=eng

 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/children/videos/scripture-stories/old-testament/17-the-passover?&lang=eng

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I_qM4HO6gg (Baby Moses drawn from the water)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUIUNVjTYvc (Thutmose IV may have been the pharaoh while Moses was growing up as a royal prince. He would have been dead when Moses came back for the Exodus)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqjwr7KXI30 (Moses learns he is a son of God)

THE PLAGUES OF EGYPT - YouTube

What was the meaning and purpose of the ten plagues of Egypt? - YouTube

5. Mapping: Study Map 2 in the LDS version of the King James Bible (In the Gospel Library app it is under Scriptures>Study Helps>Bible Maps>2. Israel’s Exodus from Egypt and Entry into Canaan).

6. Worksheets: There are several good activities on this page under Fun and Games: https://www.biblewise.com/characters_topics/moses.php

7. Make a bunch of origami frogs to spread across your table for the week to remind you of the plagues of Egypt: https://origami.me/jumping-frog/

8. World History Reading:

·         Time-Life Student Library Ancient Civilizations 3000 BC – AD 500,  p. 72-73, discuss what you learn about the Israelites from the Egyptian drawing. 

7A -- Egypt-- Hyksos to 1498 BC Hatshepsut

 

A queen with a beard? It was a fake, but it was one of the ways that Hatshepsut tried to legitimize her reign as pharaoh, a traditionally male position

1. Lesson Pages from Supplemental Materials:

·         From Adam to Us: p. 130-132 (additional activities for these pages are in the accompanying Map Book and Student Workbook)

·         Story of the World, vol. 1: p. 90-96, 135-138 (additional activities for these pages are in the accompanying The Story of the World: Activity Book One)

 2. Study material for family discussion (older students can read on their own, parents can read and summarize for younger students):

The time of the Hyksos rule may have been when the Israelites were enslaved. The Hyksos were not true Egyptians, and would not have appreciated Joseph’s contribution to Egypt. They may have felt some uneasiness about another non-Egyptian group that could rise up to rival them. The Hyksos came from Canaan, the land where Jacob and his sons had lived before they moved to Egypt.

Sometime during this dynasty, a major event happened in the Mediterranean. A volcano on the island of Thera, which is now called Santorini, exploded in what some believe is the most powerful blast in history. It is also believed that the resulting tsunamis and effects like weather caused or at least majorly contributed to the end of the Minoan civilization. https://www.livescience.com/4846-eruption-thera-changed-world.html

The Hyksos were driven from power in Egypt by Ahmose I, who founded the 18th dynasty. The fifth ruler of this dynasty, Hatshepsut, was a female pharaoh. Eventually, some years after her death, most images of her were destroyed. But no one knows for sure who did this or why. There are a few theories. A mummy who most likely died of cancer has been identified as Hatshepsut, but many experts question if this mummy is really the queen.

Meanwhile, remember the Hittites? The people who liked to fight, drive fast war chariots, build with stone, and worship a god of storms? They were kind of fierce and it was causing problems for their leaders. When someone made it to the throne, they often ended up being assassinated by someone else who wanted to be king. So one of their kings, Telipinu, made an edict that spelled out exactly who could be the next king after someone died. The Hittites of this time were also becoming skilled in working iron, not just from meteorites as most people of the time obtained their iron, but it was a difficult process and weapons made of iron were probably expensive and not common.

Another nation rising up at this time was the Myceneans. These were the dominant people of Greece between the time of the Minoans and the Greek Dark Ages.

3. Attention Getter: Ask the students what a female would have to do to become a leader in this country. Now if you have a girl in your group have her come up and put a fake beard on her face. (Or have a mother put one on). Ask if the students think something like this would help.

4. Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bYRy_wZEJI (Hatshepsut)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWrCg90kuts (Hatshepsut)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsJekC5QiFM (Thera volcano)

The Hittites 2003 - YouTube (Telipinu, from 27:11 to 33:47, daily life of the Hittites is 33:47 to 47:35—teens should watch) *** I had to change links because the old video was deleted, so add 1:19 to all given times***

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq42a1014c0 (Myceneans, Note: there is a city of Thebes on Greece, not to be confused with Thebes in Egypt. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnoqlCV__z4&pp=QADQAwE%3D (Nubia, 8:43 to 10:57)

5. Mapping: Find Avaris at modern Tell el-Dab’a on the Nile Delta. This was the capital of the Hyksos Dynasty. At the same time the Hyksos ruled, there were strong rulers in Thebes, who eventually rose up against the Hyksos. Find Hatshepsut’s home city of Thebes in Upper (southern) Egypt. Student page 51 in The Story of the World Activity Book One shows the location of Crete in relation to Thera/Santorini.

6. Poster: Draw a poster of Hatshepsut in her pharaoh’s clothing and beard with the date 1498 BC.

7. World History Reading:

·         World History Biographies: Hatshepsut: The Girl Who Became a Great Pharaoh (National Geographic World History Biographies), good for the pictures

·         Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. This book assumes a rivalry between Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III that may or may not have existed and ends with Hatshepsut’s assassination, although she may have died of natural causes.

•  Time-Life Student Library Ancient Civilizations 3000 BC – AD 500, p.78-79

 

 

 

Review #1

 Follow this link to a review of the previous lessons:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K2VpXv_5eNtUkuBaaw09BGvLYGTjbIZVxVVpR9xVA5c/edit?usp=sharing

Use this review before each lesson. You will add to this activity in future reviews.

6A -- c. 1700 BC Tang of Shang dynasty, Minos, Hittites

 

1.  Lesson Pages from Supplemental Materials:

·         From Adam to Us: p. 81-87, 93-116  (additional activities for these pages are in the accompanying Map Book and Student Workbook)

·         Story of the World, vol. 1: p. 128-135, (additional activities for these pages are in the accompanying The Story of the World: Activity Book One)

2. Study material for family discussion (older students can read on their own, parents can read and summarize for younger students):

The history of the Minoans was lost to us for a long time, but a memory of them was kept alive in the story of King Minos and the Labyrinth. For centuries it was believed this was nothing more than a myth, but when the Minoan ruins were uncovered, we found out that it was based on some facts. The labyrinth is based on a confusion of rooms under the palace at Knossos. King Minos was most likely a real king, or it was a title that meant King. Other kingdoms may have had to send a tribute of young people to Minos. The minotaur, half bull and half human, would be founded on the importance of bulls in the religion and sport of the Minoans. The young tributes may have been involved in the dangerous sport or ritual of bull jumping. A monster living beneath castle may have been based on the groaning of the earth with the common occurrence of earthquakes in the area. The Minoans traded with the Phoenicians and the Mesopotamians, and they had to deal with pirates just like the Phoenicians did.

 We don’t have a lot of interesting stories for this beginning era of the Hittites, but there are some facts that set them apart from other people of the time period.

 

·      They were fighters who made the chariot lighter and faster, making it a more useful war vehicle. This helped them expand their kingdom.

·         They built with stone foundations and wood frames covered in mud brick. Stone walls surrounded their cities. Large stone lion statues can still be seen flanking one of the stone gates leading into their capital city.

·         They worshipped several gods but the main one was the storm god Tarhun (probably a precursor to the Greek Zeus).

 

China had been under the rule of the Xia dynasty up until this point. It began with Yu, a man who successfully stopped the devastating flooding of the river. This had such a huge impact on the lives of the people that he became a trusted official and then emperor. Eventually the Xie Dynasty that Yu had started was ruled by a man named Jie, who was only interested in cruelty and his own pleasure. Tang was a leader of a tribe or state in the dynasty, and he was able to persuade enough of his subjects and neighbors to join him in a revolt against Jie, after which he began the Shang dynasty.

 

 3. Attention Getter: Tell or show the story of Theseus and the Minotaur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzG3-vA_DCA (this is a clean version, this story can have disturbing parts so be careful if you do a Youtube search)

      Put googly eyes on a container of Tang and set it out and tell your students it will relate to the lesson.

 

4. Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bJmbhafz8M (Hittites)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kILvEa3cJdI (Focuses on the kingdom after 1600 BC, watch up to 27:49—for teens, note: might want to preview/mute around 14:30)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4hRA2IgtB4 (Minoans)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAm3dsk67RE (Beautiful 3D rendering of Knossos palace set to music)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epsx_k_OUHk (Tang and the Shang Dynasty)

5. Mapping: Map 5 and Map 6 in From Adam to US Map Book. Find these sites on a modern day map of the world. Also locate Turkey, which is where the Hittites lived.

 

6. Poster: Draw a poster entitled “Three Ancient Fighters” that pictures Theseus, a Hittite chariot warrior, and Tang.

 

7. You should have noticed when looking at artifacts from the Shang Dynasty, many of the metal objects are green. These are made of bronze, a mixture of copper and tin. At one time they were shiny and more copper colored. But over time, copper turns green. What color is the Statue of Liberty? She is made of copper, and time has changed her color. Try this experiment and turn some copper pennies green: https://www.steamsational.com/turning-a-penny-green/

 

8. World History Reading:

·         Theseus Battling the Minotaur, a graphic myth by Jeff Limke and John McCrea. Preview this one, it has a couple of things you might want to take out, but my boys love the graphic novel type books, and this is their favorite.

·         OR Theseus and the Minotaur told by Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden. This one is easy chapter book style and keeps the tale pretty PG.

·         In Search of Knossos by Giovanni Caselli, very informative illustrations, focused on the archaeological past of this city on Crete and what we have learned from the discoveries there.

·         Time-Life Student Library Ancient Civilizations 3000 BC – AD 500, p. 76-77

5A -- The Israelites (Week Two)

 Week two: c. 1772 BC Hammurabi’s code, Joseph and drought

1. Lesson Pages from Supplemental Materials:

·         Story of the World, vol. 1: p. 39-53  (additional activities for these pages are in the accompanying The Story of the World: Activity Book One)

2. Study material for family discussion (older students can read on their own, parents can read and summarize for younger students):

Genesis 37, 39-45

It is important to remember that people were spreading all across the world at this point. There were tribes of people across Russia, in the Arctic following the reindeer herds, settling across India and in the steppes above China, traveling farther south in Africa, and more. History is so vast, we can only focus on some of the more well-known civilizations and figures from the past. The civilizations that kept records are the easiest for archaeologists and historians to understand. 

3. Attention Getter: Pretend your little brother breaks one of your toys. What would be a fair punishment? Talk about the difference between “fair” and what we believe as Christians.

 4. Videos:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/children/videos/scripture-stories/old-testament/12-joseph?lang=eng

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/children/videos/scripture-stories/old-testament/13-joseph-in-egypt?&lang=eng

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/children/videos/scripture-stories/old-testament/14-josephs-brothers-in-egypt?&lang=eng

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd3o-A3QLdA&t=8s (This is the first 30 min of the movie Joseph: Beloved Son, Rejected Slave, Exalted Ruler. The entire movie is supposed to be available on Tubi, but I have not tried it. )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zqAfRtMZSg (My kids always groan when I show these song videos, but then weeks later it is the only thing they still remember)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rC5V5vEprs (teens)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbejtXzzYgU (teens)

 

5. Mapping: Using your Map 4 from earlier lessons, trace Joseph’s journey from where he was sold near Shechem to Egypt where he became a slave.

 

6. Worksheets: There are several good activities under Fun and Games on this page: https://www.biblewise.com/characters_topics/joseph.php

 

Scroll down this page for a free crossword, or type Joseph into the search bar for more worksheets. Some are free, some are not: https://biblepathwayadventures.com/activities/joseph-brothers-2/

 

7. Discussion: use these pages to help you think about how our perception of punishment has changed. What is the purpose of law? How do your thoughts on the appropriate punishment go with the purpose of law? http://davidsonclass.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/120052215/Hammurabi%27s%20Code%20activity.pdf

 

8. World History Reading:

·         The Bronze Dagger by Marie Sontag, a short novel set in Mesopotamia in Hammurabi’s time.

·         Hammurabi: Babylonian Ruler by Christine Mayfield and Kristine M. Quinn, good pictures and short text.

5A -- The Israelites (Week One)

 This lesson is divided into two one week lessons.

Week one: Isaac and Jacob

1. Lesson Pages from Supplemental Materials:

·         From Adam to Us: bottom of p.79 thru 82 (additional activities for these pages are in the accompanying Map Book and Student Workbook)

·         Story of the World, vol. 1: p. 110-112 (additional activities for these pages are in the accompanying The Story of the World: Activity Book One)

2. Study material for family discussion (older students can read on their own, parents can read and summarize for younger students):

Genesis 24-33

In the story of Isaac and Rebekah, it is important to remember that Rebekah was following the Lord’s direction when she had their son Jacob seek for the blessing from Isaac. Jacob was more obedient to the Lord.

The Phoenicians were sea traders who had established coastal towns by this time, including Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos. They were good sailors and ship builders who helped keep trade alive through the Mediterranean. They learned to contend with pirates who sailed the waters. It would be many years before they would travel out onto the Atlantic, however. Some ancient records suggest that for some time after the Flood, the Atlantic was a scary, muddy, unsettled body of water. The Phoenicians were also known for their purple dye, which they obtained from a gland in a certain shell creature called a murex. Piles of dead murex rotted around the cities, creating a putrid smell. These people were some of the Canaanites that the Israelites would later encounter, and sometimes conquer. 

3. Worksheets: There are several good activities under Fun and Games on this page: https://www.biblewise.com/characters_topics/jacob.php

You can also search this site for more worksheets by typing Jacob into the search bar, some are free some are not: https://biblepathwayadventures.com/activities/jacob-2/

 4. Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AvQ0d6HB1I (a wife for Isaac)

 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/children/videos/scripture-stories/old-testament/10-jacob-and-esau?&lang=eng

 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/children/videos/scripture-stories/old-testament/11-jacob-and-his-family?&lang=eng

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BkIAZwM8U4 (Phoenicians)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXC8TA1SJ-A (More about Phoenician Tyrian purple)

 

5. Mapping: Using your Map 4 from the last lessons, trace Jacob’s journey from the land of Canaan where he grew up to the land of Paddan-Aram where his Uncle Laban lived, and then back to live in Shechem. Add to your map the land of Edom, where Jacob met his brother Esau (nicknamed Edom or “Red”), using this map to help you: https://bibleatlas.org/full/edom.htm

 Using the first Bible map in the LDS edition of the King James Bible (In the Gospel Library app it is under Scriptures>Study Helps>Bible Maps>1. Physical Map of the Holy Land), find Tyre and Sidon and add them to your Map 4.

 

6. Jacob’s sons eventually became 12 separate tribes. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, so we call these tribes the 12 tribes of Israel. Design a flag for each tribe. This page summarizes the descriptions of each flag from the Bible: http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/662,2143627/What-Are-the-12-Tribes-Flags.html

 

7. Try a simple lentil stew that might have been similar to the one Jacob gave to Esau:  https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/lentil-soup-recipe-1947017

8. World History Reading (use this time to finish some of the longer reading from past lessons):

·         Time-Life Student Library Ancient Civilizations 3000 BC – AD 500, p. 70-71

 

4A -- Post Flood to 2000 BC (Week Three)

 Week three: the Indus, China, Africa

1. Lesson Pages from Supplemental Materials:

·         From Adam to Us: p. 88-92 (additional activities for these pages are in the accompanying Map Book and Student Workbook)

·         Story of the World, vol. 1: p. 59-65, 66-87 (additional activities for these pages are in the accompanying The Story of the World: Activity Book One)

2. Study material for family discussion (older students can read on their own, parents can read and summarize for younger students):

https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/FeaturesAfrica/PrehistorySahara01.htm

                This article discusses the change in climate that occurred in the Sahara a few hundred years after the flood. We can surmise that the Sahara was livable for some time, or animals would not have made it into southern Africa from where the ark landed in Turkey. They would not have crossed the great desert that the Sahara has become.

There is art in the Sahara showing animals common to Africa living in the area. Scientists date the art using their best educated guess, since rocks cannot be dated like living things (which do not always date correctly either). And since they do not believe in the Flood, it skews their view of climate data they use to help date that era as well. Keep this in mind when you hear dates like 10,000 years ago.

People in this time period were spreading out, moving south into more parts of Africa and east as far as China.

            The Indus Civilization may be one of the places that was built on pre-Flood ruins. This area was built with mud-brick, but the bricks here were baked in giant kilns because it rains a lot and sun-dried bricks would not hold up to the rains.

            The Indus River still flows, but at one time she had a sister river, the Sarasvati (or Saraswati). More ancient sites are found on the dried route of this river than on the Indus. Whatever caused this river to stop flowing contributed to the decline of the civilization. This article has a map showing the original route of the Sarasvati: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/harappan-site-saraswati-river-indus-valley-civilisation-254124-2015-05-22 .

 3. Attention Getter: Show a picture of the Sahara desert today and ask your children what kinds of animals they think could survive there. 

4. Videos:

https://smarthistory.org/rock-art-in-the-green-sahara/ (remember, it is not possible to date rocks, and the fact the animals depicted are the same ones that exist farther south in Africa suggests these pictures were done after the flood. It is somewhat comical that after showing a definitely not man-mad enormous climate change, this ends with blaming disappearing rock art on modern man-made climate change.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUng-iHhSzU (Indus)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73yFDlgqPio (Indus for teens)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlBEEuYIWwY (Hinduism summarized, this religion most likely had its beginnings in the Indus era)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq1pTPf0IlI (Lei zu and silk)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50GmeiIsY2w (the very mythical version of Huangdi)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzbbumvYsO0 (real images of Huangdi’s tomb and yearly celebration--more for teens) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oQ5Jd7p2aY (the San of Africa, remind students that measurements of time in the 10,000s are not correct)

5. Mapping: Find the Sahara desert and the Indus River on a modern map of the world. Which countries are these places in now? Using a scale, find out how wide the desert is from north to south and talk about what it would take to cross this. There is a student map on Student Page 28 of Story of the World, Activity Book One.

6. Poster: Draw a picture of what you think your home would have looked like in Mohenjo-Daro or in Sahara when it was still habitable.

 7. World History Reading:

·         Tales of Indian Gods & Goddesses by Divya Jain. Most of us are familiar with Greek mythology and their pantheon of gods and goddesses; this book will introduce some Indian religious figures.

·         Time-Life Student Library Ancient Civilizations 3000 BC – AD 500, p. 46-47