דף הבית \(\blacktriangleleft\) היחידה לילדים ונוער \(\blacktriangleleft\) אתר חיצי”ם \(\blacktriangleleft\) מוזיאונים בתרבות מצרים \(\blacktriangleleft\) פעילות 3: מלאכות קדומות
Activity 3: Ancient Crafts and Papyrus Paper
This activity sheet (by: Roni Gonen – Eiron) is dedicated to the crafts that enabled the existence and prosperity of Egyptian culture.
You will get to know the connection between the fertile soil of the Nile and agricultural crops (wheat, flax, and papyrus).
The main activity focuses on papyrus paper – which is the earliest creative craft of the Egyptians, and which changed the world of writing.
As a tribute to this craft, we experiment with creating with paper using various techniques, and learn about the ancient raw material.
The Activity
Background for parents
The success of Egyptian culture stemmed from the maximum utilization of terrain conditions for the benefit of agriculture: the fertile soil (as a result of the Nile overflowing into the Delta region), advanced use of irrigation canals, and warm weather. All of these enabled the cultivation of large quantities of food and also made it possible to dedicate time to additional fields.
The agricultural cycle organized the lives of the ancient Egyptians, and they divided the year into three main seasons – flooding, sowing, and harvesting. Among the agricultural crops that suited this cycle were wheat and barley, from which they prepared bread and beer, flax, which was used for fibers from which threads were spun and woven into fabrics (linen fabrics), and papyrus, from which they created paper for the first time.
The production of papyrus paper was an essential and revolutionary ancient craft.
The following activity uses the context of papyrus to demonstrate how Egyptian culture utilized natural raw materials (the papyrus plant) to create complex materials (paper), and this is exactly the essence of ancient crafts – spinning, weaving, pottery, and paper production.
- Papyrus paper is very different from the bleached paper we use today.
Various creations can be made with paper – through tearing, cutting, shearing (using various hole punchers), folding, rolling, and wrinkling, and gluing them so that different textures are created on the work surface.
The activity can assist in improving fine motor skills when it is performed in a guided manner or as a joint creation with an adult.
\(\space\) - Additional recommended activities with paper – creating a mosaic, origami, and creating greeting cards decorated with paper.
