Pyramids, Chapels, and Stories: Religion in Ancient Egypt 8 Lesson course

In this 8 session (60 minutes each session) course, students will learn about different aspects of religion in ancient Egypt through the lens of different economic and social classes (i.e elite as well as lower on the economic scale). A lot of the information covered and our evidence streams will come from burials and funerary culture. Students will also learn about what ancient Egyptian writings say about religion and religious practices. Students can choose to take all eight sessions or just select the themes that draw them in the most. We do not have to follow the order listed in the content breakdown.
Weekly Breakdown
1: Intro/ The Written Word part 1: literature and funerary writings
2: The written word part 2
3: Religion at the royal/ elite level part 1
4: Religion at the royal/ elite level part 2
5: Religion at planned settlements/ pyramid towns
6: Tomb aspects from Predynastic on part 1
7: Tomb aspects from Predynastic on part 2
8: Temples

Extra information

Bring your own laptop or video connecting device

Location

Online via webcam

General info

Archaeology

History

Religion & spirituality

Age:	Teenagers (13-17 years old) Adults (18-64 years old) Seniors (65+ years old)
Student level:	Beginner Intermediate Advanced
Duration:	60 minutes
The class is taught in:	English

About Me

I have a BA from Sweet Briar College where I majored in History and minored in Archaeology. In 2019 I received an MA from Tufts in History and Museum Studies. I traveled to Egypt in 2011 and was able to see a fair amount of the archaeological sites on my bucket list! In 2024 I hope to begin a PhD or MA program in Egyptology (my ultimate aim is to be an Egyptologist)! While my ultimate goal is to bring narratives and stories to light that tend to receive less focus, I design my client sessions and visual aids around client requests and what they most want to learn about!

My online classes focus on Ancient History and Egyptology in particular! I have taught most of the courses offered on my profile online for the Osher Life Long Learning Institute program branch through Tufts University. I believe that the study of history should be made fun and engaging for all students, irrespective of background, age, economic circumstances, etc. My one hour teaching sessions move beyond the presentation of history as a series of boring facts and figures with one 'right' answer and include primary sources, maps, and online sources where appropriate.

I incorporate both narratives and stories that tend to receive less focus in addition to the achievements (and shortcomings) of white cis men for different time periods. I also try to place historical figures and events within their greater context. For instance, the decipherment of hieroglyphics and the Rosetta Stone is so much richer than a lot of people know. The larger story involves the start of European advances into Egypt, imperialistic competition between France and England, and the understudied attempts of medieval Arabic scholars in hieroglyphic decipherment. Sessions on classical Greece and Athens could include direct democracy in Athens and the general historical trajectory of the city. Other options include the limits of that direct democracy for women and slaves.

FAQ's
1. When was I bitten by the 'history bug'?
Essentially, as far back as I can remember I have been fascinated with ancient history and ancient Egypt in particular. 2011 travel to Egypt and Greece (for undergraduate study abroad) only solidified that further.
2. What is my main historical focus in my teaching sessions?
Prehistory, beginning with the Paleolithic and ending with the 'fall' of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD.
3. Within that framework, what historical periods/ cultures am I strongest on?
I know the most about the Paleolithic, the Neolithic (when farming and animal domestication occurred in different parts of the world), the ancient Near East (roughly speaking modern day Iran/Iraq/Syria, Turkey), ancient Egypt, ancient Mediterranean/ ancient Greece/Rome/, and archaeology.
4. How do I structure my teaching sessions?
You as the client tell me whether you want to go through all the sessions for each course or selected ones. More generally, you as the client tell me what culture/ period of time/subject focus you are most interested in, and I craft a series of teaching sessions that focus on what you most want to learn within that.
5. What would be some hypothetical examples of this?
Say you want to know more about the Romans. I would first ask, do you want to focus on the Roman Republic, Empire, or both? Next, I would ask if you want a social history focus (the religion, laws, general beliefs), or a political focus (important battles, personalities, etc.) Say you came to me wanting to know more about the ancient Egyptians (a very long lived culture). I would first try to pinpoint your general focus: "pharaonic Egypt"? (i.e the 3000+ years of Egypt's prehistory and independent statehood), the Greco-Roman period?, both?.
6. Do I have experience in online teaching (particularly for adult learners?)
Yes! In the final year of my graduate program at Tufts, I became a Study Leader for the Osher Life Learning Institute branch (post graduation, I have remained a Study Leader for Osher). Of the more than five courses I have taught, enrollment has regularly exceeded three, including some returnees!
7. When am I available?
Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
8. Do I know any ancient languages that would make a visit to a museum even better ?
Yes, within this last year I have become competent in Middle Egyptian hieroglyphs.
9. Based on client preference, am I able to work visual aids/ multimedia into my teaching?
Yes! My starting visual aid tool is an optional personalized Power Point for each session. From there, depending on client subject matter and themes, relevant youtube videos and scholarly websites are possibilities.

Education

Undergrad: Sweet Briar College. VA
Major: history
Minor: archaeology
Degree earned: BA
GPA: 3.6

Graduate: Tufts University, Medford MA
Degree earned: MA in Museum Studies and History
GPA: 3.9

Experience / Qualifications

Teaching and public speaking. Deep knowledge of the history and culture of ancient Near East and ancient Egypt gained through a combination of formal coursework and independent study. Proficient in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Strong drive to succeed and self-starter. Strong written and interpersonal communication skills. Excellent research and analytical skills on a variety of academic databases including JSTOR. High level of professionalism, ability to multitask, and organizational talents.

9.92GBP/ h

Owls, Vultures, and Cattle: How Do You Read Those Hieroglyphs? 8 session course

This 8 session course (60 minutes each session) has three interrelated goals: have students understand the basics of Middle Egyptian hieroglyphs, make students aware of the variety of reputable non-print/ print sources that are out there for Egyptology/ ancient history overall, and enable students to be able to go into a museum or exhibit of Egyptian artifacts and translate common phrases of five fold royal titulary, pronouns, Offering Formula, etc. In sum I want students to be able to apply to a so-called ‘dead language” real world examples. This will be accomplished through discussion, lectures, and relevant PowerPoint slides. I will use PowerPoint slides to show students examples from real life objects that match up with the grammatical lesson theme for that week. Keeping in mind that different students have different learning styles and methods to have content ‘click’, for most of the weeks I have also put optional links (to web sources or youtube videos) that either restate and/or give further info for that week's grammar theme. Depending on student preference and desires multiple choice quizzes are also possibilities. I will teach hieroglyphic words/phrases having to do with monarchy/kingship, members of a family, masculine and feminine versions of words, and words/phrases commonly found on private/royal stelae that concern offerings to deceased. Just like my other offered courses, students can choose to take all eight or just select the themes that draw them in the most. We do not have to follow the order listed in the content breakdown. Content Breakdown Class 1: Introduction to the Language and Its Format Assigned reading Class 2: Uniliteral signs/ Structure Things Mentioned in Week 1 Class 3: Biliteral/ Triliteral Signs in Detail Class 4: Nouns Class 5: Nouns continued with focus on Offering Formula Class 6: Pronouns Class 7: Adjectives Class 8: Full Just Objects Review and/ or challenges to student to translate during that 60 minute time chunk

9.92GBP/ h

Seti and Imhotep Arrive: The 1999 film 'The Mummy': Truth or Fiction? 8 Lesson course

This course is an 8 session (60 minutes each session) in depth exploration of The 1999 film, 'The Mummy' and where the line between fiction and reality should be drawn. I will cover a little over three thousand years. The course begins with an overview of Egyptian chronology and Egyptology background. I will explore the real life biographies of the film’s main characters, ancient Egypt’s chronology, and the real life burial ceremonies of Egyptians. Did Seti, Imhotep, and Ankasamun really exist? Find out the answers to these questions and so much more! so much more! Like my other courses, students can opt to pay for all eight sessions or have me teach certain aspects of the film that they are most curious about. We do not have to follow the order listed in the content breakdown. Content Breakdown Class One/ Two Class One: Intro (Field Beginnings and Entanglement with 'isms' ) part 1 Class Two: Entanglement with 'isms' ) part 2 Current challenges in Field Egyptian Geography Class Two/ Three : Chronology: Class Four/Five: Historical Cast: Imhotep, Seti 1, Anksmun Class Six-Eight: Did They Really Do That? < Book of the Dead < Canopic Jars < Tomb curses < Burial beliefs/etc.

9.92GBP/ h

Hominids, Farming, and Amazing Cultures From Our Past: Ancient History from the Neolithic to Augustus, Ruler of Rome, 8 Lesson Course

This 8 session (60 minutes each session) course is an overview of ancient history. The course begins with an overview of prehistory and will end (roughly) with the first emperor of Rome. By the course's end I hope to have given students an overview of the questions and debates facing scholarship in ancient history. Students can choose to either take all eight or have me teach the parts that they are most interested in (i.e just the Ancient Near East, or Ancient Greece, etc). We do not have to follow the order listed in the content breakdown. Throughout the course I will use maps to talk about the influence geography has played in these cultures and relevant social media clips from Youtube. To illustrate broad patterns, the following three databases will be recuring sources: the world history maps of Thomas Lessman at Historical World Maps - World History Atlas (https://worldhistorymaps.net/), the interactive Map of the Ancient World (https://www.worldhistory.org/map/), and maps from The Timemap of World History ( https://timemaps.com/). I look forward to our explorations together! Subject Breakdown Prehistory and Origin of Terms (1 class) Ancient Near East (3 classes) Ancient Greece (2 classes) Ancient Rome and Italian Peninsula (2 classes)

9.92GBP/ h

Ancient Egypt Through the Ages: Predynastic to NK 9 lesson course

This 9 session (60 minutes each session) course looks at the history of pre and pharaonic Egypt (before and during Egypt's independent statehood) as well as cultural themes arguably first present during the Predynastic period. Timewise, this period was over three thousand years. To make research a little bit easier, Egyptologists have broken this period up into times when Egypt was a centralized state (placed by Egyptologists under the rubric of Kingdoms) and periods of time when Egypt broke apart into different regions (called Intermediate Periods). I hope to dispel the myth that the ancient Egyptians were completely obsessed with death. The complete opposite is true. Egyptians were amazing and had an incredible zest for life. Because the Intermediate Period classes will take less time, for some of those weeks I will also give a quick summary of the ancient history of the Fertile Crescent (partly because by Egypt's New Kingdom historical developments there are definitely impacting what is going in Egypt). Similar to my other courses, students can choose to take all eight sessions or just focus on the periods that they have a special interest in. I look forward to our explorations together! Content Breakdown Class one- Two: Introduction Class 1: Intro Part 1 < Egyptology's Beginnings and 'ism's entanglement < Summary of Hieroglyphics Class Two: Intro Part 2 < Egypt's Geography and Nile Flood < Overall Chronology Class Three: Neolithic-Early Dynastic Class Four: Old Kingdom Class Five: First Intermediate Period Class Six: Middle Kingdom Class Seven: Second Intermediate Period (Near East context) Class Eight: New Kingdom Class Nine: Late Period

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