Year 7 students have been learning about the lives, social hierachy and customs of ancient Egyptians as part of Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS).
Stepping back into class after a lunch break, students found themselves randomly allocated a role within ancient Eqyptian society.
On their desks was a plastic sleeve with a role description and instructions about a relevant activity.
From the all-powerful phaoah at the top of the pyramid-like class structure to priests, scribes and slaves, students quickly discovered what it would have felt like to live in the ancient society.
The slaves and peasants were instructed to sit on the floor while the pharoah was seated at a table – with a foot stool and teachers going out of their way to serve snacks and complete his work.
It was a hands-on lesson in empathy and social justice.
Student Grace H found instructions on her desk to be an artisan and felt strongly about the different ways students were treated in their makeshift ancient Egyptian society.
“I make pottery and I’m looking over at the pharaoh’s table and seeing a juicebox and I’m feeling very sad, I think it’s unfair and I want to start a rebellion,” she said.
Grace S was allocated to the role of soldier.
“I needed to colour a shield and put a handle on it, but I would rather be someone that makes food, or maybe the pharaoh, definitely not a soldier,” she said.
Eli found himself as a scribe.
“We are the only people who know how to read, I wouldn’t have minded being a scribe, I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to be a slave.”
One of the students who had to work as a slave was Brooke.
“It hasn’t made me feel good at all, the pharaoh is getting good treatment and us slaves are having to work and cut out stuff and it’s just not fair,” she said.
“We’ve made handcuffs, so we don’t have any freedom, I wouldn’t have wanted to live like this.”
Alcide had the covetted position of pharoah and found himself being served by his teachers Hannah Lindner and Martin Sumner.
While he enjoyed the fruit box and lollies, the favouritism did make him feel uncomfortable.
“It feels good to be pharoah and so powerful but it does feel a little bit weird to get all this stuff,” he said.
Teacher Hannah Lindner said the activity was designed to give students an opportunity to experience what it may have felt like living in ancient Egyptian society.
“We’ve got some slaves and peasants who have to work on the floor and we have a pharaoh who is sitting at a table with lollies and a snacks who gets very well taken care of
“After this we will go into looking at the way that social hierachy was divided in ancient Egypt and the kids will go outside and place themselves in a pyramid of social hierachy.”
Students also learnt more how ancient Egyptians mummified their dead to preserve their bodies, in the belief the soul needed a physical body the afterlife.
They created their own mummies using toilet paper, an activity that students seemed to enjoy far more than being a slave!
