Secrets of the Silk Road – Teacher Packet - Bowers Museum

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Bowers Museum Education Department March 2010 PRE-VISIT LESSON: GEOGRAPHY ©Elizabeth Wayland Barber, The Mummies of Urümchi (W. W. Norton Company, New York, 1999) The items in the exhibition were found mostly in the area around the Tarim Basin, though the actual archaeological sites are as follows: o Astana Cemetery in Turfan o Ulughchat (Wuqia) County; o Turfan, Gaochang Ancient City o Zaghunluq, Charchan o Alagou (Alqighul, Alghuy), Toksun o South Mountain, Urumqi o Niya, Mingeng o Alar Cemetery, Rouqiang o Subeshi Cemetary, Pichan o Qourghas County, Ancient Alimalik City o Sampul, Lop o Yoykan, Hetian, south bank of Kunas River PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY 1: GEOGRAPHY Ask your students to identify some of the burial sites on a map of China. 6 o Xinyaun (Kunas) County o Bortala, Daltu Ancient City o Boma Cemetary, Il o Mongghul Kura (Zhaosu) County o Yeshiliek Cemetery, Tekas County o Xiahe Cemetery, Charqilik County o Gutai Cemetery, Loulan City o Wupu (Qizilchoqa)Cemetery, Hami (Qumul) o Qawighul (Gumugou) Cemetary, Charqilik (Ruoqiang) County o Jarintay, Nilqa County o Yingpan , Yuli (Lopnur) County; Niya o Yurayak, Keriya (Yutian) County.
PRE-VISIT LESSON: MUMMIES The Mummies you will see in the exhibit are very different from the mummies you may have learned about before. Egyptian mummies were prepared by removing the organs, and embalming the bodies. The mummies were preserved because they dehydrated using chemicals, and were then wrapped in yards of linen soaked in various ointments and spices. The use of embalming chemicals gave the bodies of the mummies a dark hue. These Chinese mummies were preserved so well not necessarily by design, but rather because of the unforgiving environmental conditions of the Tarim Basin. During the winter, temperatures dropped well below zero, and during the summer, the heat was unbearable. These temperature extremes actual “freeze-dried” the mummies! PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY 2: MUMMIES Look at the mummies below (higher quality images for classroom viewing are included in the associated powerpoint). Do they seem like mummies you would expect to find in the middle of China? Why or why not? How are they different from mummies you’ve seen or studied before? Hint, think of the Egyptian mummies you may have learned about before. Infant Mummy, c. 8th Century BC Excavated from Zaghunluq, Chärchän Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum Collection L: 50 cm L:20” Glass Coffin- L: 80cm W: 50cm H: 130cm Trappings of “Yingpan Man”, 3rd-4th Century Excavated from Yingpan, Yuli (Lopnur) County Bowers Museum Education Department March 2010 This infant was about 8-10 months old at the time of death. The tufts of light brown hair and light eyebrows, plus the blue stones covering the baby’s eyes give a clear indication of its key physical characteristics. The baby was found lying on its back and shrouded in dark red wool wrapped with intertwined red and blue cords, giving the appearance of swaddling cloths. Resting on a rectangular piece of felt, the head is covered in a blue cashmere cap with a red lining. There is a pillow under its head, making it seem as if the baby is sleeping soundly. The face is the only part of the entire body that is bare, with fair skin and two flat, rectangular stones (2 x 3 x 0.3 cm) over the eyes. (Other infant mummies from Zaghunluq and at other sites in the Tarim Basin had similar blue or blue-green stones covering their eyes. Since stones of such color are not common, their use to cover the eyes of dead children must convey important symbolic information.) Two balls of red wool yarn are placed inside the infant’s nostrils. On either side of the infant were placed an ox horn and a nursing device made from a goat’s udder. 7 This robe has a collar, a right closure, and two slits on either side of the garment. It is made of fine wool with a red background and designs of animals (oxen, goats), people, and trees. The pattern is symmetrical with a continuous, repeating motif of a group of naked human figures and animals in pairs around a pomegranate tree. This design traverses the robe to the hem. The entire pattern reflects the influences of West Eurasian art, mainly Greco-Roman and secondarily Persian.
Page 1 and 2: SECRETS OF THE SILK ROAD: STUDY GUI
Page 3 and 4: BACKGROUND: INTRODUCTION TO THE SIL
Page 5: Evolution o 3.0 Biological evolutio
Page 9 and 10: Brocade Face Cover with Dogwood Pat
Page 11 and 12: Bowers Museum Education Department
Page 13 and 14: Han Emperor, Wu-ti's interests in C
Page 15 and 16: Arabs conquer Spain in Europe, whic
Page 17 and 18: 1700 A.D. Numbers of severe earthq
Page 19 and 20: Books Web Articles Bowers Museum Ed
Page 21 and 22: Bowers Museum Education Department
Page 23 and 24: oasis (plural: oases) In geography,
Page 25 and 26: Uyghurs [pronounced wee-gur] The Uy

Secrets of the Silk Road – Teacher Packet - Bowers Museum

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?