5th and 6th Graders Dive into the Art and Artifacts of Ancient Egypt at the MFA

Back at school, the students got together to share their experiences. One group reported that their guide stopped them before entering the room that contained mummified Egyptians to focus the group and to build their awareness that they were entering the final resting place of several people. These people had never intended to spend their eternity at a museum in Boston, and we should be grateful to learn from them and be respectful of who they were. This quiet moment seemed impactful to students, and they noticed the use of people-first language, such as, “mummified person,” and using the names of the mummified people. 

Another group described their experience visiting a gallery that contained Benin Bronze artifacts that were part of a collection stolen from the Kingdom of Benin in the late 1890s. Students discussed how they are on loan to the MFA and that the MFA does not have the control to return them to Nigeria. Students grappled with the complexities of returning stolen artwork to their places of origin. 

One group reported that they learned that the artifacts from Ancient Egypt at the MFA were given to archeologists who led an excavation in Egypt in the early 1900s. During their tour students contemplated that even though these artifacts were part of a deal, the deal had some unfair elements as it was made by colonizers in Egypt at the time. 

Finally, the final group viewed a painting of Greek origin, The Seventh Plague of Egypt: Hail which incorrectly portrays people of Egypt. This led to a thoughtful discussion of how false stories can be handed down through history. 

We concluded with our own gallery walk of student sketches and their impressions of life in Ancient Egypt and Nubia based on the stories they saw being told at the museum. Students described a culture connected to their ancestors and the afterlife. They discussed how the work in the galleries was for the wealthy and preserved the life of wealthy people, but was created by skilled craftspeople. Therefore, students felt the story they learned was one of a society that wouldn’t exist without the artistry of craftspeople. After debriefing about the trip, it was clear our time at the MFA not only enriched student understanding of life in Ancient Egypt and Nubia, but also increased their awareness of the role museums play in telling stories about history.