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ANCIENT NUBIA EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

ASOR partnered with Archaeology in the Community (AITC), a local D.C.-based organization specializing in archaeological education, to produce a series of educational videos and lesson plans on Ancient Nubia. The videos are designed for 6th grade teachers to use in fulfillment of Social Studies, Civics, and Geography requirements. Funding for this project was provided by all of the donors to ASOR’s Diversity Initiatives Endowment and the Argosy Foundation.

The Resources

Ancient Nubia Videos

The videos feature interviews with scholars who study Ancient Nubia: Dr. Solange Ashby (Egyptology-Nubiology), Debora Heard (Archaeology), Jenail Marshall (Bioarchaeology), and Dr. Shayla Monroe (Zooarchaeology). They were produced by Sydney A. Pickens, Ali Bavugamenshi, and Dr. Alexandra Jones. Music was provided by 2 Nice Guys Music Production (Teddy Burgh and Teddy Thompson).

The first video introduces Ancient Nubia, its history, geography, and environment. The scholars discuss Nubian religion and cultural traditions such as burial practices, attire, and cattle pastoralism. The first video also covers interactions between Kerma, the first Kingdom of Kush, and Ancient Egypt.

The second video beings with the second Kushite Kingdom at Napata and discusses a period of renaissance and revival of Egyptian customs and religion. The video covers royal cemeteries, pyramids, and burial customs as well as the role of the queen mother. It concludes with the final Kushite Kingdom of Meroe, including Meroitic writing systems, local religious traditions and animal deities, and powerful queens.

Ancient Nubia Curriculum: Lesson Plans and Activities

The lesson plans and activities, created by AITC’s Sydney A. Pickens, meet social sciences requirements for Geography, Economics, Civics, and Historical Thinking and Inquiry. As a bonus, they also cover Cultural Identity and Expression. Activity sheets can be printed out and distributed to students. The Curriculum also includes a teacher kit with guidelines and answer keys for the various activities.

AITC-ASOR Ancient Nubia Curriculum 

Ancient Nubia Video Activity Sheets

Part One:

  • Time, Space, and Geography
  • Cultural Traditions
  • Kerma

Part Two:

  • Napata
  • Meroe

Video activity sheets include map quests, fill-in-the-blank sheets, word finds, diagram labelling, and word scrambles.

Learning to Look: Artifact Observation and Analysis. Curartorial Responsibilities.

  • 33 Questions to Ask an Artifact
  • Loan Acquisition Pitch
  • Artifact Label Writing
  • Exhibition Tours

The Remix: Cultural Continuity, Change, and Comparison.

  • Pyramids
  • Shawabtis
  • Coffins & Sarcophagi
  • Ritual Smiting Scene

Who Tells Your Story: Primary Source Analysis and Uncovering Source Bias.

  • Kamose’s Second Stela at Karnak
  • Strabo’s Geography
  • Meroë Head/Head of Augustus
  • Kawa V: Taharqa’s Donation Stela
  • Temple of Apedemak at Naqa
  • Senworset III: The Semna Stela
  • Acts of the Apostles VII: 26-39, KJV
  • The Baptism of Chamberlain and Queen Candace of Ethiopia

The Process

Part 1: Research and Development

The team began by asking how to make a resource that will be useful for the greatest number of teachers. We wanted our Ancient Nubia resources to be easy to use for teachers and fit well within the requirements of what they need to teach. This involved a detailed examination of common core teaching standards across the U.S. Based on what we found, we chose to focus on educational resource for the 6th grade level.

It was important to the team to feature black scholars who study Ancient Nubia, so that students viewing the video could identify and see themselves in the scholars. We worked with members of the William Leo Hansberry Society as well as ASOR members to find our scholar partners for the videos.

Part 2: Filming and Editing

Solange Ashby and Debora Heard joined members of AITC’s team to film in July of 2021 at the James F. Strange Center in Alexandria, VA. Additional footage was shot by offsite by scholars in LA and Chicago and all editing was handled by AITC’s production team. All photos are courtesy of Dr. Alexandra Jones.

Debora Heard reviews her notes.
Ali Bavugamenshi filming Debora Heard for the Ancient Nubia videos.
Solange Ashby filming her segment for the Ancient Nubia videos.
Alexandra Jones and Solange Ashby prepare for filming.

Part 3: What’s Next? Future Directions and Plans for More Resources

These videos and the accompanying lesson plans are freely-available on ASOR’s website in the Online Resources section and on AITC’s website. The videos are also available on both ASOR’s and AITC’s YouTube channels. Help us spread the word to teachers and educators you know and inspire others to create educational resources such as these!

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