Around 30 Year 8 College students who are taking the extension class, ‘Ancient Languages and Civilisations’ were treated to an Auckland University Professor speaking to them about ancient Egypt this morning.

Leading Egyptologist and Lecturer on Classics and Ancient History, Dr Jennifer Hellum spoke to the students about ‘things that they may not have known’ about Ancient Egypt. Random facts that caught the students’ attention were that the world’s oldest prosthetic limb comes from ancient Egypt. It was discovered attached to the foot of a mummy of Dynasty 19 and was used in life, not just added to complete the body in death. Another fact was that ancient Egypt had one of only two religions in the world that had a male earth God, Geb. Dr Hellum explained to the students that when we normally refer to the earth we refer to it as a she, such as Mother Earth. 

Another interesting fact included evidence for the first dental bridge came from a Dynasty 5 burial. It seems likely that this was done so that the body was whole in the afterlife, rather than being something used during life, as the wires were wrapped around and through the teeth.

The Year 8 students who undertake this course will focus on ancient Egypt for the rest of Term 1, followed by ancient Greece in Term 2 concluding with ancient Rome in Term 3.

We would like to thank, Dr Jennifer Hellum of Auckland University for taking the time out of her busy schedule to come and speak with our Year 8 students and give them insight into ‘parts of ancient Egypt they didn’t know.’ 

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