Boat Design Challenge: Journey to the Egyptian Afterlife
A painted wooden boat from the tomb of Amenhotep II, c. 1400 BC. The Egyptian Museum, Cairo.Copyright 2011 National Gallery of Art, Washington DC http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2002/egypt/imagelist/31-1.htm
Student teams are challenged to design models of Egyptian funerary barges for the purpose of transporting mummies through the underworld to the afterlife. Planning the boat designs requires an understanding of ancient culture and beliefs so the mummies are transported safely through the perils of the underworld. Students design and build prototypes using materials and tools like the ancient Egyptians had at their disposal. Then they do the same with modern materials and techniques, forming an awareness of the similarities and differences of the barge designs between the ancient materials and tools (technologies) and today's technologies, which are evolved from the earlier ways.
Engineers work within constraints such as available materials and what would work for a certain culture. While this may seem like a limitation, it usually results in more successful designs. For example, whether designing consumer products, shelter or clean water delivery systems, the best engineering designs take into consideration the local community's culture, climate, materials, resources, and labor.
- Students compare and contrast the ancient with the modern tools and technology used in constructing prototype barges.
- Students come to see that the engineering design process has remained the same since ancient times and that it is the technology that has evolved.
- Students realize that technology is not something totally new, but that it is as old as human civilization.
- Students see how modern builders copied and improved on the techniques developed by the ancient world.