Testing Herodotus – Vegetable Mummification

Central to the study of History is the process of inquiry into the past. In Year 7 History, students have been critically analysing and interpreting primary and secondary sources as evidence to reconstruct the religious beliefs of Ancient Egypt. Herodotus is credited as the classical historian who explained the religious practice of embalming. To stimulate curiosity students were given the opportunity to test the classical historian Herodotus’ explanation of embalming by mummifying vegetables. A huge thank you to Loretta Gilmore, with the assistance of Pip Johnston, for challenging her students to think critically and creatively about source analysis.

Brigida Zagora
Head of HSIE (Humanities and Social Sciences)

Students in Year 7 have just completed their study on Ancient Egypt, learning about the social structure and everyday life of citizens, as well as the important role of religion and burial practices, commerce and trade. In History, students learnt hands-on about the process of mummification.

Loretta Gilmore
Year 7 History Teacher

Student Reflections

This was a very enjoyable practical lesson for all students. It was a hands-on activity and we learnt to think deeply to understand what this ancient practice involves. We experienced how difficult it was to execute all these steps and couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to carry out this process on an actual human body, yuck! We all had the chance to creatively design the dead mask and amulet. In conclusion, this was beneficial to build knowledge about one of the unique practices Ancient Egyptians would carry out to prepare the deceased for the afterlife.
Madison Crisafulli

Our aim for this activity was to preserve the cucumber or zucchini as if it was a body in the Ancient Egyptian afterworld. This was an amusing and engaging task as it helped us to learn the process of mummification.
Angelina Taouk and Chloe Sarkis

This was a useful activity and an enjoyable experience for all. Through mummifying the zucchini, we learnt about Ancient Egyptian culture, rituals and beliefs. We successfully understood the process of mummification and had a memorable and interesting experience of using sources to understand Ancient Egypt.
Jessica Lai

Chloe Sarkis (left) and Angelina Taouk

(From left) Isabelle Middleton, Viana Saba and Jasmine White

 (From left) Jessica Lai, Amanda Liu, Annabel Mason, Gia Park and Charlotte Perkins