Masks were a very important aspect of Ancient Egyptian burials; they provided the dead with a face in the afterlife, and enabled the spirit to recognize the body. Using papier mache and tag board, students can create their own Egyptian-style burial mask. Have students examine and evaluate arts prints and photos of Egyptian burial masks. Discuss the reason these were made and the purpose they served in the Egyptian community. Have students cut a background for their mask from poster board or tag board. The backgrounds should be loosely shaped to resemble an inverted capital letter "U.“ Using papier mache and mask forms, have children carefully create a face for their project. Using broad sized masking tape or hot glue, secure the mask to the tag board background. Have students cut a fan-shaped piece of tag board and tape it to the forehead of the mask. Paint the mask and headdress with two layers of gold paint, then paint black stripes along the background, leaving space between the stripes to create alternating black and gold stripes. Paint specific facial features on the mask in black as well.
Pictures of Egyptian Burial Masks can be found at
More information on Egypt can be found at
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