This sample is an actual treasure hunt designed for an elementary aged group on a Bible class field trip. The artifacts are those found in the Michael C Carlos Museum in Atlanta, GA. You can adapt the treasure hunt to include the artifacts in the museum you have chosen for your field trip. Please give students pencils, not pens, with which to complete the treasure hunt. Remind them that they are not allowed to touch any object unless allowed to do so by the museum. For the surprise, I purchased Egyptian artifact bookmarks from the museum gift store that were about a dollar each. Most museum gift stores have one or two inexpensive items children on field trips can purchase which can make a great reward for completion of the treasure hunt. Make sure to allow the children to take their treasure hunt sheets home. (A chaperone guide to the Michael C Carlos Museum can also be found on our website.)
Michael C Carlos Museum Bible Treasure Hunt
Although the museum does not mention the Bible, it has quite a few items from Bible times and cultures in it. Your chaperone has a guide and will point out these items to you. Listen carefully because there will be clues to help you find the items in the treasure hunt below. Answer every question and show Ms. Susie your completed paper for a special surprise!
1. The clothes people wore in Bible times were very different from the clothes we wear. The people in the New Testament often wore clothes like those found on artwork in the Greek and Roman Gallery. Find items that show the clothing people wore and draw a man and a woman wearing clothing that people in the New Testament might have worn.
- Find the head of the statue of the man who was Roman Emperor during much of the life of Jesus. The description says he ruled from 14-37 C.E. (or A.D.). What was his name?
- Find the Roman nails in one of the smaller rooms off of the main Greek and Roman Gallery. They are probably very similar to the nails that were used to crucify Jesus. Estimate how long they are. _______ inches
- The jug of water Jesus used in his first miracle of turning water into wine held 120-150 gallons. Find the water jug in the gallery that is about the same size and sketch it below. Hint: It’s taller than you are!
- Find the jug that looks like the one on the attached sheet of paper. Can you find the five false gods that are listed on the sheet on the real jug? What is each false god(or goddess) holding that gives a clue as to what that particular god was supposed to control?a. Artemis b. Apollo
c. Athena
d. Aphrodite e. Poseidon - What do you notice about the map of Egypt on the floor between the Greek and Egyptian galleries that seems a bit different from the attached map?
- A lot of items from Bible times look plain or faded, but were originally bright colors. (See the attached example from another museum.) Find something in this museum that would have originally been brightly colored. Sketch it below and write the names of what you think the original colors might have been.
8. Some historians believe Pharaoh Amenemhat III was the Pharaoh of Egypt when Moses was a baby. There are three pieces of art in the museum that are of Amenemhat III. Sketch what you think he looked like below.
- Find the model of a house from Bible times. How does it look different from where you live?
- Find the item in a case that is described as being from the time of King Hezekiah in the Bible. What is it?
- What animal is associated with the Assyrian kingdom where Nineveh was located (Jonah and the big fish)? Hint: Look up in the Assyrian area.
- Jacob and Joseph are the only two people the Bible tells us were mummified when they died in Egypt. Which is your favorite mummy in this museum? You can draw it or write a description of it below.