The mysteries of the Copan tomb
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe what archaeologists found at the Copán tomb.
Key learning points
- In 1993 archaelogists discovered a magnificent tomb in the Honduran city complex of Copán.
- Inside the tomb they found the remains of a person covered in red cinnabar and surrounded with shell and jade ornaments.
- Around the human remains were burnt offerings of birds, turtles and fish.
- Due to the things she was buried with the archaeologists think that these were the remains of an important woman.
- She was either a ruler, or the wife or mother of a ruler, of a group of people who lived at Copán called the Maya.
Keywords
Honduras - Honduras is a country in Central America
Cinnabar - cinnabar is a bright red mineral made of mercury (a shiny liquid metal) and sulphur (a yellow chemical).
Offering - an offering is something that is given to a god as a part of a religious ceremony
Common misconception
Queen Margarita was buried in the queen's tomb discovered by archaeologists in 1993 in Copan.
While the tomb is known as the Margarita Tomb, the name does not necessarily refer to an individual named Margarita.
Teacher tip
Create the scene: Imagine being an archaeologist at Copán. The climate there is humid and tropical and you are surrounded by lush vegetation, rolling hills and river valleys. One of your colleagues gasps: they have unearthed an untouched tomb buried deep in the heart of the acropolis.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these are non-European countries?
Q2.Match the word to its meaning.
Q3.What does 'ancient civilisation' mean?
Q4.What does CE stand for?
Q5.Match the words to their meaning.
Q6.Which of these is NOT an ancient civilisation?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The country of Honduras is in America.
Q2.Copan in Honduras was the home of which ancient civilisation?
Q3.A is a burial chamber often found underground.
Q4.Match the word to its meaning.
Q5.What was NOT found in the Margarita Tomb?
Q6.Archaeologists think that the remains in the Margarita Tomb belong to a .
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: The mysteries of the Copan tomb, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 history lesson on: The mysteries of the Copan tomb, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 history lessons from the The Maya: what made the Maya so distinctive? unit, dive into the full primary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.