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Year 6 - History

The mysteries of the Copan tomb

The Maya: what made the Maya so distinctive?

Unit Summary

If pupils study Benin, they learn about Benin's culture and society and how its looted artworks have caused modern controversy. If they study the Maya, they build knowledge of this civilisation to analyse what made them so distinctive.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to describe what archaeologists found at the Copán tomb.

Key Notes

  • 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.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • 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 Mistakes To Avoid

  • Queen Margarita was buried in the queen's tomb discovered by archaeologists in 1993 in Copan.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

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.

2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'Honduras'

Honduras is a country in Central America.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

Mistake: Queen Margarita was buried in the queen's tomb discovered by archaeologists in 1993 in Copan. Correction: While the tomb is known as the Margarita Tomb, the name does not necessarily refer to an individual named Margarita.

More Lessons In This Unit

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