Student resource
Cracking cartouches game
Student resource
Ages 7–11 (KS2)
For children to use with an adult's help.
Have a go at cracking cartouches in this interactive PowerPoint game.
Ancient Egyptians wrote using signs called hieroglyphs. When writing in hieroglyphs, they would draw a special oval shape with a line at one end around a king or queen's name. This shape is called a cartouche (pronounced car-toosh). The cartouche is a type of hieroglyph called a 'shen' ring, which means protection. The ancient Egyptians believed it magically protected the person whose name was written inside it.
The Egyptians stopped writing in hieroglyphs around AD 400. After that, many people tried to decipher (understand and read) hieroglyphs, but for a long time they remained a mystery. Jean-François Champollion was a clever, Frenchman who finally cracked the hieroglyphic code.
Download our interactive game and try cracking cartouches, like Jean-François Champollion.
Instructions to open the game
Instructions to open the game
- Ask an adult to help you.
- Download the Cracking cartouches PowerPoint game.
- Open the game on your laptop or computer using PowerPoint or on your internet browser.
- Select the Slide Show tab on the ribbon in PowerPoint.
- Then select From Beginning, so you can play the game in full screen.
