We have now reviewed many of the basic developments in religion, politics, economic, and society for Egypt from the Old through the New Kingdom.  Now I want to give you a chance to apply what you have learned to analyzing the sources that we introduced in class on the position of pharaoh and the changing religious practices around Osiris.  In general, historians argue that death became more and more egalitarian in the sense that more people could enjoy an a meritorious afterlife if they made the effort at the same time that pharaohs became more politically powerful.  Historians base these conclusions, however, on sources, and I want to give each of you the chance to retrace their work and verify it if you wish (while receiving credit for the work you do, of course).  The tasks you need to carry out in order to do this are as follows:

1) Read the online source materials assigned for 9.11.12 apart from the Egyptian story of the great flood.

2) As you read them pay attention to a) what social groups seem to be involved or addressed in each source and note down whether there are differences from the Old Kingdom to Middle Kingdom to the New Kingdom in the areas of religion (which all but one of the sources focus on) and politics (which only one source addresses).

3) Based on your research write up a 1-2-page account of what happened in the areas of religion and politics in Egypt from c. 2300 B.C.E. to 1200 B.C.E. on the basis of your work with the primary sources you analyzed.