Museum Object Analysis

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For this paper pick any object that interests you on display in the Egyptian galleries of the University Museum. Paper is a short (5-page) discussion and analysis of the piece focusing on issues of:

1. Its date/time period and historical setting
2. Its form and function
3. Any relevant religious meaning
4. How it relates to Egyptian culture and society

Essentially: put the object into the context of ancient Egyptian culture and discuss essential aspects of ancient Egypt it reflects.

Start by identifying and describing the relevant features of the object and then present your analysis. A photo (or drawing) is welcome but not necessary.

Sources: Since paper is short bibliography should be limited to 3 or 4 sources (be sure to put in citations or footnotes). Your Teachers Assistant can help you with the most relevant and useful sources (The books on reserve in the Museum library will cover many of the topics of relevance).

Researching your Topic.

1. Note: most of the research materials that you will need are located in the Egyptian Collection of the Museum Library, in the University Museum, Academic Wing, third floor.

Writing your Paper

1. Please cite your sources. You may use parenthetical ("in text") citations, footnotes, or endnotes, but you must be consistent throughout the paper.
2. Please format your bibliography using a major published guideline like MLA or Chicago style. Entries for journal and encyclopedia articles should be listed by the author of that article, not by the editor of the journal or encyclopedia. The entries must be ordered alphabetically by author.
3. Your paper will be evaluated on the development of your argument or thesis, use of supporting evidence, and discussion of relevant literature, in addition to organization, clarity, grammar, and mechanics. Please consider these elements when writing your paper, and don't forget to utilize the "Spell-Check" feature in your word processing program.
4. Use specific examples, instead of simply generalizing the situation. An example of over-generalizing is: "In the Old Kingdom, pyramids helped the pharaoh reach the afterlife." Use specific examples to support your thesis. For instance, the sentence above could read:

In the 4th Dynasty, the pyramid itself was the largest and most time-consuming part of the pyramid complex to build. Other elements of the pyramid complex, such as the causeway and satellite pyramid, were smaller and constructed with minimal decoration. The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza was made of solid, well-cut limestone with inner chambers located above the ground level. The difference in size and complexity of the architectural features may point to the fact that Khufu's actual tomb was more significant in helping the king attain his afterlife than any of the other parts of the complex.

5. Using quotations from Egyptian literature and inscriptions in your paper is encouraged. When you do, please note who translated the quote.
6. Foreign words, especially Egyptian concepts like maat and isft, should be in italics. However, this does not apply to proper nouns, such as personal names and place names (like Hatshepsut), or to terms that are commonly used in English (like Pharaoh). Also, be consistent in your spelling of names and other foreign words. For example, the 12th Dynasty king's name may be rendered "Senwosret," "Senusret," or "Sesostris" I. It does not matter which convention you adopt, but make sure to use the same one throughout your paper.