This course is on the demons and uncanny in Ancient civilizations. We are meant to analyze an object, I have chosen the London Magical Papyrus, and do an in-depth analysis of its material, historical context, significance, and purpose. Our course content focuses a lot on the magic, demons, and witches in Egyptian and Greek/Roman ancient Civilizations. The prompt specifies a class reading, but I was approved to be able to do 2 outside sources.
Prompt: You are to write a short paper that focuses on 1) a close reading of a primary source text, such as
a Mesopotamian incantation; or 2) an analysis of an object, such as a Graeco/Roman curse tablet, for
example. Your paper should consider the text/object itself and its significance, as well as its cultural and
historical context. If you chose to examine an object, you should examine the object’s material qualities
as well as any text that is written upon it, if present. If you chose to examine a primary source text, you
should pay particular attention to how it fits within its wider cultural and literary context.
Your analysis should be three pages long (double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) and you must
reference at least two readings: one from the class and one source from beyond the course readings to
analyze your text/object. You will be provided with an approved list of texts/objects. -The London Magical Papyrus, 3rd-4th c. CE; British Museum EA10070,2
– https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA10070-2
Essay is: 3 pages minimum; 3.5 pages maximum; double-spaced, 12-point. This does not include your
bibliography. You must cite all sources referenced; you may use your preferred citation style but be
consistent and correct. For the text beyond the course readings, you need to use a proper academic
source. This cannot be from Wikipedia. A good starting point is the online journal directory Jstor; you can
also check the relevant suggested readings and the bibliographies in those articles.
Note: the museum websites listed above do not count as your outside source.
Short Essay: On Grading
In thinking through the assignment, you can consider the following guiding points:
Content:
The object itself:
-Do you fully describe and accurately present the text/object you have chosen?
-Do you connect the text/object to the wider framework of your analysis?
Its cultural and historical context:
-What was the function of this text or object?
-How would you position the text/object in light of its cultural/religious/historical importance?
-Who produced the object and its writing? Were they the same group or person? Why or why not?
-What is the modern importance of this object (and its writing)? Where is this object now, and
why?
Writing Style and Structure:
-Is your essay well structured? Do you present clear analysis on your chosen text/object and its
wider significance, and is that analysis supported?
-Can you identify the objective of each paragraph? Is that purpose clearly expressed in your
writing?
-Is your essay the proper length? (3 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font)
-Is your essay free of typographical errors? Did you proofread your essay to be sure? Spellcheck
will not catch many errors.
-Are your sources correctly cited?
Research:
-What sources (class readings and other) have you cited for your paper? Is your other source an
acceptable academic source?
-Are your conclusions and analysis supported by the research in your paper?
-Are their gaps where your points are not supported, and if so, how can you address them?
