User:Emilyrd98/sandbox

Article Evaluation
I will be evaluating an article about sitting shiva, specifically in the Jewish faith. After reading through the article, everything that is discusses is on topic and relevant to what the article as a whole is about. The description below each section is on topic and goes into some detail related to the heading. The amount of information is definitely limited. There are sections, such as the one under "Shiva Customs" titled "Keriah" that can use some more information. This sections mentions a certain type of garment that is work during shiva. I would like to see more information about the general attire worm throughout shiva and how it may differ depending on the branch of Judaism or how reformed or conservative the family is. This article is very unbiased and straightforward. All of the information is presented without the sense that the author has any personal opinion on the topic. There are some moments where the information is presented in almost an overly factual manner. Under the "Length of Shiva" section, the information is in somewhat of a list. In this section it would be easier to read if some explanations were included such as the reasoning for why shiva changed depending on the timing of it and if it overlaps with particular Jewish holidays. This article is presented in a very straightforward manner which has both positive and negative implications. It is very easy to understand but some descriptive information is missing. I think the inclusion of how Shiva customs might change if the family is less conservative. This article explains a very traditional shiva process. I know from personal experience that a shiva with a more reformed family can look different than how it was explained in this article. The citations lead to their respective articles and the articles support what is being described in the Shiva article. The list of references at the end of this article is very short and limited. A total of only 4 references are listed. One of the listed references seems to be a bit unrelated and more of a story/opinion piece. All of the references are articles on the internet which probably do not have enough credibility. I am a little bit confused about where all of the information came from due to the very limited sources provided. All of the information is up to date due to the fact that this is a traditional custom that does not change. As I stated before, I think more information about how shiva customs might change within Judaism would be beneficial to this article. The talk page has some suggestions for the article. Someone suggested the addition of an external link about Jewish funerals and mourning. Others discussed the wording of some sections and went back and forth about the inclusion or removal of a section that discusses what happens when the marriage is mixed. Someone also mentions the spelling of Shiva and how it should be changes to "Shiv'ah" but there were objections to this suggestion. This article is of interest to Judaism, Death and Isreal WikiProjects. We have not discussed this topic in class.
 * Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
 * Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Check a few citations. Do the links work? Does the source support the claims in the article?
 * Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference? Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
 * Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
 * Check out the Talk page of the article. What kinds of conversations, if any, are going on behind the scenes about how to represent this topic?
 * How is the article rated? Is it a part of any WikiProjects?
 * How does the way Wikipedia discusses this topic differ from the way we've talked about it in class?

Prof Garcia's Comments
Lots of great stuff that you can research and write about on this topic. Great choice. Alfgarciamora (talk) 23:13, 12 February 2018 (UTC)

Relevant Articles
http://www-tandfonline-com.access.library.miami.edu/doi/abs/10.1080/1462169X.2000.10512218 http://shearithisrael.org/content/chatham-square-cemetery https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/281541/jewish/The-Jewish-Way-in-Death-and-Mourning.htm


 * An okay addition for this week, but I think you could have done a lot better with your sources and content addition. Did you leave this assignment for the last minute? Please begin the assignments earlier in the week. Your first link here does not work and the second two are not the best of sources. You need more time to find the good stuff. Alfgarciamora (talk) 15:54, 19 February 2018 (UTC)

Stub Articles of Interest (Week 5 Assignment)
Funerary text Ancient Egyptian funerary texts Pyramid Texts Coffin Texts Shiva (Judaism) Festival of the Dead
 * http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/030751331309900120 (found on U Library website)
 * this source gives a specific example of a funerary text in ancient egypt
 * there are hieroglyphics used and the author is trying to decipher the meaning
 * this source does not have too much information about funerary texts in general but it gives a cool example of one that can be interpreted today
 * The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology  Vol 99, Issue 1, pp. 300 - 307  First Published March 22, 2017  https://doi.org/10.1177/030751331309900120
 * this article has very limited information on funerary texts. It gives a short definition and then each subsection (there are only three) have only a few sentences with more information. This article could be improved by adding a substantial amount of information about funerary texts in different cultures, religions and even time periods. Funerary texts can be related and discussed in so many different religions and cultures so there is definitely a lot that can be added to this current stub article. If I were to chose to use this topic, I would most likely have to add to other articles as well including pyramid texts and coffin texts.
 * this article (also a stub) goes along well with funerary texts in general
 * this also connects to religion due to the fact that a the purpose of many of their funerary texts involved the afterlife and being able to preserve the spirit there
 * coffin texts and pyramid texts (discussed below) are examples of these Egyptian funerary texts
 * this article is more of an outline for the types of funerary texts so it would make more sense to focus on a more specific topic within this one
 * another article that falls under funerary texts, more specifically in ancient Egypt
 * pyramid texts also involve death and preserving the body and soul in the after like but more specifically with the Pharaoh
 * https://search.proquest.com/docview/304073230
 * this book discusses the history of pyramid texts found in Egypt and their different uses and meanings
 * another article also involving funerary texts in ancient Egypt
 * coffin texts came after pyramid texts in history and were used by everyone, not just the Pharaoh
 * because this topic is so specific, I'm having a hard time finding . credible sources on it. Most of what I can find are specific examples of these types of texts in ancient Egypt. There is also a lot of analysis of what the hieroglyphics mean and how they can and should be interpreted.
 * https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/281541/jewish/The-Jewish-Way-in-Death-and-Mourning.htm
 * book all about the process of sitting shiva
 * this article needs more information about how shiva might differ depending on the different denominations of judaism and how conservative or reformed the family is
 * different festivals can be found in different cultures and religions and could all use a lot more information in this article. There is a brief description of a couple of examples of these festivals but not in much detail. There is only one section in this entire article with very minimal information. If I were to chose to work on this article I could add sections about different festivals of the dead found around the world and how they differ from each other. After doing some research it is clear that different countries and cultures have very different customs but also have similar events. Many of them are between 1 and 3 days and often involve a lot of traditional food.


 * https://search.proquest.com/docview/124823748?accountid=14585&rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo
 * brief article describing an example of an Festival of the Dead
 * many specifics are given about the customs including food that is eaten during the festival, lanterns that are lit to honor the dead, and the timing of every event that takes place during the festival
 * https://search.proquest.com/docview/136053023?accountid=14585&rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo
 * this is a very brief excerpt of an article that discusses the festival of the dead in Japan, also known as Bon

Comments
Week 5 You really have a wonderful assortment of material to consider, and you really can do any of these pages that you would like. Which one are you leaning towards? Looks like you are more interested in the funerary texts than in the other topics. Maybe you can do the same research yet contribute to all 4 of your first pages listed here? The trick will be to maintain meticulous notes on what you are doing/researching. Alfgarciamora (talk) 22:51, 26 February 2018 (UTC)

Helpful Links
Category:Religion and death

Pyramid Texts (Week 6)
Pyramid Texts

This topic can be expanded a lot from what it already has. For starters, it needs more sections. It currently only has a lead section with a very minimal definition of pyramid texts. This first section needs to be expanded on in terms of describing the different pyramid texts as well as their uses. Pyramid texts were used only for kings and their purpose is to guide them into the after life. Some of my research has given me a lot of information about who reads these texts, specifics on how they were written as well as and exceptions to the conventional used of these texts. I would also like to add sections about each of the pyramid texts. According to my research there are 11 separate ones (each for a different king and a couple queens) but some are more important and have more information than others. I still think it would be worth making a section for each of these texts. These are the current texts found:

Unis

Teti

Pepi I

Ankhenes-Pepi II, wife of Pepi I

Behenu, Wife of Pepi I or II

Merenre

Pepi II

Neith, wife of Pepi II

Iput II, wife of Pepi II

Wedjebetni, wife of Pepi II

Ibi

I currently have a few really good books with a lot of information that I can use for making additions to this article. I definitely need to find a few more sources to make sure I have as much information as possible to make good edits and additions. Some sections of one of the books I am using is a bit biased due to the fact that the author is including his opinions and idea about the specific pyramid texts so I need to make sure to avoid including those.

Possible edits to existing information found in the article: New Section: Pyramid of the Unis (Can make a section on each Pyramid/King)
 * Pyramid texts were typically written in short, fragmented sentences.
 * Gaston Maspero, a French Egyptologist, is credited for discovering the texts in the first five pyramids in 1880. It was not until 1935 when the rest of the texts were discovered by Egyptologist Gustav Jaquier.
 * It was common for the pyramid texts to be written in the first person, but not uncommon for texts to be later changed to the third person. Often times this depended on who was reciting the texts and to whom they were to be recited.
 * It is typically known that pyramid texts were written solely for Kings in attempts to promote a good outcome in the afterlife, but pyramid texts can also be found for queen Pepi II.
 * Often times, the pyramid texts for the Egyptian Pharaohs included all that they accomplished in their lifetime and the things they did for the Egyptian civilaization during the time they ruled.
 * Of all pyramid texts, those of King Unis were most influential. Although the shortest of all pyramid texts, Unis has been used to replicate numerous texts to follow including those found in Senworsret-ankh at Lisht, from the Middle Kingdom.

Yes, it would be nice to have a short section on each of the texts, but make sure that you have done more research outside of the standard canon. As you point out, you will need to go beyond these sources so that you're not just writing a book report of sorts, ha. Remember to use reverse citation, as we learned in class, to see who has cited the books since they were published. Or consider detailing the history of discovery, analysis, translation for each of the texts. Overall, you have found a solid article to contribute to. The only challenge will be finding more sources, which you will do in time. Alfgarciamora (talk) 23:03, 5 March 2018 (UTC)

Coffin Texts (Week 6)
Coffin Texts

Similarly to pyramid texts, this current article really does not have that much information. It has a very basic outline of what coffin texts are and a couple examples of them but does not go into much detail at all about how they differed among different people and details of their use and purpose. I have been focusing most of my research on pyramid texts but while doing this I have found some interesting information that can be added to the coffin text page. I will most likely be doing less additions to this page but there are definitely some things that I can and will add to this page.





Week 7-8: First Draft for Peer Review
Pyramid Texts

Peer reviewers: everything below in bold are my additions to this article. I am still trying to decide if I have enough information to create the new section on Rituals and Offerings or if it should be combined somewhere else. I am also considering adding a timeline of all of the pyramid texts but I am still comparing my sources to make sure I have accurate dates. Through my research for pyramid texts I've also come across come valuable information about Coffin Texts that I am planning to add. (These additions will be minor so I'm not in need of reviews for those). I am also considering going more in depth on the specific rituals found in the pyramid texts but I'm unsure if it makes sense to include that in this article if there are separate articles for the rituals. Looking forward to hearing your suggestions! Thanks!

Week 7 Peer Review
You chose a topic that I absolutely love!! Ancient Egypt is such an interesting time in world history, and your topic has a wealth of information! As you conduct your research, I am certain that you will come across additional sources that provide information regarding a topic that has so much symbolic meaning behind it. I would try to steer away from encyclopedic sources, as I believe Dr. Garcia mentioned prior because they cannot be wholly reliable sources of information. Your additions definitely make it a stronger article and I really like that you discussed King Unis. As being the most influential, I would say it is important to inform others about him and why his texts were so significant. In regards to your question regarding rituals, I would say to definitely go into them if you notice any gaps of information that you can find that relate to your article. Because there are so many articles on Wikipedia, I am sure that there is a ton of overlap. Worst comes to worst, you can link your page to the appropriate pages when you mention information that can be tied to another article. I would also delve into offerings as well if you would like. I think that would make for a stronger section. Additionally, you might even want to break down the lead section to make it smaller and more specific, then create additional sections following that and expand on that information. You mentioned that you were considering adding a timeline of all of the pyramid texts depending on the accuracy of the dates. I say go for it! Do all the cross referencing that you have to do, and I am sure it will be a really good addition to your article. So far you are off to a really great start! Keep it up :) Jawner22 (talk) 02:08, 19 March 2018 (UTC)

Thank you for the helpful comments! I added some information under the ritual and offering section as you suggested and I definitely think it helps clarify that part of the article a bit. I am going to also work on breaking down the lead section this week. Thanks again! Emilyrd98 (talk) 03:34, 26 March 2018 (UTC)

Pyramid Texts
The Pyramid Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian religious texts from the time of the Old Kingdom. Written in Old Egyptian, the pyramid texts were carved on the walls and sarcophagi of the pyramids at Saqqara during the 5th and 6th Dynasties of the Old Kingdom. The oldest of the texts have been dated to between ca. 2400–2300 BC. Unlike the later Coffin Texts and Book of the Dead, the pyramid texts were reserved only for the pharaoh and were not illustrated. Following the earlier Palermo Stone, the pyramid texts mark the next-oldest known mention of Osiris, who would become the most important deity associated with afterlife in the Ancient Egyptian religion. Gaston Maspero, a French Egyptologist, is credited for discovering the texts in the first five pyramids in 1880. It was not until 1935 when the rest of the texts were discovered by Egyptologist Gustav Jaquier.

The use and occurrence of pyramid texts changed between the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt. During the Old Kingdom (2886 B.C.- 2181 B.C.), pyramid texts could be found in the pyramids of kings as well as a three queens named Wedjebten, Neith, and Iput. During the Middle Kingdom (2055 B.C.- 1650 B.C.) pyramid texts were not written in the pyramids of the Pharaohs, but the traditions of the pyramid spells continued to be practiced. In the New Kingdom (1550 B.C.- 1070 B.C.) pyramid texts could now be found on tombs of officials.

Purpose of Pyramid Texts
The spells, or "utterances" (short fragmented sentences), of the pyramid texts are primarily concerned with protecting the pharaoh's remains, reanimating his body after death, and helping him ascend to the heavens, which are the emphasis of the afterlife during the Old Kingdom. '''These utterances were meant to be chanted by those who were reciting them. They contained many verbs such as "fly" and "leap" depicting the actions taken by the Pharaohs to get to the afterlife.''' The spells delineate all of the ways the pharaoh could travel, including the use of ramps, stairs, ladders, and most importantly flying. The spells could also be used to call the gods to help, even threatening them if they did not comply. It was common for the pyramid texts to be written in the first person, but not uncommon for texts to be later changed to the third person. Often times this depended on who was reciting the texts and to who they were recited for. Many of the texts include accomplishments of the Pharaoh as well as the things they did for the Egyptian people during the time of their rule. These texts were used to both guide the pharaohs to the afterlife, but also inform and ensure the living that the soul made it to its final destination.

Dates
The dates of the Pharaohs rule whose pyramids contain pyramid texts are as follows:

Unis: 2353-2323 B.C.

Teti: 2323-2291 B.C.

Pepi I: 2289-2255 B.C.

Merenre I: 2255-2246 B.C.

Pepi II: 2246-2152 B.C.

Rituals and Offerings
The various pyramid texts often contained writings of rituals and offerings to the gods. Examples of these rituals are the Opening of the mouth ceremony, offering rituals, and insignia ritual. Both monetary and prayer based offerings were made in the pyramids and were written in the pyramid texts in hopes of getting the pharaoh to a desirable afterlife. Rituals such as the opening of the mouth and eye ceremony were very important for the Pharaoh in the afterlife. This ceremony involved the Kher-Heb (the chief lector priest) along with assistants opening the eyes and mouth of the dead while reciting prayers and spells. Mourners were encouraged to cry out as special instruments were used to cut holes in the mouth. After the ceremony was complete, it was believed that the dead could now eat, speak, breath and see in the afterlife.

The Egyptian pyramids are made up of various corridors, tunnels, and rooms which have different significances and uses during the burial and ritual process. Texts were written and recited by priests in a very particular order, often starting in the Valley Temple and finishing in the Coffin or Pyramid Room. The variety of offerings and rituals were also most likely recited in a particular order. The Valley Temple often contained an offering shrine, where rituals would be recited.

Unas
King Unis, also known as Unas or Wenis, was the last pharaoh of the fifth dynasty. Of all pyramid texts, those of King Unis were considered some of the most influential. Although the shortest and smallest of all pyramid texts, Unis has been used to replicate numerous texts to follow including those found in Senworsret-ankh at Lisht, from the Middle Kingdom. These texts were also the first to be discovered and later published. The pyramid texts of Unis lacked some aspects that can be found in many of the pyramids of the following pharaohs. For example the sarcophagus of Unis is bare as opposed to inscribed. While the sarcophagus was left bare, along with immediate surrounds walls, the corridor, antechamber, passage-way, and burial-chamber are all inscribed with texts and hieroglyphics. Because of its early use, the set up and layout of the Unas pyramid was replicated and expanded on for future pyramids. A canal ran along side of the pyramid, allowing boats to pass by and enter. The causeway ran 750 meters long and is still in good condition, unlike many causeways found in similar ancient Egyptian pyramids.

In the pyramid of Unis, the ritual texts could be found in the underlying supporting structure, while the antechamber and corridor contained texts and spells personalized to the Pharaoh himself.

Example of Unas pyramid text
The following example comes from the pyramid of Unas. It was to be recited in the South Side Burial Chamber and Passage, and it was the Invocation To New Life.

Utterance 213:

Ho, Unis! You have not gone away dead: you have gone away alive.

Sit on Osiris's chair, with your baton in your arm, and govern the living;

with you lotus scepter in you arm, and govern those of the remote

places.

Your lower arms are of Atum, your upper arms of Atum, your belly of

Atum, you back of Atum, your rear of Atum, your legs of Atum, your

face of Anubis.

Horus's mounds serve you; Seth's mounds serve you.

Queens with pyramid texts
Pyramid texts were not only found in the tombs of kings, but queens as well. Queen Neith, who was the wife of Pepi II, is one of three queens whose tomb contains pyramid texts. The other two queens (both also wives of Pepi II) Iput II and Wedjebetni both also contained tombs inscribed with texts but those of Neith have been kept in much better condition. Compared to the tombs of the kings, the layout and structure of those that belonged to these queens was much more simple and in-complex. Though much simpler, the layout of the texts corresponded to similar walls and locations as those of the kings. For example, the Resurrection Ritual is found on the east end of the south wall. Due to the fact that the pyramid of Neith did not contain an antechamber, many of the spells normally written there were also written on the south wall.

The texts of Queen Neith were similar and different to those of the kings in a few additional ways. Like those of the kings, the use of both the first and third person is present in these pyramid texts. Neith's name is used throughout the texts to make them more personal. Many of the pronouns used throughout her pyramid texts are male, indicative of the parallels between the texts of the kings and queens, but a few female pronouns can be found. The texts also contains spells and utterances that are meant to be read by both the spirit herself as well as other addressing her.