Research task (Historical Analysis):
Critically analyze how agricultural practices in ancient Egypt shaped the development of their mythology, particularly in relation to deities, rituals, and beliefs about life and the afterlife through an essay.

Evaluation rubric:
criterion: The response discusses how Nile’s annual flood from other river floods, specifically mentioning how Mesopotamian floods were destructive while the Nile flood was predictable, gradual, and beneficial. 
weight: 4
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response states the exact months for Akhet (roughly from September to January), Peret (January to May), and Shemu (roughly from May to September).
weight: 3
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response names the heliacal rising of Sirius (Sothis) as the precise trigger for the Egyptian New Year.
weight: 2
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response dates the introduction of the shaduf (in Ancient Egypt around 2000 BCE).
weight: 3
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: Response describes the impact of the shaduf on irrigation (e.g., reduced labor, allowed the transport of water to fields at higher elevation, increased agricultural productivity, increased the area of cultivated land).
weight: 3
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response lists principal grains relevant to Ancient Egypt (e.g., emmer wheat, barley, einkor, spelt).
weight: 5
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response explains the ritual symbolism of the principal grains (e.g., blessings, life, fertility, the continuation of life after death)
weight: 5
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response explains the agricultural significance of non-grain crops (e.g. flax for linen, papyrus for paper, henna for dye, dates for wine).
weight: 3
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response explains the mythological significance of secondary crops (e.g., dates were used for religious offerings, the onion symbolizing eternal life, the goddess Hathor associated with the sycamore fig, the date palm was symbolic of the Sun God Ammon Ra).
weight: 4
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response describes Hapi's iconography in Lower Egypt (e.g., headress, papyrus plants, frogs, false beard).
weight: 3
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response describes Hapi's iconography in Upper Egypt (e.g., lotus, crocodiles, false beard, papyrus crown).
weight: 3
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response describes the Heliopolitan creation myth, specifically mentioning Atum, a self-created god, emerging from the waters of Nun and creating Shu and Tefnut. 
weight: 3
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response details Geb's genealogy (i.e., son of Shu and Tefnut, grandson of Atum, sister-wife Nut, and children Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys). 
weight: 3
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response details Renenutet's role as "Mistress of Provisions" (e.g., protecting food stores, guardian of nourishment, providing bountiful harvests, human and divine fertility). 
weight: 4
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response describes Renenutet's cult focus on granaries.
weight: 2
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response specifies the Festival of Renenutet and its timing in the agricultural calendar (celebrated during the harvest period).
weight: 4
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response describes Min's ithyphallic iconography (i.e., erect penis in his left hand symbolizing male virility).
weight: 3
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response explains the agricultural symbolism of Min's iconography (i.e., virility symbolizing fertility of the Nile flood). 
weight: 4
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response connects specific events of the Osiris myth to corresponding agricultural processes (e.g., death of Osiris symbolizing to the end of the growing season, Osiris' dismemberment symbolizing to the cutting and dispersal of grain, burial of his body representing the sowing of seeds, his rebirth symbolizing the new agricultural year).
weight: 5
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response mentions the ritual of the king hoeing the ground at Min's festival as a symbol of the pharaoh's continued rule and agricultural fertility.
weight: 3
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response mentions the release of birds as part of the king's ritual at Min's festival.
weight: 2
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response mentions the Khoiak festival and the making of “corn mummies”.
weight: 4
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response explains the “Weighing of the Heart” ceremony with the role of Ma’at’s feather (i.e., the heart of the deceased is weighed in the scale against the feather of the Maat, and if they are balanced, then they are destined for a peaceful afterlife).
weight: 2
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response describes the Field of Reeds as an idealized Nile Delta and lists at least three specific features (e.g., placed in the East, boundless reed fields, a series of islands, ideal for hunting and fishing).
weight: 2
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response distinguishes Egyptian agricultural-mythological links from those of Mesopotamia or the Levant, with an explicit example.
weight: 2
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response cites the role of the pharaoh as an agricultural and religious intermediary.
weight: 4
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response links each deity mentioned to a specific agricultural element (e.g., Nile flood, the harvest cycle, seconday crops, crop fertility).
weight: 5
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response defines and/or clearly explains specialized terminology (e.g., Ma’at, shaduf, corvée, Aaru).
weight: 5
axis: Implicit Criteria

criterion: The response discusses at least two examples of how agricultural practices influenced other aspects of Egyptian life, such as the importance of craft (reflected in the god Ptah) and animal husbandry (reflected in the goddess Hathor).
weight: 5
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response mentions rituals and related them to agricultural practices.
weight: 5
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response relates beliefs about life to agricultural practices.
weight: 5
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response relates beliefs about the afterlife to agricultural practices.
weight: 5
axis: Explicit Criteria

criterion: The response mentions that any rituals performed by the king were not only for agricultural fertility, but also for royal fertility.
weight: 4
axis: Synthesis of Information

criterion: The response vaguely describes symbolism that is not necessarily related to Egyptian mythology. 
weight: -4
axis: Explicit Criteria