First Intermediate Period (Auto-)Biographies on Stelae from the 4th, 5th and 8th Upper Egyptian Nomes

The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate how ancient Egyptian tomb autobiographies are informative of social values and socio-political patterns from Egypt’s First Intermediate Period (ca. 2160–2055 BCE). The comparative analysis of autobiographies from three Nomes in Upper Egypt, the 4th, 5th and 8th, identifies local trends and values within and between these Nomes. Furthermore, variations on structural aspects, preferred subject matters, and the presentation of ideal biography statements are informative of dominant social values and identify the texts from Nome IV as significantly different from those of the other two Nomes.