In the ancient Egyptian pantheon, Osiris was the God of death and the afterlife. The Egyptians, who were extremely concerned with the afterlife and the nature of existence, revered Osiris as one of their most beloved and heroic Gods. Osiris was thought to be the wife of Isis, the father of Horus, and the brother of Seth.

The Duat was the ancient Egyptian underworld. The ancient Egyptians believed in an eternal afterlife that was functionally identical to life on Earth. They were fairly obsessed with death and the idea of eternal life and many of their religious ceremonies were centered around ensuring a successful journey to the underworld.

Anubis was the god associated with death, mummification, and the afterlife, and he was originally depicted as the lord of the underworld; however, he was eventually replaced by Osiris, who is often called the god of death and the afterlife, but is more accurately described as the god of transition, regeneration, and resurrection. (These themes are very importantly featured in the myths about Osiris.) Since the ancient Egyptians viewed death as a transition rather than an ending, Osiris was particularly suited to fulfilling that role.

The Wadi Hammamat was a dry, river-bed that was frequently mined throughout ancient Egyptian history for raw minerals. It was, however, not always dry and when possible it was used by ships to sail from the Nile River to the Red Sea. This made it important at various times in ancient Egyptian history as a connection between Egypt and the trade routes of the Asiatic world.

The Satire of the Trades was written during the Middle Kingdom period. Its primary purpose was to teach scribes to venerate their own profession above all others. This is achieved by describing all the various failings and frailties of other professions in ancient Egyptian society.

The Pyramid Texts (Old Kingdom), Coffin Texts (Middle Kingdom), and the Egyptian Book of the Dead (New Kingdom) were all important aspects of Egyptian funerary literature. The Egyptians believed that the afterlife was incredibly complex and dangerous, and that any individual who died with an insufficient understanding of the underworld would not be able to proceed to heaven. The Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and the Book of the Dead were all designed to educate Egyptians about the afterlife and provide protection on their journey through the underworld.

Throughout the Pharaonic period, only a very small percentage of the Egyptian population was literate. The elites were generally educated and literate, as were the children of government officials (although these might also be considered elites). This group of people, however, was never more than one or two percent of the population. Literacy was vital to government work in Egyptian society and thus, although Egypt was a meritocratic society in theory, in practice the poor were prevented from social advancement by illiteracy.

Having come from Western Asia, the Hyksos people spoke Semitic languages. They are most known for residing in Lower Egypt after losing control of Upper Egypt. The Hyksos were also very welcoming to Hebrews, whom migrated into Lower Egypt during the rule of the Hyksos in Lower Egypt.

The Egyptians believed that the afterlife was complex and dangerous. They wrote funerary texts on tombs and temples in order to guide and protect the deceased during their journey through the underworld. The Pyramid Texts emerged first, during the Old Kingdom, and were inscribed on the walls of the tombs of rulers. The Coffin Texts came later, during the Middle Kingdom, and were written on the walls of coffins (even the coffins of common people). The Book of the Dead was a collection of spells, mostly copied from the Coffin Texts, that were widely written on papyri. It became popular during the New Kingdom.

Amenemhat I became ruler of Egypt, along with his wife Neferitatjenen, in 1991 BCE and ruled until he was assassinated in 1962 BCE.