Ancient Egyptian Religion

The ancient egyptians religion was complex in some ways. Ancient Egyptians were polytheistic meaning they believed in more than one god. Many temples were built in honor of the gods. The only people that were allowed in the temples were the priests, priestesses, queens, and pharaohs, other people could only go as far as the temple gates. In total there was about 700 different gods and goddesses and many were combined to create new gods and goddesses. Ancient Egyptians were always polytheistic besides one brief change. King/Pharaoh Akhenaten changed it to monotheism but it didn’t stick and died with him. The most worshiped gods were Isis, Osiris, Horus, Anubis, Ra, Nu, and Set. Isis was the goddess of marriage, fertility, motherhood, magic,

Egyptians believed in Egyptian Gods for more than 3,000 years. It started being believed in, in 2800 B.C.E. Egyptian mythology was believed in across Egypt. Religious Cults played a big role in Egyptian Mythology. The Creation of Earth created the Gods so they can have features in the Earth. The “End of the World” ended the belief in Gods nearly 100 years later.

“Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma ("eternal spiritual path") began about 4000 years ago in India. It was the religion of an ancient people known as the Aryans ("noble people") whose philosophy, religion, and customs are recorded in their sacred texts known as the Vedas” (United Religions). Vedas are written in the ancient language of India, called Sanskrit. Vedas means “knowledge” or “sacred lore.” The Vedas gives great intelligence about the variety of Gods from the Vedic period, 2000 to 500 BCE (Molloy,78).

Religion was not a monolithic institution, it consisted of a large variety of different beliefs and practices, all of which were linked by the common focus on the interaction between the Egyptian people and the divine realm, as the gods of this realm linked the Egyptian understanding of the world. As the Ancient Egyptian Religion was an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. Polytheism the belief of multiple deities usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses along with their own mythologies and rituals was an essential aspect of ancient Egyptian religion. As the Ancient Egyptian religion included a large and diverse pantheon of gods and goddesses, and around these deities arose a rich mythology that helped explain the

Gillum, Gary P. "The Ancient Gods Speak: A Guide to Egyptian Religion." Library Journal 127, no. 9 (May 15, 2002): 82. https://login.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.net.ucf.edu/docview/196818432?accountid=10003.

The Old Kingdom is sometimes described as the “golden age” of Egypt, and as an ideal that the Middle Kingdom tried to emulate, while New Kingdom pharaohs looked to both earlier dynastic eras for inspiration.

The Egyptians had a very strong religion. The characteristics of the Ancient Egyptian religion can be divided into five elements of authority, faith, rituals, moral code, and the gods worshipped. The main authority of the Egyptian religion was the Pharaoh, he had divine right over the people and was considered a god. Also, he could change the religion any way he wanted. Religion in Egypt played a very significant role.

A dynamic religion is the one which can be interpreted according to the needs of the times without losing the central ideas. Religion answers all the enduring questions of human existence including origin, purpose and destiny. Ancient Egyptians followed a dynamic religion that guided every aspect of Egyptian life. Egyptologists estimate that religion began around 3000BC, around the time Egyptian civilisation began and ended between 300 and 400AD when the last hieroglyphics were used. There is a great deal of evidence and artefacts to support the existence of Ancient Egyptian religion and importance and impact it had on Egyptian Society. The remains of Ancient Egypt such as the temples, hieroglyphics (ancient Egyptian writings using symbols),

Organized Religion, Exquisite Art, and a structured Government demonstrate that Ancient Egypt was a highly advanced culture. Religion in ancient Egypt was both organized and successful in ways of life and ceremonial occasions. Egyptian art was detailed, exquisite and represented how much art showed and was cared for. Government in Ancient Egypt depended on rulers and the form of democracy.

In 3000 B.C. the people in ancient Egypt practiced a polytheistic religion. This religion included over two hundred gods and goddesses that each represented a certain element. These deities were often associated with animals. The gods were considered superior, being able to control life, death, fortune, and the weather. The belief in gods influenced the ancient Egyptians’ thoughts on the afterlife, animals, and worship rituals.

As far back as we know religious acts had been closely associated with nature and environment. Studies show that the Egyptians cherished the "gift of the Nile" and worshiped with each other as a thanks to the gods. Remaining faithful they thought would ensure to reflect a positive afterlife. They believed they would receive everlasting life in prosperity. Later we come to find this will change late in the New Kingdom. Religion in Egypt has lasted more than 3,000 years. The details of their religious belief changed over time as the importance of certain gods fluctuated their spot in history. At times certain gods became more prominent over others such as the sun god Ra, the creator god Amun, and the mother goddess Isis. There came a point in time where a pharaoh Akhenaten, a single god, the Aten had replaced the traditional pantheon. This allowed the system of Egyptians to unite more until the coming of Christianity. To gain more in depth of Egyptian religion I suggest to take a look at the Egyptian Book of the Dead. This is considered to be not only a spell book but also a practice manual. This book gives much insight to mummification and the afterlife they believed in so dearly. To have this book back in the day represented that you were doing well in the wealth subject of life (Acrobatiq,

The Egyptian gods were vital in the religion and culture of Egypt. The gods were the explanation for life, death, basically everything about on earth and in our universe. The most popular gods were Ra, Osiris, Isis, Horus, Seth, and Anubis. Ra was the god of the sun and creation. He was often depicted as a hawk-headed man with a sun disk; he may also be depicted as a scarab beetle. Osiris is the god of life, death, and the afterlife. Osiris has the appearance of a mummified Pharaoh; he wore an Atef crown with feathers on the sides, and held a crook and flail, the tools of a Pharaoh. He had green skin, with meaning rebirth to the Egyptians. Isis was the wife of Osiris, and the mother of Horus. She was also the goddess of magic, marriage, and healing. She is depicted as a queen with a sun disk. Horus was the son of Osiris and Isis. Horus is the Egyptian god of the sky. He became the king of Egypt after fighting his uncle Seth. He is usually depicted as

Egypt is located in the northeast corner of Africa and southeast Asia. It is also near the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Nile River. Egypt was polytheistic which means the believed in many gods. The Egyptians believed in afterlife so when someone died they believed that they would come back as a new spirit, that is why they would bury them with all of their valuables so the could have them in the next life. When someone died they would mummify them by extracting the brains through the nostrils and then remove the internal organs. Then they would fill the body cavity with liner made of drying powder and sprinkled spices on the body. After that they would wrap the body with strips of liner, this process usually took months to complete.

Chelsea Verry Mrs. Reilly English 3 21 April 2018 The Beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians There has always been curiosity about the Ancient Egyptians. This curiosity mainly surrounds the beliefs. From what the preparations of death were to the understanding of what would happen after. The Ancient Egyptian spent a large amount of time preparing for life after death.

Egypt is considered to be the origin of all religions that are followed to this day. Historians have researched the development of Ancient Egyptian religion for centuries, and noticed that there are many correlations to the Christian religion. Questions have arisen as to how true or divine the Christian religion is believed to be or is it just a copy off of the Ancient Egyptian religion? Observing the relations or similarities between the two religions, the essential ideas of Christianity came primarily from the Egyptian religion, examples such as the life events, teachings, and the Ten