Religion and Society of Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was a captivating and intricate civilization. Over the years, historians have found it easier to study this civilization, rather than other historical civilizations, because the Egyptians went through great lengths to record their history. Besides being decent record keepers, they were very religious, and “ahead of their time,” due to their technological and economic breakthroughs. Because of the aspects of this culture, it has to be one of the greatest civilizations of the world.

Religion in the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia played a significant role in developing and organizing the society. Based on the common belief of the world’s divine creation, both civilizations had regular rituals and ceremonies to honor the supernatural beings. In rituals and ceremonies, the cult was expressed as the manifestation of components that symbolized the divine such as the cult images, temples, and shrines. Since religion was an important aspect in the people’s daily lives, it also had an impact on the ruling system in the two civilizations. Even though Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia have similar foundational beliefs about the cult, different cultic practices imply the difference in the structure and the scope of

The history of ancient Egypt is divided into three blocks of time referred to as kingdoms. The kingdoms were named as the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. This essay highlights the differences among the three kingdoms in terms of politics, economics, sculpture, and architecture.

The understanding of Egyptian history has been greatly influenced by the work of Manetho, a historian and priest who lived in Egypt around 300 BC who organized the country’s history. He created 30 Dynasties to divide history under the ruling pharaohs and their related royal families. The most influential and important period of Egyptian history is labeled the New Kingdom, covering the 18th, 19th, and 20th Dynasty. During this time Egypt expanded and reached its highest point as an empire under the rule of the great Thutmose III. Thutmose III was able to expand Egypt’s prominence through the use of administration and governance as king. This was supported by his new strategy for Egyptian foreign policy and the use of its adapted military. Egypt

The Old Kingdom from Ancient Egypt was considered to be the most successful part of their history. The economic surplus was great and the Pharaoh was ruling all of Egypt successfully. This allowed the civilization to thrive and led to the construction of the great pyramids. However the people of ancient Egypt had the biggest roles in controlling the economic surplus as they grew crops and constructed buildings for the population to grow and flourish.

If I had to say one thing ancient Egyptians were famous for it was that they built tremendous pyramids and had a great amount of skill. Some pyramids still exist and it is amazing how they built them and are still standing today. In the civilization of Ancient Egypt, there were six periods which were the Pre-dynastic period, Old Kingdom, the 1st Intermediate period, the Middle Kingdom, the 2nd Intermediate period, and New Kingdom (TimeMaps). The Pre-dynastic period began in 3500-3000 BC and led to the unified group of Egypt as a community. The Old Kingdom began in 2650 which was around the time that the Great Pyramids of Giza were being built. A man named Narmer was the founder of the 1st dynasty of Ancient Egypt and was looked at as a god. Narmer was mainly known for his hieroglyphic writing and his monuments. Even in todays world, hieroglyphics are used to decode language and is basically the language for the ancient Egyptian

In ancient Egypt, legendary King Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt into one nation that lasted with continuity of culture from 3,100-1070 B. C. E. with thirty dynasties.  Unlike Mesopotamian kings, the Egyptian king was represented as Horus and as the son of Re, and fit into the pattern of the dead returning to life and the climatic renewing life of the sun-god. No written law code was developed in Egypt. Egypt was substantially more self-sufficient than Mesopotamia with copper and turquoise. The pharaoh governed the country through a large efficient bureaucracy.

In the beginning Egypt was divided into two parts governed by different rulers. The Unification of the lower and upper kingdoms of Egypt marked the beginning of the Archaic period. The unification of Egypt was significant in the longevity of this civilization to ensure the free flow of traffic on the Nile. The Kingdom of Egypt was ruled by one ruler called the Pharaoh that ruled the land as the chief priest. In this civilization there was no separation of religion and politics in their lives. Both Mesopotamia and Egypt were at one time ruled by kings that derived their power from the gods and were viewed as divine.

After the repulsion of the Hyksos, meaning ‘rulers of the foreign land’ whom invaded Egypt in 1700 B.C.E. for the first time since the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt, the Eighteenth Dynasty was established and led Egyptian civilization to reach the apex of its influence and grandeur.[i] This new dynasty was established through battle due to their new focus on imperial expansion.[ii] The Egyptian’s worldview and inward focusing culture was drastically altered. They began to look beyond the narrow Nile Valley and started to expand in to the world.[iii] This expansion led to the creation of a new class of nobles whom acquired wealth, lands, and even slaves to work them, through the pharaoh as rewards for their conquest in the Near East.[iv]

The establishment of the Egyptian Empire was due to a combination of various factors, originating in the establishment of the New Kingdom. Through the creation of various military and political relations by the Pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty, Egypt was able to expand & prosper leading to the establishment of a vast empire in the ‘Golden Age’ of Egyptian history.

Spanning approximately 1550 to 1070 BCE, the New Kingdom of Egypt represents a golden age, one which was almost the opposite of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt in terms of its accomplishments. Some of the most prestigious names of ancient Egypt come from this period, such as Hatsetshup, the female pharaoh, Thutmose III, Ramses II, the last warrior pharaoh of the New Kingdom, King Akhenaten, the sun worshipper, his beloved wife Nefertiti, and Tutankhamun, the much-celebrated boy king.

During the Old Kingdom the first famous pharaoh was Menes. Menes integrated Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt into one civilization, this started the first dynasty of Egypt. After the first and second dynasties, the third dynasty brought about 500 years of stability to the Egyptian civilization. During this time the pharaohs ruled Egypt and had absolute power

During ancient Egypt, civilization was brought about because the people picked a ruler, or king. “Two of the most important sources of life for the ancient Egyptians were the Nile River and the Pharaoh” (William). At the time, society was very hierarchical; the society was divided into two groups: the privileged people and the majority. The king kept control and managed everything ranging from politics to religion.

Therefore, to conclude the role religion plays in both the past and modern Egyptian culture is important the facts of government and the afterlife play in the Egyptian culture of Egypt. The way Government balanced with religion ensuring that there was culture to be had. As for the afterlife since it is an aspect of religion the role it plays in the Egyptian culture was that to serve as a way of comfort and validate your existence.

The Old Kingdom of Egypt, ruled by the 3rd to the 6th dynasties, spanned the five centuries between about 2755 bc and 2255 bc. In about 3100 bc the country was united under one rule by strong chieftains from the south. The idea, however, that Egypt was divided into two distinct parts—Upper Egypt in the south and Lower Egypt in the north—persisted. The unification of Egypt, or one of the stages leading to it, is commemorated on the carved stone Palette of King Narmer (c. 3100 bc, Egyptian Museum, Cairo), on which the king, wearing the crown of the south, is shown subjugating peoples of the north.