Ancient Egyptian Religion

Basic Principals of Egyptian Religion• Like most ancient

civilizations the Egyptians were polytheistic.

• Their gods and goddesses controlled all aspects of nature

• Egyptians also lived in a theocracy where their government’s rule was based on religious authority

The Pharaohs• Pharaohs were seen as kings,

priests, and gods. • Pharaohs were believed to rule

the earth as the gods ruled the heavens.

• People believed what happened in Egypt was directly dependent on the pharaoh’s actions

• Pharaohs also controlled all aspects of government and religious rituals

Gods and Goddesses ▪ Ancient Egyptians worship of 2000 different gods ▪ Before Egypt was united their were 40 tribes all with different gods ▪ After all the Gods were kept, meaning many gods had similar characteristics ▪ Animals were considered the living images of the gods How Gods Dress ▪ Tunic with suspenders. ▪ Dress with suspenders. ▪ The short loincloth ▪ The short-sleeved overall ▪ The full-length dress

Atum

• The Creator God

Ra and Amon-RaOLD KINGDOM NEW KINGDOM

The Sun God King of the Gods and the Sun God [A combination of the god of Thebes

(Amon) and the Sun god (Ra). ]

Hapi (Hapy)

• God of the Nile and its Yearly Flood

Osiris

• God of the Underworld and Agriculture

Isis

• Goddess of Fertility and Motherhood

(Wife of Osiris)

Anubis

• God of Mummification

Set (Seth)

• God of Chaos, Storms, and Disorder (Brother

of Osiris)

Horus

• God of the Sky (Son of Osiris and Isis)

MummificationWrapping

• First the head and neck are wrapped with linen. The fingers and toes are wrapped individually. The arms and legs are wrapped separately from the body

• In the layers the embalmers place amulets to protect the body in the underworld. The 'isis knot' amulet protects the body and ' Plummet' represents personal balance

• Priests read out spells while the mummy is being wrapped.

• Papyrus scroll filled with spells from the book of the dead is wrapped in the mummies hands

• A cloth is then wrapped over the whole body and a painting of Osiris is Painted on top.

• A funeral is then held for the dead person before the body is layered to rest they have a ritual called 'the opening of he mouth' this lets the dead person eat and drink one last time

Embalming the Body • Wash the body with good smelling palm

wines and rinse with water from the Nile. • Cut a slit in the left side of the body and

remove internal organs the liver, stomach, lungs and intestines are placed in canopic jars.

• imsety the human headed god holds the liver • hapy the baboon headed god holds the lungs • duamutef the jackal headed god holds the

stomach • qebehsenuef the falcon headed god holds

the intestines • A hook is then inserted up the nose to

remove the brains the heart remains in the body because the Egyptians believed that your heart was the most important aspect of the human.

• the body is then covered and stuffed with which will help to dry out the body

• The body is then placed in the desert for 40 days. After the 40 days the body is then washed again with Nile water the skin is the covered in oils.

Mummies and Tombs• Mummification was practiced

by Egyptians because they believed that every individual would need their body in the after life

• Tombs were used as a place to store the body and all the possessions the deceased individual would need in the afterlife (clothes, weapons, jewelry, furniture, etc.)

• Tombs were constructed and designed to protect the body and its possessions for eternity

BOOK OF THE DEAD

(reu nu pert em hru)■ In Egyptian called reu nu pert em hru which translates into "The Book of Coming forth by

Day" ■ Contains spells, charms, passwords and numbers to help secure an easy passage for the

deceased into the after life ■ Egyptians believed that knowledge of the appropriate spells was essential to achieving

happiness in the next life ■ First inscribed on the sarcophogaus of the deceased in 1600 BCE, then later written on

papyrus paper ■ There are many different versions of the Book of the Dead including:

* Heliopolitan version which is known from five copies inscribed in the tombs of Kings from the fifth dynasty and edited by priests of Annu

* Theban version which is the most modern version written on papyrus paper and organized into chapters containing only hieroglyphics

* Saite version which is very strictly organized ■ Spell 125 is one of the most well known segments which is the judging of the soul done by

Osiris and his 42 judges ■ The weighing of the heart against Ma'at is considered one of the more important chapters ■ "Book of the Dead" meant to aid deceased in not dying a second time and becoming an akh

The book of dead inscribed on tomb à

ß weighing of the heart against Ma'at’s Feather

SPIRIT OF THE DEAD■ Egyptians believe that each person is composed of three essential elements: ba

(soul/personality), ka (life force), and the body in which the soul is kept ■ Ka, ba and akh are believed to be immortal aspects of the soul thus remaining

alive inside the body after death ■ In the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, the ba and ka are released into the next

world ■ Upon death, the ba and ka become separated from the body but remain alive ■ Because the body of the deceased is mummified, the body must rely on the ba to

seek out the ka

ßBa

Ka à

Ba leaving the body

àà

■ During the night when Ra visits the underworld, the ba are allowed to freely roam but must always return to the underworld because that is where the body lies and the ba and body are part of the same being

■ If the ba is successful in reuniting itself with the ka, it becomes an akh

■ If successful in becoming an akh, the akh inhabits the world after as it is believed by the Egyptians that three kinds of beings inhabit the world after death: gods, the dead (those who's ba and ka have not been united) and akhs

■ Akhs are believed to be the "spirit of the dead"

The Afterlife• Egyptians were one of the

first peoples to believe in the concept of eternal life, or life after death.

• This is why the Egyptians developed elaborate burial rituals such as mummification (preservation of the physical body) and built elaborate tombs for their pharaohs called pyramids