Egyptian Mythology By Eric Sirinian

BackgroundFor almost 30 centuries—from its unification around 3100 B.C. to its conquest by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.—ancient Egypt was the preeminent civilization in the Mediterranean world. From the great pyramids of the Old Kingdom through the military conquests of the New Kingdom, Egypt's majesty has long entranced archaeologists and historians and created a vibrant field of study all its own: Egyptology. The main sources of information about ancient Egypt are the many monuments, objects and artifacts that have been recovered from archaeological sites, covered with hieroglyphs that have only recently been deciphered. The picture that emerges is of a culture with few equals in the beauty of its art, the accomplishment of its architecture or the richness of its religious traditions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3Wvw6BivVI

Background (continued)Built during a time when Egypt was one of the richest and most powerful civilizations in the world, the pyramids—especially the Great Pyramids of Giza—are some of the most magnificent man-made structures in history. Their massive scale reflects the unique role that the pharaoh, or king, played in ancient Egyptian society. Though pyramids were built from the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the close of the Ptolemaic period in the fourth century A.D., the peak of pyramid building began with the late third dynasty and continued until roughly the sixth (c. 2325 B.C.). More than 4,000 years later, the Egyptian pyramids still retain much of their majesty, providing a glimpse into the country's rich and glorious past.

http://www.history.com/topics/the-egyptian-pyramids/videos#deconstructing-history-the-great-pyramid

Egyptian Mythology: Background

Ancient Egypt's gods and goddesses looked at least partly like humans and behaved a bit like us, too. Some deities had animal features, like heads, on top of humanoid bodies. Since they were gods, people were supposed to worship them. There wasn't one right way to do this throughout all of Egyptian history and in all places. Different cities and different pharaohs favored one set of gods over another.

Egyptian Mythology: Gods and GoddessesAnubis

The god of funerals. He is depicted as half man, half jackal.

BastetThe goddess of protection. She was seen as half human, half cat.

HorusWas the son of Isis and Osiris. The protector of pharaohs. Viewed as half falcon, half human.

IsisOsiris’s wife and sister. She was the goddess of life. Shown as a beautiful woman

Egyptian Mythology: Gods and Goddesses

(continued)NutThe goddess of the sky. She is depicted as blue with stars covering her body and the sky on her back.

OsirisThe god of death. Osiris is depicted a s a pharaoh. He is brother of Set and Isis (also her husband). He is the son of Nut and the father of Horus.

Re/Ra The god of the sun. He was the ruler of everything.

SetBrother of Osiris, he is the god of chaos, evil, and storms. He is depicted as composite animals.

Egyptian Mythology: Worship

The ancient Egyptians believed that temples were the homes of the gods and goddesses. Every temple was dedicated to a god or goddess and he or she was worshipped there by the temple priests and the pharaoh.

The large temple buildings were made of stone so that they would last “forever”. Their walls were covered with scenes that were carved onto the stone then brightly painted. These scenes showed the pharaoh fighting in battles and performing rituals with the gods and goddesses.

Egyptian Mythology: Worship

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Egyptian Mythology: Mysteries

The SphinxBuried for most of its life in the desert sand, an air of mystery has always surrounded the Great Sphinx, causing speculation about its age and purpose, method of construction, concealed chambers, role in prophesy, and relationship to the equally mysterious pyramids.The monument is the largest surviving sculpture from the ancient world, measuring 73.5m in length and in parts 20m in height. Part of the uraeus (sacred cobra which protected from evil forces), the nose and the ritual beard are missing; the beard is now displayed in the British Museum. The extensions at the side of the head are part of the royal head cloth. Although the head of the Sphinx has been badly affected by thousands of years of erosion, traces of the original paint can still be seen near one ear.It is thought that originally the Sphinx’s face was painted dark red. A small temple between its paws contained dozens of inscribed steal placed by the Pharaohs in honor of the Sun god

Egyptian Mythology: Mysteries

Egyptian Mythology: Mysteries

The Rosetta StoneThe Rosetta Stone, which is housed in the British Museum, is a black, possibly basalt slab with three languages on it (Greek, demotic and hieroglyphs) each saying the same thing. Because the words are translated into the other languages, it provided Jean-Francois Champollion the key to the mystery of Egyptian hieroglyphs.Discovered at Rosette in 1799, by Napoleon's army, the Rosetta Stone proved the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs. The person who found it was Pierre Francois-Xavier Bouchards, a French officer of engineers. It was sent to the Institut d'Egypte in Cairo and then taken to London in 1802.

Egyptian Mythology: Mysteries

Notable Egyptian Kings and Queens

King Tutankhamen

Very interesting stories of the boy king. He died at the young at of 19. There was the “kings curse” that whomever entered the tomb of King Tut would die shortly.

King Ramesses II

He had lived a long life of 96 years, having many wives, sons, and daughters. He is famous for his long life and his great temple.

King Hatshepsut

Queen Hatshepsut reigned over Egypt for more than 20 years. She served as queen alongside her husband, Thutmose II, but after his death claimed the role of pharaoh while acting as regent to her nephew, Thutmose III. She reigned peaceably, building temples and monuments, resulting in the flourish of Egypt. After her death, Thutmose III erased her inscriptions and tried to eradicate her memory.

Queen Cleopatra

The struggle with her teenage brother over the throne of Egypt was not going as well as Cleopatra VII had hoped. In 49 B.C., Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII—also her husband and, by the terms of their father's will, her co-ruler—had driven his sister from the palace at Alexandria after Cleopatra attempted to make herself the sole sovereign. The queen, then in her early twenties, fled to Syria and returned with a mercenary army, setting up camp just outside the capital.

Work Cited PageHistory Channel. Egyptian pyramids. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/the-egyptian-pyramids/videos

Gill, N. S. Retrieved from http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/egypt/p/rosettastone.htm

N.S., G. Retrieved from http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/egyptmyth/tp/071507egyptiandeities.htm

Kidder, B. Retrieved from http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/temples/home.html

Schiff (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ancient.eu.com/article/236/