Essay On Egyptian Religion

908 Words2 Pages

Today, Egypt is known as a land of beauty and mystery due to the vast remains of numerous temples, majestic pyramids and divine works of art. Due to the harsh and arid condition of Egypt, that allowed preservation, many funerary remains have succeeded to modern times leaving many to interpret the rich Egyptian culture. These remains have emphasised the importance of religion and reinforced the beliefs of an afterlife following their deaths. Pyramids and tombs illustrate the importance of the pharaoh in Egyptian society and how they were perceived.

Archaeological evidence of funerary customs show that religion was an integral part of Egyptian culture. The Pyramid Texts indicated that the Egyptians believed an individual’s soul had many aspects that continued after death, which consisted of the ba, akh and ka. The ba represents the individual’s alter ego which would travel outside the tomb, whereas the akh reflects the ‘intermediary between the living and the dead’. The ka was believed to be the individual’s twin in which their personality is represented. This strongly implicates that the ancient Egyptian civilisation believed in a spiral realm. At the beginning of the New Kingdom, pharaohs and highly ranked officials were often buried with the ‘Book of the Dead’, which contained magic spells and information to assist and transition the dead to the underworld and afterlife. This symbolised that the magic and divinity were an important part in the Egyptians religion. Tomb paintings and statues of thousands of gods and goddesses as well as their animal manifestations demonstrated that ancient Egyptians had practised in polytheism. Osiris, the god of the dead and the afterlife, and the goddess Ma’at were widely illustrated in tombs. ...

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...n since the king would dwell with the sun god, Re, in the afterlife. In early predynastic burials, many servants and attendants were sacrificed and enclosed in the king’s tomb. This action was regarded as a high honour in which they were able to serve the king in the afterlife. Even after his death, the king remained well respected and worshipped by many individuals in Egypt.

The complex religious rites from the last thousands of years have played a major role in enabling historians and archaeologists on how to interpret the Egyptian culture. The grandeur pyramids, spectacular tombs, exquisite visual art, compelling literature and elaborate funeral arrangements made for the deceased indicate that much of the Egyptian’s way of life was revolved around on religion. Among the ancient Egyptian religion, the king was seen as highly regarded and figure in their culture.

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