The History of Religion

Polytheistic religion is defined by “the doctrine of or belief in more than one god or in many gods” (Merriam Webster Dictionary). There were over 2,000 names of gods in Ancient Egypt (Hart 67). Some images of Ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses show them with a human body and the head of a bird or an animal. Animals were chosen to represent the powers of the god. This would also give artisans of that time the freedom to have depictions of gods and goddesses in their artwork along with the pharaohs.

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.

This myth, although mostly incomplete, was central to the Egyptian religion. It explained the importance of the Pharaoh, Ma’at, and establishes the Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife and magic. Egyptian mythology evolved and grew, like many other mythologies in other civilizations. The mythology, like every religion, was important to the Egyptian way of life. It was a guide that explained how to live their lives and to survive their death.

Everything Egyptians did, including mummification had to do with their religious beliefs. They followed rituals to please the gods and therefore received something in exchange. Moreover, they believed that mummifying a body was preparing a person for their afterlife. The process of mummification changed depending on the person’s socioeconomic status.

The ancient Egyptian burial practices are fundamental to the beliefs of ancient Egyptians. There are many different forms of burial practices; however the main form of practice of ancient Egyptians was the mummification process as seen in source B. Through the use of source B along with other sources, the following response will analyse the ancient Egyptian burial practices. The most common ancient Egyptian burial practice is the mummification process as depicted in source B. Mummification is a ritual that embalmers performed when a pharaoh died. Source B is a photograph of the canoptic jars which are a main component of the mummification process.

Though, it was used by ancient Egyptians, from the beginning of the New Kingdom around 1550 BCE to around 50 BCE. When the person dead the priests would touch the mouth and eyes of the deceased with ceremonial tools. So that they would open their mouth, eyes and ears. That helped them in the afterlife to taste hear and for the god can listen to them. In addition they left amulets in their tombs to help with the afterlife.

The time period for Egyptian mummification is from their Predynastic Period (4650-3050 BC) until after the New Kingdom (1069 BC-395 AD). The Egyptians believed in Polytheism, which the religion of worshiping more than one god. Since they believed in more than one god, they believed in Osiris, the earthbound god of the dead, and Re, the sun god. These two gods were critical to the Egyptians, because they counted on those two gods to lead people into the afterlife. In order to achieve the afterlife, a proper burial had to take place for the dead.

The Nile was an important part of Egyptian life both in regard to their day to day livelihood and in regard to their concepts of the afterlife. Abydos was a cultural and religious center that held importance not just for those that lived there but to the region as a whole. Many Egyptian pharaohs had temples built at Abydos for their worship after they had traveled to the afterlife. Not surprisingly, the more affluent Egyptians at Abydos had tombs constructed incorporating drawings and murals depicting servitude to the gods and other activities in which they expected to participate when they joined with the gods (Casson 42). Included in the tomb would be grave goods such as food, clothing, musical instruments and anything else that would make the afterlife more pleasant for the owner of... ... middle of paper ... ...ive Egyptian images took the place of those from Mesopotamia as the new kings focuses solely on their lands and responsibilities as great leaders of a great civilization.

We gain a glimpse into what was believed to be the after life through inscriptions such as the Book of the Dead. Although terrifying tales, it contained information that the deceased could use to protect themselves. Stelas were first employed just to perpetuate the name of the deceased but through time became more and more decorated. The first royal stelas simply inscribed the kings name in the serekh and was placed inside of niches within their tombs. The first stelas were erected in the Upper Egyptian funerary complexes at Abydos and were large slabs of rectangular stone,... ... middle of paper ... ...ed accomplishments, probably to aid in the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony.

However, the houses of the wealthy Egyptians were usually decorated with rich and colorful painted walls and floors with multiple rooms. Religion in Ancient Egypt In Ancient Egyptians, the Egyptians worshipped many Gods and Goddess, particularly the Sun God, Ra; Goddess of magic and nature, Issis; God of war, Horus and finally God the dead, Osiris. Over the course of time, the Egyptians progressively changed their devotion from the old Gods and Goddesses to new Gods and Goddesses and by doing so reflected the rise and fall of political af... ... middle of paper ... ...de at 75 feet in length that can be use for trade overseas. They were also well known in preserving the bodies of the deceased by embalmment or mummification. The medicines and medications that they used in their time were of high significance.