Ancient Egyptian Religion and Beliefs
- Religion was very important to the ancient Egyptians, and was part of their everyday life
- Egyptians practiced polytheism and each god controlled a different aspect of their life
- Ptah:
- Creator of the world
- God of creation, family, art, fertility
- Craftsman of gods
- Father of Imhotep
- Re/Amun-Re:
- King of gods
- God of wind
- Sun god
- Depicted with the sun as a bird
- Re and Horus are sometimes the same god
- Isis:
- Goddess of magic and nature
- Pictured as the ideal mother
- A friend of slaves, sinners, and artisans
- Wife of Osiris
- Mother of Horus
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- In Egyptian religion, the afterlife was especially important they believed you had life after death
- You ka (persons life force/soul) would depart your body upon your death
- However, the ka had to be nourished with things like food and drink as well as to sleep
- This was why people were buried with all the necessities you'd need in life
- When you died, your behavior would also be judged in a ceremony called the weighing of the heart
- Your heart would be weighed against a feather and if it was balanced you would go to the Fields of Helep and Laru. If your heart sunk, a monster called Ammit would eat it
- The Egyptians also believed that your body had to be preserved in order for your spirit to recognize the body
- Through this belief, the Egyptians created a durable embalming process
- First your internal organs would be removed and stored in a jar
- Second, your body was dried out with a special substance
- Third, oils were applied to the body
- Fourth, you would be wrapped in cloths and bandages
- Last, You would be placed in a sarcophagus (fancy coffin)
- Only the upper class could afford mummification
- The lower class was just placed in a shallow grave, which also preserved the body very well because of the minerals and nutrients found in the desert sand
- Most pharaohs would have their sarcophagus placed somewhere in their tomb that they had built during their lifetime