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Ancient Egypt

Explore the captivating world of Ancient Egyptian creation myths, from the emergence from watery chaos in Memphis to the divine origins in Heliopolis. Learn about the symbolism of deities like Atum, Ptah, and Thoth, and the significance of concepts like Ma’at and the Ogdoad. Unravel the connections between these myths and the Nile River, religion, and culture of this golden civilization.

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Ancient Egypt

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  1. Ancient Egypt • Religion, Culture, & History

  2. Civilization • Developed between 4000 & 3000 B.C.E. • Golden Age: 3500-2500 B.C.E. • Written Heritage: 3000 B.C.E. • 1st great nation of the Western world

  3. Hieroglyphics • Picture-writing • Symbols for meaning • Separated Egypt from surrounding cultures

  4. The Nile River

  5. Religion • Death and Rebirth/Flood Cycle (Osiris) • Sun God (Re, or Ra) • Temporary victories over evil -- never permanent (Set) • Incest (Osiris & Isis) • Fertility (Isis) • Agriculture

  6. Ma’at • Concept of • truth, balance, morality, order, and justice. • Personified as goddess regulating stars, seasons, and actions of gods and men. • Prevents the universe from returning to chaos. • Her feather used to weigh hearts of the dead.

  7. 4 Creation Myths of Egypt

  8. Why So Many? • Significantly different from each other • Each city had different patron deity, and thus different creation story • Thousands of cities and villages = thousands of Egyptian deities

  9. What They All Have In Common - Emerging from watery chaos -- Nun • Nun: endless, formless deep that existed at the beginning of time and was the source of the nile • “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” --Genesis

  10. Memphis • Oldest Egyptian creation myth • Ancient political capital of Egypt • Creator god: Ptah • Name “Egypt” came from Greek translation of his name

  11. Ptah • Chief deity of Memphis; god of craftsmen • Creation by thought and word alone - “Through his heart and through his tongue.” • Thinking heart (brain mere head-stuffing); through naming comes Ka • Scholars today still argue about parallels to Genesis • Greeks equated him withHephaestus (Roman: Vulcan)

  12. Hermopolis • Greek name for Khemnu • Prosperous city built in honor of Thoth • Called Hermopolis because Greeks equated Thoth to Hermes • Ogdoad -- Group of Eight

  13. Thoth • 4 couples of frog-headed gods/snake-headed goddesses • Nun & Naunet: formless waters • Heh & Hauhet: Infinity and the flood • Kek and Kauket: Darkness • Amun & Amaunet: Hidden Powers

  14. Hermopolis, cont. • After Ogdoad, sun god born. • Re emerges from lotus flower on Nun • 6 of 8 disappear; only Amun and Amaunet join other gods of Egypt

  15. Elephantine Island • -Focuses on making humans • -Khnum: ancient ram-headed creator deity

  16. Khnum • Molded people on potter’s wheel • Controlled Nile’s floodwaters • Great fertility god

  17. Heliopolis

  18. Heliopolis Creation Myth • Most significant creation story in Egypt • Heliopolis: City of the Sun/ Modern-day Cairo • 3000 B.C.E., unification of Upper and Lower Egypt • Dominant myth prominent in Pyramid Texts • Great infinite ocean -- Nun • Atum: Lord and father of the gods/Simply came into being • Stood on mound symbolic of land rising out of Nile

  19. Atum • Essence of Egypt: sun and water • Benben: mound; meteorite venerated by Egyptians; believed to be solidified semen of Atum; inspiration for pyramids • Creation through masturbation; swallows seed; sneezes out Shu & Tefnut (air and moisture) • Great Ennead -- Nine major deities (Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Get, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth, Nephthys) • Atum combines with Re to become Atum-Re/Atum-Ra

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