Egyptian Religion

1. Egyptian Religion

2. Religion • At the beginning of Old Kingdom- Egypt had many different beliefs • Each city had its own gods and system of worship • Priests tried to organize these into a national religion • Most powerful cities tried to promote their own gods.

3. Religion • Most important god was Amon- Ra who was the Ruler of Universe • He was “invented” during the new kingdom

4. Religion • Originally-Ra was the supreme royal god. Kings took the title of the “Son of Ra” • Ra was known as the Sun god, he was later combined with Amon • He was then called Amon- Ra

5. Religion • Osiris • God of afterlife and lord of the underworld • Redeemer and judge of afterlife • God of Harvest • Granter of all life including life along the Nile

6. Religion • Isis • Wife of Osiris- she was also his sister • Mother goddess- protector of women • Mother of Horus

7. Religion • Anubis • Protector of the dead • God of Embalming and performer of the opening of the mouth ceremony

8. Religion • Seth • Brother of Osiris and Isis • God of Chaos

9. Relgion • HorusHorus was one of the most important gods in Egypt. As a child of Osiris and Isis who upon reaching age, he avenges his father’s death by defeating his evil Uncle Seth . He then became the divine prototype of the pharaoh. • God of the Sky 

10. Religion • Aten • The Sun Disc

11. Religion • The ancient Egyptians saw the world differently from us- • They saw Egypt as being in the middle of the River Nun, the underworld.

12. Religion • Temples were considered dwelling places for gods. • Each city had a temple for the god of that city. • Priest were to care for the gods and attend to their needs • Duties of priest included- funeral rites, teaching school, supervision of artists, and advising people of their problems

13. Religion • Death and burial- • A king spent a large part of their reign preparing for their death. He planned and supervised the building of his tomb • Death was just the beginning of eternal life • The spirit of the dead pharaoh would stay attached to his tomb, live on in his tomb, and watch over the land and people forever

14. Religion • The body was embalmed (mummification) • The Egyptians believed that when a person dies they released a cloud of spirits- the life force (Ka) and the person’s own character (Ba)

15. Religion • These spirits could live only if the body was well preserved because the Ka stayed with the body and the ba went to the underworld everyday • If they body was decayed- the Ba would have no place to return at night

16. Religion • The body was washed and prepared for burial • They removed the organs and placed them decorative jars • The body was dried, stuffed with linen and spices • It was anointed with oils • Finally it was wrapped in linen bandages • The whole process took about 70 days

17. Religion • The heart was put back into the body because it would provide the deceased the know-how to re-assemble itself in the afterlife.

18. Religion • The body was put in a wooden coffin and then taken to the tomb followed by a funeral procession and ceremonies • The coffin was placed in a second coffin made of carved stone • The coffin was surrounded by food, drink, and everything needed for the afterlife • The tomb was sealed and never entered again

19. Religion • Anibus would weigh the heart of the deceased against a feather. If his bad deeds out balanced his good deeds, his soul was destroyed • Osiris would judge the life of the deceased along with Anibus. • The Book of the Dead included magical spells and chants that would see the soul through troublesome times

20. Religion • The ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife. The people believed that, after you died, life continued in the land of the Two Fields.  • In the beginning, only pharaohs could board Ra's boat and travel to the land of the Two Fields, and dwell forever in the heavenly Nile. But the god Osiris changed that. Osiris opened the door to the afterlife to everyone in ancient Egypt, provided his or her heart was light. To keep your heart light, you had to spend a lifetime doing good deeds. Crime was very low in ancient Egypt because everyone wanted to spend eternity in the heavenly world of the Two Fields, home of the Afterlife. 

21. Religion • Before you could board Ra's boat, you had to satisfy a few requirements.  • First, you had to pass the test of heart in the Hall of Maat.  • Then, you had to have your name written down somewhere.  • And you had to have a preserved body.

22. Religion • The ancient Egyptians believed that everyone had a soul. They called the soul by two names - the Ba and the Ka. As the story goes, the Ba returned during the day to live with the family. The Ka flew off to live in the afterlife, which was an actual place. At night, both the Ba and the Ka flew home to sleep in the body in its tomb. If something happened to your preserved body, or if your name was not written down somewhere, the Ba and Ka would get lost. They would not be able to come home to your mummified body, and you would disappear forever, no longer able to dwell happily in your afterlife. 

23. Religion • Which all goes to explain why grave robbing was the most horrible crime in ancient Egypt. Grave robbers not only stole someone's wealth, they stole their chance to live happily ever after in the Egyptian afterlife. Punishment was swift and terrible for grave robbers caught robbing a grave.