The Mummification Process
Afterlife/Burial
|
Religious Practice of Ancient Egyptians:
At around 3100 B.C. the Egyptian culture became polytheistic, or the worship of many gods. The Ancient Egyptians had believed and worshiped over 700 gods and goddesses. Depending on the time period of the Egyptians, they would worship gods different to, say, one hundred years before. The gods that they worshiped basically centered on animals. Each Egyptian community would worship a family of gods, or deities.
The Egyptian gods can be separated into three major categories: Household, local/state gods and national gods.
Household gods were worshiped inside of a person’s living space. Most of these gods did not have a large set of followers nor temples with priests. Even though they seem to have a lack of importance, they were still a main part of Ancient Egyptian culture.
Local/ state gods were the main deities of a certain area of land in Egypt. For some of these gods, they would gain national recognition and would then be worshiped throughout the entire land of Egypt. Sometimes, these gods would be combined with other gods to make new deities to be worshiped.
National gods were often made when the pharaoh of that time worshiped the deities. People in certain occupations would pick a national god in which would help them. For example, the god of scribes and writing, Thoth, was often worshiped by those who were scribes.
At around 3100 B.C. the Egyptian culture became polytheistic, or the worship of many gods. The Ancient Egyptians had believed and worshiped over 700 gods and goddesses. Depending on the time period of the Egyptians, they would worship gods different to, say, one hundred years before. The gods that they worshiped basically centered on animals. Each Egyptian community would worship a family of gods, or deities.
The Egyptian gods can be separated into three major categories: Household, local/state gods and national gods.
Household gods were worshiped inside of a person’s living space. Most of these gods did not have a large set of followers nor temples with priests. Even though they seem to have a lack of importance, they were still a main part of Ancient Egyptian culture.
Local/ state gods were the main deities of a certain area of land in Egypt. For some of these gods, they would gain national recognition and would then be worshiped throughout the entire land of Egypt. Sometimes, these gods would be combined with other gods to make new deities to be worshiped.
National gods were often made when the pharaoh of that time worshiped the deities. People in certain occupations would pick a national god in which would help them. For example, the god of scribes and writing, Thoth, was often worshiped by those who were scribes.
Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt:
Amon: Amon was the god of the air, war and fertility. He became very powerful when there was to be a temple constructed in his honor during the 12th dynasty. As stated above, he was combined with other gods to create other deities such as Amon-Re-Amon, Amon-Re-Montu, Amon-Re-Horakhty and many others. Anubis: Anubis was the god of embalmers, or the great god of mummification. He was associated with death and was known to guide those in the underworld and be part of the judgment of the dead. He was originally a local god of an area in the upper part of Ancient Egypt. He is known to be one of many gods with a head of a jackal. Hathor: Hathor was known as the goddess of mining, love, birth, death, music, and pleasure. She was an extremely popular god in the Egyptian system. With her association to love, she was also known to be a basis for the Greek god Aphrodite. Isis: Isis was the goddess of coffins, canopic jars and was known as the divine mother. She played a very important role in Egyptian culture. She became the symbol in Egypt for a committed wife and mother. Khunum: Khunum was known as a builder in Ancient times. He is mostly known for building a ladder to heaven and sometimes even ferry boats. Osiris: Osiris was known as the god of the underworld and king of the dead. Through him, Egyptians believed that they had a chance in the underworld. Ptah: Ptah was known as the god of craftsman. It is said that when he spoke words the world came into being. Ra: Ra was known as the god of the sun. He was considered the most important god in Egyptian culture. Sobek: Sobek was known as the god of infertility. He was also associated with death and burial. Thoth: Thoth was known as the god of writing, scribes and knowledge. |