Ancient Egyptian
Religion
Ancient World History
Mr. Blais
Basic Principals of Egyptian Religion
• Like most ancient
civilizations the Egyptians
were polytheistic.
• Their gods and goddesses
controlled all aspects of
nature
• Egyptians also lived in a
theocracy where their
government’s rule was
based on religious
authority
The Pharaohs
• Pharaohs were seen as kings,
priests, and gods.
• Pharaohs were believed to rule
the earth as the gods ruled the
heavens.
• People believed what
happened in Egypt was
directly dependent on the
pharaoh’s actions
• Pharaohs also controlled all
aspects of government and
religious rituals
The Afterlife
• Egyptians were one of the
first peoples to believe in the
concept of eternal life, or life
after death.
• This is why the Egyptians
developed elaborate burial
rituals such as
mummification (preservation
of the physical body) and
built elaborate tombs for
their pharaohs called
pyramids
Mummies and Tombs
• Mummification was practiced
by Egyptians because they
believed that every individual
would need their body in the
after life
• Tombs were used as a place to
store the body and all the
possessions the deceased
individual would need in the
afterlife (clothes, weapons,
jewelry, furniture, etc.)
• Tombs were constructed and
designed to protect the body
and its possessions for eternity
Atum
• The Creator God
Ra and Amon-Ra
OLD KINGDOM
The Sun God
NEW KINGDOM
King of the Gods and the Sun God
[A combination of the god of Thebes
(Amon) and the Sun god (Ra). ]
Hapi (Hapy)
• God of the Nile and
its Yearly Flood
Osiris
• God of the Underworld
and Agriculture
Isis
• Goddess of Fertility and
Motherhood
(Wife of Osiris)
Anubis
• God of Mummification
Set (Seth)
• God of Chaos,
Storms, and Disorder
(Brother of Osiris)
Horus
• God of the Sky
(Son of Osiris and Isis)