Impact of Religion on Daily Life Prompt
SWBAT explain how religion impacts the daily life of Egyptians
SWBAT write a response to a prompt using evidence
Name: ________________________
Date: ________
Hour: ______
It was believed that when a person died, the soul had to pass through a dangerous
underworld where it faced all sorts of dangerous such as lakes of fire and monstrous creatures
to reach eternal happiness. The final and ultimate test of the spirit’s voyage was the Weighing
of the Heart Ceremony, depicted below. There, the ba, or the soul of the dead person, watches
the test hoping to pass. Anubis stands under the scale and verifies that it is working correctly as
the ibis-headed scribe god Thoth records the results. The heart of the dead person, containing
all of their past deeds and choices, is weight against the “feather of truth” a symbol of Ma’at
(the goddess of justice, truth and order). If the heart weighs less, meaning the person has done
mostly good deeds, the spirit is free to go on to meet Osiris in the afterlife. But if the heart is
heavy with sin and bad choices, it is thrown to Ammut, “the devourer of the dead,” who
gobbles it up, denying the spirit its afterlife.
Source: Christina Lippert, Essay on the Afterlife, 2012
Impact of Religion on Daily Life Prompt
SWBAT explain how religion impacts the daily life of Egyptians
SWBAT write a response to a prompt using evidence
Name: ________________________
Date: ________
Hour: ______
Prompt: How did the gods and the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony affect the
daily lives of Egyptians?
Restate the Prompt
For Example …
Evidence:
Explanation:
For Example …
Evidence:
Explanation:
Tie it Up and
Answer the
Prompt
Impact of Religion on Daily Life Prompt
SWBAT explain how religion impacts the daily life of Egyptians
SWBAT write a response to a prompt using evidence
Name: ________________________
Date: ________
Hour: ______
How did the gods and the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony affect the daily lives of
Egyptians?
R:
Restate the
Prompt
F:
For
Example …
F:
For
Example …
T:
Tie it Up!
Answer the
Prompt!
The gods and the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony affected the daily lives
of Egyptians.
Evidence:
According to document 1, “the heart
of the dead person, containing all of
their past deeds and choices, is weight
against the “feather of truth” a symbol
of Ma’at (the goddess of justice, truth
and order).”
Explanation:
All of a person’s past is being put
on trial in the Weighing of the Heart
Ceremony. If a person’s heart was
heavy with badness they would not
be lighter than truth and justice (or
Ma’at). People were encouraged to
make good choices throughout their
lives so they could be lighter than
the feather.
Evidence:
Explanation:
According to the author Christina
Lippert, “But if the heart is heavy with
sin and bad choices, it is thrown to
Ammut, “the devourer of the dead,”
who gobbles it up, denying the spirit its
afterlife.”
The god Ammut eats up the spirit
of a dead person if they have been
bad. I don’t know about you, but I
wouldn’t want my soul being
gobbled by an angry god so I would
want to behave during my regular
life.
People in Egypt had their daily life affected by the gods and the Weighing
of the Heart Ceremony because it encouraged people to make smart
choices – or else they would face harsh consequences.
Impact of Religion on Daily Life Prompt
SWBAT explain how religion impacts the daily life of Egyptians
SWBAT write a response to a prompt using evidence
Name: ________________________
ram-headed god Khnum
presided over the hazardous
rapids of the Nile known as the
cataracts. It was on his word that
the god Hapy rose up each year
to cause the flood of the Nile.
This flood created the rich silt
that allowed the Peasants and
farmers to plant their crops, and
grow the abundant food all of
Egypt depended on.
The
Date: ________
Hour: ______
The god Thoth had the curved beak of
the ibis, like a crescent moon. So the
bird became the symbol of the moon
god Thoth. He was the patron god of all
scribes, and gave the Egyptians
knowledge of writing, medicine, and
mathematics. Scribes would pray to
Thoth throughout their time in scribe
school – for good grades and help
memorizing all 700 Hieroglyphics.
Impact of Religion on Daily Life Prompt
SWBAT explain how religion impacts the daily life of Egyptians
SWBAT write a response to a prompt using evidence
Name: ________________________
Date: ________
Hour: ______
Describe how the Egyptians relied on the gods for their daily lives.
Restate the Prompt
For Example …
Evidence:
Explanation:
For Example …
Evidence:
Explanation:
Tie it Up and
Answer the
Prompt
Impact of Religion on Daily Life Prompt
SWBAT explain how religion impacts the daily life of Egyptians
SWBAT write a response to a prompt using evidence
Name: ________________________
Date: ________
Hour: ______
Describe how the Egyptians relied on the gods for their daily lives.
Restate the Prompt How did the gods of Egypt influence their lives each day?
For Example …
Evidence:
“Khnum presided over the rapids of
the Nile”
“It was on [Khnum] word that god
Hapy rose up each year to cause
the flood”
“the flood created the rich silt”
Explanation:
The Egyptians believed that the god Khnum
was the one that said when it would flood and
brought to them the rich soil and water they
needed to grow food.
For Example …
Evidence:
Explanation:
“[Thoth] gave the Egyptians knowledge
of writing, medicine, and mathematics” The Egyptians believed the god Thoth would
“Scribes would pray to Thoth…for
help them learn hieroglyphs and do good in
good grades and help”
scribe school.
Tie it Up and
Answer the
Prompt
The Egyptians knew they needed to please the gods daily as the gods influenced
important aspects of their lives. For example, the believed the god Khnum gave the
word of when it should flood. They believed they must please him or it would not flood
and they would not be able to grow their crops. Another example of how they relied on
the gods was in scribe school. They believed Thoth gave them better knowledge of
hieroglyphics. If they pleased him they would do better in scribe school. Egyptians
worked daily to please the different gods so in return the gods would bring them good
fortune.