EGYPT - Religion
6.18 Cite evidence from informational texts to
explain the polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt
with respect to beliefs about death, the afterlife,
mummification, and the roles of different deities.
Gods and Goddesses
• Ancient Egyptians worship of 2000 different gods
• Before Egypt was united their were 40 tribes all with different
gods
• After all the gods were kept, meaning many gods had similar
characteristics
• Animals were considered the living images of the gods
How Gods Dress
• Tunic with suspenders.
• Dress with suspenders.
• The short loincloth
• The short-sleeved overall
• The full-length dress
Ra (re)
• Sun God
• Appearance:
A man with the head of
a Hawk wearing a sun
disk headdress
• He was the most
important God
• The ancient Egyptians
believed that each night
Ra was swallowed night
by Nut, the sky goddess
then reborn in the
morning.
Thoth
• Appearance: A man
with the head of an ibis
holding a writing
palette
• Thoth was the god of
knowledge and writing
• It was said that he gave
the gift of hieroglyphics.
Ma’at
• Appearance: A Woman
with a feather on top of
her head
• Ma'at was the goddess
of truth, justice and
harmony.
• Ma’at was often
associated with the
balance of things on
earth.
Anubis
• Appearance: A Man
with the head of a
jackal
• Anubis was the god of
embalming and the
dead.
• Jackals were often
found in cemeteries,
because of this it was
believed that Anubis
watched over the dead.
Horus
• Appearance: Man with
the head of a hawk
• Horus was a god of the
sky. He is the protector
of the ruler of Egypt.
• It was believed that the
pharaoh was the 'living
Horus'.
Amun
• Appearance: A Man
with a ram-head
wearing an ostrich
feather hat
• Amun was one of the
most powerful gods in
ancient Egypt.
• At the height of
Egyptian civilization he
was called the 'King of
the gods'.
Osiris
• Appearance: A
mummified man who is
wearing a white
headdress with feathers
• Osiris was the god of
the dead, and ruler of
the Underworld.
• Osiris was also the god
of vegetation (plant
matter) that’s why he
is green in appearance.
Atum
• Appearance: Man with
the double crown
• Atum was a creator
god.
• It was belived that
Atum was the first god
to exist on earth.
BOOK OF THE DEAD
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In Egyptian called reu nu pert em hru which translates into "The Book of Coming
forth by Day"
Contains spells, charms, passwords and numbers to help secure an easy passage
for the deceased into the after life
Egyptians believed that knowledge of the appropriate spells was essential to
achieving happiness in the next life
first inscribed on the sarcophogaus of the deceased in 1600 BCE, then later
written on papyrus paper
there are many different versions of the Book of the Dead including:
* Heliopolitan version which is known from five copies inscribed in the tombs of
Kings from the fifth dynasty and edited by priests of Annu
* Theban version which is the most modern version written on papyrus paper
and organized into chapters containing only hieroglyphics
* Saite version which is very strictly organized
spell 125 is one of the most well known segments which is the judging of the
soul done by Osiris and his 42 judges
The weighing of the heart against Ma'at is considered one of the more important
chapters
"Book of the Dead" meant to aid deceased in not dying a second time and
becoming an akh
SPIRIT OF THE DEAD
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Egyptians believe that each person is composed of three essential elements: ba
(soul/personality), ka (life force), and the body in which the soul is kept
Ka, ba and akh are believed to be immortal aspects of the soul thus remaining
alive inside the body after death
In the Opening of the Mouth ceremony, the ba and ka are released into the next
world
Upon death, the ba and ka become separated from the body but remain alive
Because the body of the deceased is mummified, the body must rely on the ba to
seek out the ka
During the night when Ra visits the underworld, the ba are allowed to freely roam
but must always return to the underworld because that is where the body lies and
the ba and body are part of the same being
If the ba is successful in reuniting itself with the ka, it becomes an akh
If successful in becoming an akh, the akh inhabits the world after as it is believed
by the Egyptians that three kinds of beings inhabit the world after death: gods, the
dead (those who's ba and ka have not been united) and akhs
Akhs are believed to be the "spirit of the dead"
Mummification
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Embalming the Body
Wash the body with good smelling palm
wines and rinse with water from the Nile.
Cut a slit in the left side of the body and
remove internal organs the liver,
stomach, lungs and intestines are placed
in canopic jars.
imsety the human headed god holds the
liver
hapy the baboon headed god holds the
lungs
duamutef the jackal headed god holds
the stomach
qebehsenuef the falcon headed god holds
the intestines
A hook is then inserted up the nose to
remove the brains the heart remains in
the body because the Egyptians believed
that your heart was the most important
aspect of the human.
the body is then covered and stuffed
with which will help to dry out the body
The body is then placed in the desert for
40 days. After the 40 days the body is
then washed again with Nile water the
skin is the covered in oils.
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Wrapping
First the head and neck are wrapped
with linen. The fingers and toes are
wrapped individually. The arms and
legs are wrapped separately from the
body
In the layers the embalmers place
amulets to protect the body in the
underworld. The 'isis knot' amulet
protects the body and ' Plummet'
represents personal balance
Priests read out spells while the
mummy is being wrapped.
Papyrus scroll filled with spells from
the book of the dead is wrapped in the
mummies hands
A cloth is then wrapped over the
whole body and a painting of Osiris is
Painted on top.
A funeral is then held for the dead
person before the body is layered to
rest they have a ritual called 'the
opening of he mouth' this lets the dead
person eat and drink one last time
Canopic Jars 
The After Life
• Death is not seen as the last stage of life
• Before the mummy can reach the underworld it has to
pass through seven gates, aided by the magic spells
inscribed upon the funerary objects, then the dead person
arrives in the presence of Osiris (god of the underworld)
• Osiris then performs a ceremony called the 'weighing of
the heart’ Heart of the dead person is weighed on a scale
by the jackal headed god, Anubis (god of dead) against
the feather of Ma'at (goddess of truth)
• Balancing the scale meant immortality
• If the scale did not balance then Amemt (crocodile headed
god) would eat the heart, and Seth, murderer of Osiris ate
the rest of the body