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Ancient Egyptians - Egyptian Religion |
Egyptian Religion Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Religion Fact Sheet Fact 1 on Egyptian Religion: Ancient Egyptian religion provided for the worship of over 2000 gods, although less than 100 deities were important enough to be worshipped at a national level Fact 2 on Egyptian Religion: The vast majority of the deities were local gods and formed part of the Egyptian religion of small villages and local families. Little is known about these local deities, there were no temples and little documentation providing information about them. Fact 3 on Egyptian Religion: The major gods of ancient Egyptian religion were the national gods, and the gods of rivers, mountains, earth, the underworld and the sky Fact 4 on Egyptian Religion: The ancient Egyptian deities of provinces or of great cities were, of course, greater than those of villages and private families. There was not a single ‘Holy Book’, such as the Bible. Fact 5 on Egyptian Religion: In ancient Egyptian religion the local village gods were worshipped at small shrines in the village or at private offering tables in the houses Fact 6 on Egyptian Religion: Great Temples were built for for the important national gods with priests, rituals and secret rites Fact 7 on Egyptian Religion: Sometimes the attributes of one deity would be ascribed to another god and sometimes two or more gods would be "fused", subsumed (meaning absorbed) or united to form one new god. Fact 8 on Egyptian Religion: Syncretism: The practice of creating new gods by combining them with old gods or goddesses is called 'syncretism', meaning the fusion of religious beliefs and practices to form a new system. Fact 9 on Egyptian Religion: The worship of many gods, goddesses and deities is called a polytheistic religion. Fact 10 on Egyptian Religion: The worship of one deity was called monotheism. The ancients Egyptians worshipped multiple gods for over 3000 years. The only exception occurred for a period of just 17 years when the 'Heretic Pharaoh' Akhenaten, the father of Tutankhamen, ruled Egypt. Akhenaten drastically changed the religion of Ancient Egypt by insisting they worshipped a new, sole god called the Aten. continued... Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Religion Fact Sheet Egyptian Religion Egyptian Religion Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Religion Fact Sheet Fact 11 on Egyptian Religion: Occasionally gods, goddesses and deities were imported from different villages and towns and even from foreign countries Fact 12 on Egyptian Religion: Sometimes local communities would renounce its god or gods, and adopt a brand new set from a neighbouring district Fact 13 on Egyptian Religion: Changes in the worship of gods might be caused by a victory, or a defeat, in war Fact 14 on Egyptian Religion: The number of the gods worshipped in ancient Egypt was always changing according to the events of the time. Fact 15 on Egyptian Religion: The relative position and status of individual gods was also changing from an insignificant deity to a major god. Fact 16 on Egyptian Religion: The most famous gods worshipped in ancient Egypt included Ra, Osiris, Isis, Anubis, Thoth, set (or Seth), Horus and Ptah. Fact 17 on Egyptian Religion: The most important gods of ancient Egypt had political backing which led to the building of magnificent temples, large followings and cult centers. Fact 18 on Egyptian Religion: The ancient Egyptian Priests created the various cult centers evolving different Creation myths to explain how some of the major Egyptian deities came into being and religious explanations of the beginnings of the universe and the creation of mankind. Fact 19 on Egyptian Religion: Cult centers: Cult centers provided high status and great wealth to the cities in which they were based. Fact 20 on Egyptian Religion: Cult centers: The most important religious cult centers of ancient Egypt were based at Heliopolis, Thebes, Memphis and Hermopolis. Fact 21 on Egyptian Religion: Cult centers: The names of the different religious cults indicated the number of the deities worshipped in the cult and the location of the cult center. Fact 22 on Egyptian Religion: Religious cults: The most important religious cults of ancient Egypt were the Ennead of Heliopolis (a collection of nine gods), the Ogdoad of Hermopolis (a collection of eight gods), the Triad of Thebes, the Elephantine Triad and the Triad of Memphis. Fact 23 on Egyptian Religion: Some animals of ancient Egypt were seen as sacred because the Ancient Egyptians believed that the spirit of a god resided in these animals - the animal was a manifestation of the god Fact 24 on Egyptian Religion: Some gods were depicted as 'human hybrids' with the body of a human but with the heads of animals which enabled the people of ancient Egypt to recognise and identify their deities at a glance Fact 25 on Egyptian Religion: The most famous of the 'human hybrid' deities were: Anubis, the jackal-headed god Thoth, the ibis-headed god Khnum, the ram-headed god Sobek, the crocodile-headed god Horus, the falcon-headed god Fact 26 on Egyptian Religion: The Temples of the gods and goddesses were believed to be the dwelling place of the deities in the religious beliefs of ancient Egypt. Fact 27 on Egyptian Religion: The good-will of the gods had to be secured and any potential ill-will had to be appeased Fact 28 on Egyptian Religion: Offerings: The offerings made to the ancient deities included food, drink, clothing and incense and perfumes. Items that were used in the daily life of the Egyptians were the common forms of offerings such as bread, beer, wine, meats, clothing, incense, fruit and flowers. Fact 29 on Egyptian Religion: Only priests, priestesses and the Pharaoh, queen, or occasionally other members of the royal family, were allowed inside the temples. Ordinary Egyptians were only allowed as far as the gates of the temples Fact 30 on Egyptian Religion: Festivals: There were numerous festivals in which the gods were worshipped and these great festivals allowed the ordinary Egyptians to see the sacred statues of the gods that were believed to be living embodiments of the deities. continued... Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Religion Fact Sheet Egyptian Religion Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Religion Fact Sheet Fact 31 on Egyptian Religion: Festivals: The various festivals, ceremonies and ritual and communal acts of worship brought the people of ancient Egypt together as a nation. Fact 32 on Egyptian Religion: Parades and Processions: The statues were paraded in great processions consisting of the pharaoh, priests, soldiers, musicians and fan & standard bearers. Starting at the temple these parades with great floats transferred to the River Nile and became great river processions Fact 33 on Egyptian Religion: Pyramids and Obelisks: Colossal pyramids and obelisks were built according to the religious beliefs of ancient Egypt. Fact 34 on Egyptian Religion: The Obelisks: The Obelisks were believed to act as magical protection to religious monuments and were placed at the entrances of temples. Fact 35 on Egyptian Religion: The Pyramids: The Pyramids were believed by the people of ancient Egypt to be resurrection vehicles, a type of 'Stargate' for the pharaoh leading to heaven and eternal life. Fact 36 on Egyptian Religion: The Role of the Pharaoh: The Pharaoh was seen as both a human and a living deity who acted as intermediary between the people of Egypt and the gods. Fact 37 on Egyptian Religion: The Pharaoh: Formal religious practices centered around the pharaoh. The pharaoh was believed to be descended from the gods and held the divine power of kingship that was incarnated in him. Fact 38 on Egyptian Religion: The Pharaoh: When a pharaoh died he became fully deified and many mortuary temples were dedicated to the worship of the deceased pharaoh as a god. Fact 39 on Egyptian Religion: Death and the Afterlife: The ancient Egyptians believed that the souls of the dead would need to travel through the Underworld which was a land full of great dangers Fact 40 on Egyptian Religion: Death and the Afterlife: The 'Book of the Dead' was the name given to various 'guides to the underworld' that consisted of a collection of protective spells to help them through the dreadful dangers of the Underworld (Duat). Fact 41 on Egyptian Religion: Death and the Afterlife: According to the religious beliefs of the people of ancient Egypt the preservation of the body in death, by the process of mummification, was essential to keep the soul alive and for eternal life Fact 42 on Egyptian Religion: The ancient Egyptian Religion consisted of a vast set of beliefs and practices and a variety of gods and goddesses. Their differing religious beliefs were linked by their common focus on the interaction between the human world, the world of the gods and their beliefs in the afterlife. Fact 43 on Egyptian Religion: The primary sources of evidence for the religious beliefs and the cults of their gods, pharaohs and the dead include large scale inscriptions and depictions on the walls of temples, monolithic stone shrines, obelisks, temple architecture, manuscripts and on sacred objects. Fact 44 on Egyptian Religion: The religious texts, manuscripts and religious books used as documented sources of evidence included the Pyramid Texts, the Coffin Texts, the famous Book of the Dead and the Book of Ani, the Book of Gates, the Book of Caverns and the Amduat. Ancient Egypt - Egyptian Religion Fact Sheet Egyptian Religion Egyptian Religion |
