EGYPTIAN RELIGION

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EGYPTIAN RELIGION

• RELIGION AND THE AFTER-LIFE

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Ancient Egyptian Religion

• Religion guided every aspect of Egyptian life.
• Egyptian religion was based on polytheism, or the
  worship of many deities.
• The Egyptians had as many as 2000 gods and
  goddesses, but only a few were worshipped by all
  Egyptians.

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Ancient Egyptian Religion

• Many gods and goddesses were represented as part
  human and part animal.
• For example, Horus, the sky god, had the head of
  a hawk, and body of a human.
• They considered animals such as the bull, the
  cat, and the crocodile to be holy.

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Ancient Egyptian Religion

• Their two chief gods were Amon-Ra and Osiris.
• Amon-Ra was believed to be the sun god and the
  lord of the universe.
• Osiris was the god of the dead and the
  necropolis.

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Ancient Egyptian Religion

• The Egyptian "Book of the Dead" contains the
  major ideas and beliefs in the ancient Egyptian
  religion.
• Because their religion stressed an afterlife,
  Egyptians devoted much time and wealth to
  preparing for survival in the next world.

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Major Gods and Goddesses

•   Anubis
•   Osiris
• Ra
• Horus
• Hathor

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Anubis-God of Mummification and Death
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Osiris- God of The Underworld King of Dead
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Ra-God of Sun Supreme Judge
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Horus-Sky God or Falcon God
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Hathor-Goddess of
Love, Birth, Death, Music, Pleasure
Shown as Women with horned head dress or a Cow
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Hathor-as a cow
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Death and Funerals

• The Egyptians saw death as a transitional stage
  in the progress to a better life in the next
  world.
• Egyptians were resurrectionists, they believed
  each persons soul would return to the body and
  they would live again in the afterlife.
• Therefore, it was essential for the body to
  survive intact.

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Mummification

• Funerals were very expensive.
• A person would need to
• 1. Have a tomb carved out of solid rock.
• 2. Gather all necessary objects to place in
  the tomb.
• 3. Appoint their son or a priest to bring an
  offering for the deceased daily for up to one
  year.

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Mummification

• Mummification was a long and expensive process.
  The expense of mummification limited the full
  procedure to the very rich.
• For the poor, a shallow grave near the desert was
  common. The dry, hot climate caused natural
  mummification to occur.
• But all wanted to insure their journey into the
  afterlife.

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THE TOMB
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The Tomb in Ancient Egypt

• The tombs were created to provide the dead with a
  place to store the necessary supplies needed in
  the journey to the afterlife.
• Inside the tombs clothing, jewelry, food, and
  weapons were stored, all placed there as supplies
  for the afterlife.

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A BOAT FOR THE AFTERLIFE-FROM KING TUTS TOMB
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The Tomb in Ancient Egypt

• In addition to the material in the tomb, the
  walls of the tomb where painted with scenes from
  every day life.
• As shown on the next slide.

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The Tomb in Ancient Egypt

• Before the body is laid to rest, a burial mask
  would be placed over the mummified body.
• The most famous burial mask was found the in tomb
  of King Tut (shown on next slide).

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TUTS GOLDEN MASK
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Journey into the After Life

• The journey into the afterlife was a difficult
  one.
• To help, scripts would be left with magical
  spells to help the deceased navigate through the
  afterlife.

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Journey into the After Life

• These scripts became known as the "Book of the
  Dead."
• The spirit would begin it's journey by crossing a
  wide river and then pass through a gate guarded
  by monsters.

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The Judgement-copied from Tuts Tomb
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Journey into the After Life

• The deceased then would have to go to the "Hall
  of Two Truths" to be judged.
• The person would be brought before a tribunal of
  the gods and be accused of forty-two different
  crimes each charge dealing with one event in the
  dead persons life. He would have to answer the
  charges.

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Journey into the After Life

• After successfully answering these charges, his
  heart would be put on a scale and weighed against
  a feather.
• If the heart is found to be lighter then the
  feather, true and without sin the person would
  be allowed into the afterlife.

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Journey into the After Life

• If the heart was not lighter then the feather, a
  monster with the head of a crocodile, the body
  of a lion and hippo would immediately devour
  the heart.
• Without a heart, the person would have no memory
  or personality and no chance for eternal life.

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Journey into the After Life

• Egyptians believed the afterlife to be an eternal
  never-ending time of leisure no labor and
  pleasure.
• Life there would be much better than anything on
  earth--except possible being pharaoh.