![]() But this also means that ancient cultures, especially the Egyptians, had several different understandings of the creation of the Universe, and many of them have absolutely nothing to do with one another. As a result, it’s easy to see why creation is such an important concept in all religions, and things were no different in ancient times. ![]() The question “where do we come from?” is one we still cannot answer today. As a result, to understand the ancient Egyptian gods, it’s important to also understand how they were connected to the Ancient Egyptian understanding of the creation and function of the universe. ![]() Mythology is the collection of religious stories a culture tells itself to help interpret the world. This has become a prominent part of our understanding of the gods of Egypt, although the deities they worshipped were still human, no matter how they were depicted. For example, many gods had human bodies and animal heads. 2700 BCE), many of these gods had taken on a part animal, part human form. 3100 BCE.īy the end of the second Egyptian dynasty (c. Over time, the many different gods of Egypt took on new forms, until they were eventually represented in pure human form by the time the first pharaohs of Egypt were in power in c. However, fetishism soon gave way to the worship of animals, and it’s likely as villages expanded and combined with nearby settlements, these various gods morphed under the influence of differing religious views. Some evidence suggests the earliest Egyptians practiced fetishism, meaning early Egyptian gods were material objects, such as a flag or wrapped staff. The many gods of Egypt likely originated from religious cults that formed in communities in the 4th or perhaps even 5th millennium BCE (approximately 5,000-6,000 years ago).Įach village would have had its own god and different representations of that god. However, archaeologists and anthropologists have still managed to decipher many details and provide us with a much clearer picture of how Egyptian religion developed and grew into a powerful cultural force capable of guiding an entire civilization.Īs one of the oldest civilizations in the world, religion in Egypt has a long history. There are many things we still don’t know, and many more we never will. Life depended on the gods, and therefore, much of Ancient Egyptian life was dedicated to appeasing the gods so that they would provide the people with what they needed to survive.Įgyptian religion is a dense, complicated, and mysterious subject. Understanding the Egyptian gods and goddesses is essential to understanding Ancient Egypt. The Great Pyramids of Giza are still considered one of the most impressive feats of architecture and construction in the history of human civilization, and the temples built to the many ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses that pepper the banks of the Nile River remind us how a vibrant and devoutly religious civilization has been there longer than any of us can fathom. But their civilization remains alive today. Not only is Egypt credited with being one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and perhaps one of the birthplaces of the human race. ![]() She is the wife of Osiris.The Ancient Egyptians capture the attention of even the most casual student of history.
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