Daily Life –Religion and Beliefs
Matthew Handelsman
Egyptian Gods
- Egyptians believed that their gods has created and ruled the world.
- Each god served its own purpose but some were more important than others.
- One of the most important gods was Osiris. He was the god of the underworld which is where people go when they die.
- Some other famous gods are Horus god of the sky and Isis god of protection of the living and dead.
Appearance of Gods
- Some Gods had normal bodies with animal heads.
- A famous one was Anubis who had the body of a human and the head of a jackal
- He was the god of necropolis were Egyptians believed bodies were prepared for the afterlife.
- Thoth was another famous on who had the head of an ibis (a bird) and he was the god of knowledge and writing.
Temples
- Egyptians believed that temples were the Earth homes of gods and goddesses.
- Except for a few special occasions only priest and priestesses were allowed into the temples.
- On important festivals a statue of the god was carried to the most sacred place of the temple.
- Only on these occasions were common people allowed to enter the outer court yards of the temple in order to watch the ceremony.
- Small structures built outside the temple were dedicated to the prayers of common people.
Religion at Home
- Common people paid homage to the god in their homes as well.
- Most people had a small are in their house were they could make offerings to local gods.
- People honored gods for things like having a child as well as to keep bad things away and the spirits of the dead.
Citations: (Image).http://witcombe.sbc.edu/sacredplaces/images/abusimbel.gif.9/16/15.Web
(Image).http://www.thenileandegypt.com/images/ancientgods.gif.9/16/15.web
Bunson, Margaret. A Dictionary of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press.1991.print