Introduction
Ancient Egyptian religion was a polytheistic religion that focused on beliefs and practices that are similar to many modern day religious concepts. Egyptian religion was built on the concepts of mythology, science, medicine, spiritualism, magic and herbology (Mark, “Ancient Egyptian Religion”). The practices the Egyptians believed in were constantly changing; however there were some main themes that remained constant. These themes revolved around fertility, rebirth, death and resurrection (Australian Museum, “Religion and Gods in Ancient Egypt”). There was also recognition of a higher power and the after life. Religion was the major influential factor in how the Egyptian society was shaped and how it functioned (Mark, “Ancient Egyptian Religion”).
Life on Earth
Because Egyptians believed the concept of a higher power and life after death, they allowed their religious beliefs to govern how they lived their lives. They believed that they needed to live a life on Earth that deserved to be continued after they died (Mark, “Ancient Egyptian Religion”). To do this they had to perform deeds that would make their heart lighter. The lighter their heart was the better their chance would be to have a life after death (“Religion in Ancient Egypt”). The idea of having a lighter heart could be more clearly defined as one who lived a life that was good and pure. Egyptians had two main principles they lived by to ensure their heart was light enough and their life was worthy enough to continue after death. These principles were Ma’at, which means harmony and Heka, which means magic. With the principle Ma’at, Egyptians knew that the choices they made in life had consequences, not only for them, but for the rest of the universe. The goal of the principle ma’at was to maintain balance, and to do this, Egyptians had to depend on each other. When the universe was balanced, the gods were able to produce pleasure and happiness for humans. Both principles were personified, Ma’at as a goddess and Heka as a god (Mark, “Ancient Egyptian Religion”).
Gods and Goddesses
Gods and goddesses were a major aspect of religion in ancient Egypt. They were often depicted in many forms. Some were depicted as animals and others were depicted with an animal head and a human body. For example, Anubis, the god of death was depicted with the head of a jackal and a body of a human (Britannica, “Anubis”). Gods and goddesses were viewed as “lords of creation and custodians of order.” They were also viewed as friends who wanted to help and guide Egyptians (Mark, “Ancient Egyptian Religion”). These gods and goddesses were separated into local gods and state gods, depending on specific areas of the city or region. Usually the class of the Egyptian would determine which gods they worshipped. The Egyptian class system was similar to the structure of the pyramids. The gods were at the top, and there were some humans that became pharaohs, which was a type of god. Under them were government officials, soldiers, merchants and at the very bottom of the social structure were slaves and servants (“Egyptian Social Structure”). The general public would tend to worship local gods and the upper class would worship the state gods. Later in history, many gods were combined and worshipped as one god.
In Egyptian religion, there were numerous gods that each served their own purpose. Ma’at, for instance, was a goddess of truth, justice, balance and morality. Her job was to decide if a person was worthy of going to the afterlife. She would weigh their soul against her feather of truth to determine the worth of their life. Ma’at represented the stability of the universe (Hill, “Maat: The Ancient Egyptian Goddess of Truth, Justice and Morality”). Heka was a god of magic and medicine. He was responsible for designating specific tasks for each god to perform because he held the most power, however he is often overlooked as the most powerful. Everything in Egyptian society depended on him, since he was the “foundation of power” (Mark, “Ancient Egyptian Religion”). Heka also was responsible for giving humans the ability to communicate with the gods and for continuing the principle of ma’at. One of the most important gods was Osiris. He was the god of both fertility and the underworld and was a local god in Lower Egypt. Osiris was responsible for all life from the underworld, which included vegetation and the recognition of life after death. In certain cults, it was believed that if Egyptians followed Osiris that they could be reborn (Britannica, “Osiris”).
Tombs and Death Rituals
Even though Egyptians were focused on living a life worth continuing after death, there were certain rituals performed to ensure the soul made the transition to the afterlife. During burials, Egyptians recited the words “You have not departed dead, you have departed alive.” This phrase was used to validate their belief that the deceased’s soul would transition to the after life. There was also a process the body would have to go through to reach the afterlife. This included carefully preparing and storing the body for eternal existence. The body needed the help of rituals (prayers, touching the body with sacred objects, etc.) and magic, along with food, water and clothing to reach its final destination. If the process was done correctly, the dead would have the opportunity to become an immortal spirit that lived with the gods. Egyptians also began to practice mummification, which removed moisture and organs from the body, to preserve the body of the deceased. This practice was originally only used for Pharaohs because it was a teditious and expensive process. Eventually, a version of the process was expanded to others in Egypt.
Early ancient Egyptians buried their dead in the ground, but later, Egyptians began to make tombs for their dead. There were many different types of tombs, but the most famous one were the pyramids. During funerals, oxen would carry the tomb to the banks of the Nile, while relatives, priests, dancers and musicians would follow. They would then cross the Nile to arrive at the designated burial site, where the body would receive rituals to ensure they would reach the afterlife (Kiger, “Ancient Egyptian Tombs and Death Rituals”).
Impact of Religion on Ancient Egyptian Society
In Egypt, religion and life were extremely intertwined. Almost everything in Egyptian civilization had a connection with religion. A few examples of everyday things that were connected with religion were astronomy, medicine, geography, agriculture, art and civil law. However, the largest connection in everyday life was religion and nature. There was a god that controlled sunlight, the agricultural cycle, and the rise and fall of the Nile, which was a major resource in Egyptian society (Teeter and Brewer, “Religion in the Lives of the Ancient Egyptians”).
Impact of Religion in Today’s Society
Ancient Egyptian religion has influenced many different cultures in today’s society. Some main societal aspects that were influenced by Ancient Egyptian religion are government, religion, infrastructure and lifestyle. The similarities in government revolve around “political systems such as the monarchy and government officials, legal codes, agriculture, economic provisions like goods trading, taxation, property ownership, and other aspects owe their basis to programs implemented during the rule of the Ancient Egyptian empire.” In infrastructure, the similarities relate to the structures built by the Egyptians. Egyptians built religious temples and pyramids that were eventually used as guiding structures in civilizations such as, the Greeks and Romans. In America, there are structures, such as the Washington Monument, that reference ancient Egyptian buildings. There are also some similarities in everyday life that are influenced by ancient Egyptian society. These include beauty processes that use oils and honey, medicine, food processes (brewing and preservation), paper and writing instruments. Egyptian culture, especially religion, has greatly influenced modern society (Hospitality 21, “How Ancient Egyptian Society Shaped Global Culture Today”).
Conclusion
Ancient Egyptian religion was an extremely complex religion. It had many different focuses, such as how Egyptians should have acted during their daily lives, the role of gods and goddesses in their religion and the importance of death. Each factor was essential in their own way, which leads to complexness of the religion. Religion was very impactful on Egyptian society because almost everything in society was intertwined with religion. Many civilizations, especially the Egyptian civilization was pivotal to the structures of many societies in the modern era.
Originally published 15.10.2019