EQ: What were the ancient beliefs, and how did they affect their lives?
The Egyptians practiced a religious method known as polytheism, or the worship of multiple gods. (McTighe) They switched to monotheism for a short period of time during Akhenaten's rule. The Egyptians believed that Osiris was the god of the afterlife. They had to perform specific rituals for when a person died in order for them to rest peacefully, such as pulling the brain out of the body through the nose and taking out many of the major internal organs in the body. They did this in order to preserve the body; they packed it with resin and sawdust. Their religion and beliefs system influenced their daily life because since there were so many temples, they prayed to the gods/goddesses often.
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Religion influenced every aspect of ancient Egyptian life. Each city had a temple for worship of a god. Their life revolved around religion, and they worshiped the gods in hopes for a good harvest that year. In their daily life, they visited the city temple to worship the gods. Even during funerals, the ancient Egyptians performed rituals pertaining to the gods of the afterlife.
A characteristic of the ancient Egyptian belief system is that they worshiped multiple gods except for during the rule of Akhenaten, a practice that was known as polytheism. Also, they believed that Osiris was the god of the afterlife and he would help the Egyptians rest in peace. They had their own ideas on how the world began and it often differed from city to city. Each generation stuck with their religion and did not question or change it, until Akhenaten's rule. Drawing of Ra, the Sun god (pictured to the left) The pyramids were built as a tomb for their pharaohs and queens. To build pyramids, workers dragged block after block up the ramp to the next level of the pyramid. The architects planned the pyramid to face directly north, east, west, and south for a peaceful afterlife which connects to the Egyptian religion and beliefs system. |
HOW TO MAKE A MUMMY - ANCIENT EGYPTIAN'S EDITION (University of Manchester)
This primary source depicts the god Anubis, the god of embalming and the dead. This shows that the Egyptians believed that the gods helped pharaohs in their journey in the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians' religion must have heavily revolved around divine beings.
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1. Transport the deceased to a place of purification. For example, bodies were transported to the ibu, on the west side of the Nile.
2. Wash it with natron salt and water, then move it to the tomb. 3. Push a hook into the nose and twist it around to crush the brain. 4. Remove the brain through the nose and throw it away. 5. Fill the skull with sawdust or resin using tools. 6. Remove all of the organs from the body by cutting a small incision on the left, but keep the body itself intact. 7. Place the organs in canopic jars for the tomb after being treated with natron salt. 8. Clean the body with palm wine and spices. 9. Pack the body with straw or dried materials to dry out and keep its shape. 10. Place the body on a sloped table. 11. Cover the body with natron salt and wait for it to dry out in a time period of forty days. 12. Seal the previously made cut with wax or resin. 13. Cover it with the Two Finger Amulet for protection in the afterlife. 14. Cover the body with resin and wrap it in 375m2 of linen. 15. Place the mummy mask over the face. 16. The mummy is placed in a sarcophagus and taken to the final resting place, the pyramid. (University of Manchester) Source |
A mummy wrapped in linen, step 14. Source
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