Servants of the Gods

Ancient Egypt was a bustling society that lasted for over two thousand years. They were a very rich society in many respects other than the amount of gold that they had. They were architects, scientists, philosophers, kings, farmers. However, they also devoted a large majority of their time and effort to the many gods that their society worshiped. In ancient Egypt religion affected every aspect of their lives. It affected how they built their tombs, how they preserved their dead, and every other aspect of daily life such as marriage and fashion.

Egyptian religion is a complex and in depth explanation of the world around them. The Egyptians recognized The Great Ennead as the 9 most powerful and oldest gods in their religion. They believe that Atum (also known later on as Ra) created Shu, Tefnut who would become the atmosphere. Since Atum was both male and female, He had all that was necessary to create new gods. Shu and Tefnut gave birth to the earth Geb and to the sky Nut. Geb and Nut then married, and Shu was forced to separate them. This created the earth as the ancient Egyptians knew it. Before they could be separated Nut gave birth to four children, Osiris, Seth, Isis and Nephthys. Osiris would then marry Isis having the child Horus who will eventually take the throne of Egypt after Osiris. Seth would want vengeance on Osiris for having Anubus with Nephthys and would kill him. Then Osiris would be resurrected thus giving him the title of god of the afterlife. This story is what the Egyptians base a large part of their life on this and other myths and legends entrenched in their religion.

The Ancient Egyptians built their tombs large and majestic, but also for a religious purpose. The most recognizable of all of the tombs in Egypt would be the Pyramids, specifically the Great Pyramid of Giza, which was built for Pharaoh Khufu. Primarily, every tomb had a burial chamber which held the body of the deceased and also included everything that person was going to need in the afterlife. It held food so that the eternal soul also known as the Ka could eat in the afterlife. What the Egyptians put in their tombs was directly affected by their religion. Secondly, Egyptians thought that without a tomb the person’s soul or Akh could not go to the afterlife with Osiris. This meant the dead person’s family would spend a lot of money in building a tomb in order for the deceased to make it to the afterlife. This rule went even further for the Pharaoh because the pharaoh was believed to be the embodiment of Horus and thus needed a grand tomb to be successful in the afterlife. The Egyptian belief in the afterlife and that tombs were the easiest way to get there, encouraged their building of tombs. Also, the religion affected how a tomb was decorated. Some tombs contained scenes of the person’s life, while other contained steps and procedures of how to successfully get into the afterlife. The artwork on most tomb walls is a direct reflection of the Egyptians belief in the afterlife. Finally, by the middle kingdom anyone that could afford it would be able to be buried in a grand tomb and rights that were previously reserved for Pharaohs such as the Book of the Dead being in their burial chamber were becoming more common among wealthier Egyptians. To summarize, the Egyptians belief in the afterlife and their want to have an eternal soul just like the pharaohs before them, affected how even the lesser tombs were built and how they were decorated and filled. In conclusion, the Egyptian belief in the afterlife and how they believed it was attained directly affects their tomb building.

Egyptians had a fairly unique way of preserving their dead: mummification. A mummy was the embalmed and preserved remains of deceased person. This relates back to their religion and mythology in many ways, such as rebirth, life after death and the eternal soul. Firstly, the belief in embalming the body after death came from the story of Osiris. When Seth killed Osiris, his son Anubus, the god of embalming, turned Osiris into a mummy which gave him new life. The Egyptians believed that this life after death would be true for them as well if they could be embalmed just as Osiris was. This is why the Egyptians believe that the body will be reborn with the gods after it is mummified. In addition, specifically for Pharaohs embalming was an important part of the life after death process. Pharaohs believed that mummification allowed them to become one with the sun god Ra after their death. This encouraged the Pharaoh to become mummified and preserve the body forever. In addition, as the current pharaoh was believed to have the spirit of Horus his/her predecessor was supposed to be Osiris, so it was very important that the Pharaoh have his mummy well-constructed and his life in the afterlife so as Osiris he could welcome the newest deceased Pharaoh into the afterlife. This is another reason how religion affected their burial. Finally, mummification and its processes involve taking certain vital organs out of the body and putting them into jars called canoptic jars. These organs are believed to be needed by the mummy in the afterlife. The jars are guarded by the sons of Horus and will protect the mummy in the afterlife. The Egyptian religion says that the mummy would need these organs after death so they were preserved along with the body. The preservation of these organs in the mummification process was also related back to the Egyptian idea of the afterlife. To conclude, ancient Egyptians burial ceremonies were also affected by their religion and their idea of the afterlife.

Most importantly, religion played a key role in ancient Egyptian daily life. It affected how they got married, how everyone dressed; from the lowest peasant to the most powerful Pharaoh. To begin, polygamy was rather common among every class of citizen from noble to peasant; however it was far easier for a person of wealth to have a multitude of wives because they were expensive. The religion supports this polygamist life style. In the story of Osiris, he marries Isis and while they are married he has sex with Nephthys and has a son with both women. Also, incestuous relationships were common among royal families, and the religion in Egypt at the time supports this institution as well. For example the primordial couple of Shu and Tefnut were siblings and their children Geb and Nut also married. Even Geb and Nut’s offspring Osiris and Isis were married. This religious story sets the ground work for the incest relationships among royals. Also, religion affects fashion of the entire society. As a peasant, they would wear pendants or amulets that represented the gods that they needed throughout their daily life, for farming, masonry and others. Even pharaohs wore pendants and carried a crook and flail to represent his godlike nature. His eye of Ra on his crown showed the people of his divine power. The gods played a part in every level of society’s daily lives from their marriage tendencies to their clothing and accessories.

In essence the Egyptians were a theocracy that never strayed far from their gods and their religion. Affecting every aspect of life in ancient Egypt it was nearly impossible to avoid the influence the over 700 gods the Egyptians worshipped had on the society and lives of the people in it. From the lowly slave, to the highest Pharaoh, it was an integral part of the existence of the time.