Religion, Gods, Mythology

Learning Goals Identify forces that tended to reinforce stability in the world before the sixteenth century Organize and record information gathered through research

Egyptian Religion Mentioned yesterday, the Ancient Egyptians had a polytheistic religion Through archaeology, it has been discovered that there were hundreds of gods or simple deities The Pharaoh served as the chief intermediary between gods and men Priests served the Pharaohs and catered to the needs of the population

Priests Priests were primarily keepers of the temples In temples they held ceremonies to honour the gods, yet the public was not welcome They oversaw funerals, taught students, supervised artisans and advised the public on godly matters

Temples Religious temples served to worship a god Most temples were dedicated to one god Each city had a temple for god whom is believed to have created the city Temples were also built in honour of Pharaohs

Ceremonies & Festivals Religious Festival Public event Statue of god or goddess paraded People celebrate and honour the gods Festival of Osiris at Abydos lasted for day with crowds Ancestor Worship Great care in tomb maintenance Often represented in home Funerals Most important ceremony of all We will return to funerals

Spiritual Beliefs Khnum fashioned infants on potter's wheel Spiritual double 'ka' Another element 'ba' The two would reunite in the preserved body Importance of burial practices

Creation Story Before Egypt was created, there was only water The god of this watery chaos was Nun From Nun rose Ra and the first mound of land Nun holds a ship filled with the chief gods

Sacred Symbols The Ankh Symbol of life Amulet to ward off evil The Cat Known as guardians of the underworld Cats were so important were often mummified

Egyptian Mythology Anthropomorphism Giving human qualities to non human entities Many gods have heads of animals Pharaohs sculpt heads onto lions

Religious Cults Groups of worshippers who were devout to one god over the rest Shrines were made to honour these deities Some were gods, others were Pharaohs, both had followings

The Gods To learn about the gods, we will be using the computer lab Each student is to work on a chart found on the website