1. Religion and Art in Ancient Egypt

3. Do Now:
What do the great pyramids tell us about Egyptian civilization? What do they symbolize?

4. Egyptian Gods
With nature so much in their favor, Egyptians tended to approach life more confidently and optimistically than their neighbors in the Fertile Crescent. Religion played an important role in the lives of Egyptians. Like the Mesopotamians, the early Egyptians were polytheistic, believing in many gods. The most important gods were Re, the sun god, and Osiris, god of the dead. The most important goddess was Isis, who represented the ideal mother and wife. In all, Egyptians worshiped more than 2,000 gods and goddesses. They built huge temples to honor the major deities.
Go to the link on the next slide to view a famous religious story from Ancient Egypt.

6. The Afterlife
Egyptian religion placed great importance on the afterlife. The Egyptians believed that after a person died the soul, or ka, would leave the body for a short period and then return to reunite with the body for the journey to the after world. If the body were lost or destroyed, the ka would spend an eternity wandering aimlessly in the afterworld. For this reason the Egyptians went to great lengths to preserve and protect the body after death (mummies).

8. Canopic Jar

9. Funerary Mask – King Tut
What religious purpose do you think King Tut’s mask served?

10. Judgment in the Afterlife
In contrast to the Mesopotamians, with their bleak view of death, Egyptians believed in an afterlife, a life that continued after death. Egyptians believed they would be judged for their deeds when they died. Anubis, god and guide of the underworld, would weigh each dead person’s heart. To win eternal life, the heart could be no heavier than a feather. If the heart tipped the scale, showing that it was heavy with sin, a fierce beast known as the Devourer of Souls would pounce on the impure heart and gobble it up. But if the soul passed this test for purity and truth, it would live forever in the beautiful Other World.

13. Judgment before Osiris, illustration from a Book of the Dead
Judgment before Osiris, illustration from a Book of the Dead. Dynasty 19, c BCE. Painted papyrus, height 155/8" (39.8 cm). The British Museum, London.

16. Tomb Paintings
Tomb paintings were meant to serve as substitutes for the body. When artists created paintings, they made sure that all the parts of the body were clearly shown so that the ka could recognize its body for reunification. For this reason the head, legs, and feet were always shown in profile (sideways), whereas the eyes and shoulders were presented from the front. Completeness of the image was more important than the image's beauty. Therefore, a strict set of rules was developed by Egyptian painters to make sure that all parts of the body were clearly shown. Masks and statues of the deceased played a similar role, helping the Ka to reunify with its body before traveling to the afterlife.

18. Front View
                    
                       

19. Side View
                        
                    

20. ¾ View (Did Not Use)
                        
                    

21. Hieroglyphics