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What were the ancient beliefs, and how did they affect the Egyptian's lives?
This page will answer that.
BELIEFS and religion
The Egyptians had an interesting religious system. They believed in many gods, and believed that everything was controlled by Ra, the sun god. They also had beliefs about the afterlife, which is why they build the pyramids. The ancient Egyptian religion is very interesting, and you will love reading about it!
How to make a mummy
So, you want to make a mummy? If you want to permanently preserve yourself or someone you love, the best way to do it is through mummification. The process takes 70 days and a lot of work. But it will be worth it if you want to preserve a body, Egyptian style.
Step one; Get a pyramid. You will need a pyramid to put your mummy in so that it is protected from the rain. You wouldn't want that decaying body to decay all the way, or there is no point in making a mummy! You can either hire a contractor to build the pyramid, or do it yourself. Learn how to do it yourself here.
Step two; Organ removal. You may need an adults help on this one. Wait until the person you want to mummify is dead. If you don't, this step will kill them, thus making them dead. Also, it will hurt. If the person you are mummifying is yourself, you will need some help on this step. Remember to start on the left side. If you want to do this Egyptian side, you must know that the left is the holy side because it is were the heart is. Cut a hole big enough to fit your hand through, and pull out the livers, lungs, and intestines. Don't take out the heart, as the Egyptians believed that this was required to think and feel emotions, and would be needed in the afterlife. But, if you understand modern science and know that the brain does that, you can take the heart out. If you want to be really authentic, you can not only leave the heart in, but also pull the brain out through the nose with a hook!
Step three; dry the body. The body should be washed with wine, which works as a disinfectant. This will not only clean and disinfect the body, but will also get rid of the smell. Then, dry it out with a special chemical called Natron. How do you make Natron? Well, its pretty simple. Just mix salt and baking soda. You can do it in your kitchen! The Natron will dry the body and disinfect it. This is important because you don't want your mummy biodegrading! Also, fill the body with bags of Natron. This will keep it dry and disinfected, and will pull out any remaining body fluids. Do the same to the organs you removed. Dry them with Natron. Then, wrap them and put them in jars. Dont mix up the jars! Each jar is associated with a god that controls a part of the body. Put the organs in the jars that correspond with the gods that control them.
Step four; Wrap the body. Wait forty days after drying the body, to ensure it is fully dry. To prevent it from going rigid and snapping, rub oils on it and massage them in. The oils will make it stay flexible and tough, so that it wont break. When wrapping time comes, you'll want to invite some priests over. They will say spells that will protect the body. Also, burn some incense. Then, wrap it in strong strips of linen. Within the wrappings, you may want to put in images and trinkets to defend the body in the afterlife. Once the linen bandages are on, you can wrap it one big piece of linen, like a cast.
Step five; The final preparation. Make a golden mask and place it over your mummies head and shoulders. If you can't afford gold, plaster will always do. The mask should be molded to the face, so that you will always remember what the person looked like. After this is done, you should have the priests you invited over in step four chant prayers and spells. The ancient Egyptians believed that this was necessary for the person to pass on to the afterlife and if you want an authentic mummy, that step is important.
Step six; maintenance. After your mummy is placed in its coffin along with all the things the mummified person may want, you will have to do some maintenance. You must send in guards to ensure that tomb robbers don't rob away all the precious stuff. You'll want to invite those priests over for coffee and have them stay to worship the spirit of your mummy. You'll also have to replace the Natron in the tomb (Not the mummy, just the box the mummy is in) every once in a while to ensure it stays fresh and preserved. Congratulations! You have created a mummy! Some time about 5000 years from now, some archeologist will be able to discover your mummy and find out all about life today, just as we have found out about life in ancient Egypt from the mummies and their possessions.
Egyptian gods and goddesses
The Egyptians had lots of gods and goddesses that they believed controlled everything. Here is the basics of four important Egyptian gods;
Ra was believed to be the creator of everything as well as the god of the sun. Ra was supposed to travel across the sky during the day, and during the night, travel through the underworld to defeat the evil serpent Apopis before reappearing again in the morning. Ra is sometimes associated with Amon-re, who was the king of all gods. Ra was also associated with lots of other gods, and through time and confusion, he gained characteristics from those other gods.
Osiris was believed to be in charge of death and the afterlife. He is depicted as a mummy. He originated from a small town god in lower Egypt, and as he merged with the rest of Egypt, his role changed to also include being the god of fertility so he is sometimes with green or black skin which represents his connection to fertile farm land. Later on, the Egyptians began believing that when a pharaoh died, he became Osiris. Osiris was apparently very busy!
Horus was believed to be the god of the sky. He was the son of Osiris and Isis. His eye was believed to be a protective amulet. He started out as a local god in many places, but eventually became a main god. He was depicted as a falcon, and was associated with Ra. His eye was believed to be like the moon or a star, and was believed to be capable of healing. This is why the eye made a powerful amulet.
Anubis believed to be the god of embalming and mummification. He was also the guide and guardian of the dead as they went through the underworld. He was the main god of the dead, but that position was eventually switched to Osiris' job. Funerals and mummification were believed to be very important to him. Because, after all, the Egyptians believed that he created the process on embalming, and successfully embalmed Osiris.
Pyramid tunnel map
Directly above the central shaft is the burial cite. Later pyramids had this inside them, but older ones had this below them. The body was brought down, and buried. The series of tunnels had tons of rooms, some of which we still haven't found! This is a general map of the tunnels under and in a pyramid.
How did religion influence every aspect on ancient Egyptian life?
Ancient Egyptians believed that there were many gods, making them polytheistic. The ancient Egyptian religion influenced every aspect of their life. The farmers believed that the gods provided the flooding of the Nile, which was required for farming. They also believed that famine was caused by them angering the gods. Everyone frequently went to worship the gods and the spirits of their ancestors and pharaohs. The scribes made scripts to help pharaohs pass on to the afterlife, and that was a very major part on their jobs. Everyone relied on the pharaoh to please the gods so that there wouldn't be famine, and everyone believed in the Egyptian gods. Because science wasn't around to explain things, the Egyptians believed that the gods caused everything. Including disease, birth, day and night, and everything else. The religion of ancient Egypt influenced every aspect of the citizens lives.
What are three characteristics of the ancient Egyptian religion?
1. The gods cause everything. In ancient Egypt, everything that happened, from pharaohs being amazing to the flooding of the Nile, was because of the gods. There was no other explanation for it. In ancient Egypt, almost everything had a huge legend and story about the gods that went with it.
2. Polytheism. The ancient Egyptians believed in many many gods. They had hundreds, all of which they knew well and worshipped. Some were more important than others, but they all were worshipped. The gods also played a much bigger role in ancient Egypt than anywhere else, not only influencing religious life, but also all life.
3.Death rituals. In ancient Egypt, death rituals were very important. In other places, death was death, and the body was buried and mourned for, but then it was over. In ancient Egypt, however, thousands of workers worked to make the tombs for pharaohs for the pharaohs whole life. And after his death, priests came to say spells and worship the spirit of the pharaoh.
2. Polytheism. The ancient Egyptians believed in many many gods. They had hundreds, all of which they knew well and worshipped. Some were more important than others, but they all were worshipped. The gods also played a much bigger role in ancient Egypt than anywhere else, not only influencing religious life, but also all life.
3.Death rituals. In ancient Egypt, death rituals were very important. In other places, death was death, and the body was buried and mourned for, but then it was over. In ancient Egypt, however, thousands of workers worked to make the tombs for pharaohs for the pharaohs whole life. And after his death, priests came to say spells and worship the spirit of the pharaoh.
How and why were the pyramids built, and how does it connect to religion?
The pyramids were always put on the west side of the Nile, so that the pharaohs souls could join the sun god during his decent into night. The pyramid shape is said to be from the belief that the sun god Ra created himself out of a pyramid shaped mound of stone, before creating all other gods. What's more, the pyramids shape is also thought to symbolize the rays of the sun. Within the pyramid, there is a tomb. But, its not just a normal tomb. Its meant to be like a palace for the pharaoh before he went into the afterlife. It had lots of rooms and space for the dead pharaoh to enjoy, as well as lots of space for the pharaohs possessions. And, the reason the pyramids were built was to protect the mummified bodies from the weather because the Egyptians believed that the body had to stay intact in order for the pharaohs soul to exist in the afterlife. They definitely made them stay intact, considering that they still exist today, thousands of years later!
Where are the pictures from?
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Citations;
lewis, susan k, and david levin. “How the Egyptians Made Mummies.” PBS NOVA, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/making-mummies.html.
“Re.” Britanica, KCLS, library.eb.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/levels/referencecenter/article/Re/62849.
“Usiri.” Britanica, KCLS, library.eb.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/levels/referencecenter/article/Osiris/57544.
“Religion and gods in ancient Egypt.” Australian museaum, australianmuseum.net.au/religion-and-gods-in-ancient-egypt.
“Horus.” Britanica, KCLS, library.eb.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/levels/referencecenter/article/Horus/41143.
“Anubis.” Britanica, KCLS, library.eb.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/levels/referencecenter/article/Anubis/7931.
lewis, susan k, and david levin. “How the Egyptians Made Mummies.” PBS NOVA, www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/making-mummies.html.
“Re.” Britanica, KCLS, library.eb.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/levels/referencecenter/article/Re/62849.
“Usiri.” Britanica, KCLS, library.eb.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/levels/referencecenter/article/Osiris/57544.
“Religion and gods in ancient Egypt.” Australian museaum, australianmuseum.net.au/religion-and-gods-in-ancient-egypt.
“Horus.” Britanica, KCLS, library.eb.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/levels/referencecenter/article/Horus/41143.
“Anubis.” Britanica, KCLS, library.eb.com.ezproxy.kcls.org/levels/referencecenter/article/Anubis/7931.