Ancient Egypt Webquest - Religion 2.2

Step #2.2 - The Religion of Ancient Egypt

Essential Question: How did religion play a significant role in Ancient Egypt?

Characteristics of Ancient Egyptian Religion

Characteristic(s)	Description	Image
Anthropomorphic	Gods were often associated with animals. Most gods and goddesses shared their characteristics or spheres with half human and half animal depictions. For example, Horus represented as 1/2 Human and 1/2 Head of Falcon. Sometimes the god will be represented as the animal without its human elements especially in jewelry.
Mythology	The Egyptians like many civilizations created stories and myths that explained the world’s beginnings, the laws of nature, and the soul’s journey after death included all of Egypt’s gods. Osiris, Isis, Anubis, and Horus are the subjects of one of the most well-known myths.
Worship and Temples	Priests carried out different rites to continue the process of ma’at, which was regarded as cosmic order and a god’s favor, temples were built with the intention of pleasing the gods. In addition, laypeople (non-priests) used their own shrines for worship.
Beliefs of Afterlife	Gods Osiris and Anubis played an important role in guiding the soul through the afterlife. Spells in the “Book of the Dead” would help the dead navigate this journey.
Syncretism	Through time, some gods merged or were combined by changing beliefs and regional influence. For instance, Amun-Ra was the fusion of Amun, which was a creator god, and Ra.

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