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Religious Beliefs. Egyptian Creation Story. Believed that the earth was created when a hill emerged from the waters of chaos. This made sense to them because they often saw islands of mud appearing in the Nile, especially during the flood season. . Atum.
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Egyptian Creation Story • Believed that the earth was created when a hill emerged from the waters of chaos. • This made sense to them because they often saw islands of mud appearing in the Nile, especially during the flood season.
Atum • The creator-god emerged from the waters standing on this hill. • The “perfect one” • Self-begotten • Ejected from himself: • Shu - the air • Tefenet - the moisture
Next… • Atum separated the sky from the earth • Geb = the earth • Nut = the sky • Geb and Nut joined and had children: • The gods Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys • These gods formed the first level in the hierarchy of gods.
Beliefs About Birth • Believed infants were created on a potter’s wheel by the god Khnum and then placed in their mother’s womb.
Duplicates • For each human crafted on the potter’s wheel by Khmun, a spiritual duplicate was made. • The duplicate was called the ka. • Ka was stored in the heart. • Upon death, the ka separated from the body and inhabited the person’s tomb. • Like the living body from which it came, the ka needed food, clothing, perfume, and furniture - things commonly found in Egyptian tombs.
The “ba” • A person’s character or personality. • Entered the body at birth and left the body at death. • Depicted as a bird with a human head.
The “akh” • The form a person took in the afterlife. • This transformation took place through a ritual where magical spells were said over the mummy.
The Afterlife • Saw the afterlife as a duplication of the best moments on Earth. • Believed they would be involved in activities they most enjoyed, such as fishing, hunting, sailing, and feasting. • Death not an end, but a beginning.
Preparation for Afterlife • Amount of preparation varied according to social status. • Two requirements for everyone: • Body must be preserved in lifelike form. • Deceased must be provided with items necessary for afterlife. • Royal tombs held large food supplies, furniture, tools, weapons, clothes, jewelry, and games.These things sustained the ka.
Burial Practices • Earliest people to settle in the Nile Valley buried their dead in pit-graves, which were dug in the hot desert sands. • The dry sand absorbed the bodily fluids and kept the body from decaying.
As Egyptian burials became more elaborate, the bodies were placed in lined tombs. • Bodies decomposed because there was no sand to keep them dry. • This brought about the need to duplicate what nature had done naturally. • This is how the process of mummification began.
At First… • Bodies were simply wrapped in resin-soaked linens to preserve a lifelike form, but the body still decayed. • Eventually, developed a more complex process that prevented the body from decaying. • Lengthy and expensive; therefore only performed on members of royalty and the nobility. • Became so extensive that a number of jobs were created for the process.
Herodotus • Greek historian who first wrote about embalming process of mummification in 450 BCE. • Anubis - Egyptian god of death and embalming, represented by a jackal. • Priest presiding over process uttered chants and prayers and wore a jackal mask to represent Anubis.
Mummification Process • First, the body was delivered to the embalming shop, known as the per nefer. • Chief priest who wore the jackal mask was known as the hery seshta. • Assistants who helped wrap the body were known as wetyu.
Step Two • The deceased was placed on an embalming board.
