What did the ancient Egyptians believe in?

Who were the gods?

The ancient Egyptians had many gods and goddesses.

Gods created the universe and made sure everything was in order. They were also involved in everyday life.

Ancient Egyptian god as a star in the sky.

The gods represented natural forces such as storms, thunder, death and fire. The Egyptians supported and pleased them through offerings and rituals so that the natural order, or maat, could be kept.

Some gods were stars, others were humans and animals. The funerary god Anubis is commonly shown in art as a jackal (a dog).

The god Khnum was the god of the Elephantine Island on the Nile. People believed Khnum was in charge of the annual flood that fertilized the farms.

Watch: Ancient Egyptian beliefs

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Learn more about the gods

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Image source, Manchester Museum, University of Manchester
Image caption,
Thoth
Thoth was often shown with the head of a baboon or an ibis (a wading bird with long legs and a long beak). He was the scribe for the other gods and the ancient Egyptians believed that he invented hieroglyphs.
Image source, Manchester Museum, University of Manchester
Image caption,
Osiris
Osiris was the god of the underworld and the afterlife. He has a pharaoh’s beard and his legs are wrapped in mummy bandages.
Image source, Manchester Museum, University of Manchester
Image caption,
Sekhmet
Sekhmet was a warrior goddess and a goddess of healing. People believed she protected the pharaohs when they went into battle. Sekhmet had the head of a lioness.
Image source, Manchester Museum, University of Manchester
Image caption,
Anubis
Anubis was linked to mummification and the afterlife. He performed the weighing of the heart ceremony, which decided whether or not a person could pass into the afterlife. Anubis has the head of a jackal.
Image source, Manchester Museum, University of Manchester
Image caption,
Isis
Isis was an important goddess with many roles. She helped the dead enter the afterlife, was the divine mother of the pharaohs and a protector of Egypt.

How important were the gods to the Pharaohs?

Around 3100BC, the pharaohs said they represented the gods and controlled the temples where the rituals were carried out. - Temples were filled with images of the gods and only the pharaoh and the priests could go inside.
The pharaoh was divine. This meant that people believed he had been chosen to rule by the gods.
Pharaohs built temples and performed rituals to keep maat, or order and keep the gods happy.

When did beliefs change?

There was a mixture of gods and rituals in Egypt under Greek and Roman rule from 300BC onwards.
The Roman Empire officially became Christian in the 4th century AD (AD301 - 400).
The ancient Egyptian temples and gods died out by the 6th century AD (AD501 - 600).

Activities

Activity 1: Name the gods

Match the god to their name below.

Activity 2: Quiz – Ancient Egyptian gods

Activity 3: History Explorer game

Play this game to test your knowledge and learn even more facts about Ancient Egypt.

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