Introduction
Egyptian religion was a combination of beliefs and practices which, in the modern day, would include magic, mythology, science, medicine, psychiatry, and spiritualism, as well as the modern understanding of 'religion' as belief in a higher power and a life after death. Religion played a part in every aspect of the lives of the ancient Egyptians. This being because life on earth was seen as only one part of an eternal journey, and in order to continue that journey after death, one needed to live a life worthy of continuance.
Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals. It centered on the Egyptians' interaction with a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in, and in control of, the forces and elements of nature. The myths about these gods were meant to explain the origins and behavior of the forces they represented. The practices of Egyptian religion were efforts to provide for the gods and gain their favor. Formal religious practice centered on the pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Although he was a human, the pharaoh was believed to be descended from the gods. He acted as the intermediary between his people and the gods, and was obligated to sustain the gods through rituals and offerings so that they could maintain order in the universe. The other gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt each had a role in the daily life of ancient Egyptians. There were many temples built to honor them. Temples were believed to be the dwelling place of the gods and goddesses. Only priests, priestesses and the Pharaoh or queen, were allowed inside the temples. Many of the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses were thought to look part human and animal. Each was show in pictures with different bodies or heads of animals, depending upon the type of job that the god might have. The annual flooding of the Nile river became part of the Ancient Egyptian's religion. The Ancient Egyptians were extremely concerned with death and life after death.They preserved the bodies of the pharaohs in huge tombs and pyramids.They would fill the tombs with things needed in the afterlife like pottery, sculptures, jewelry, furniture, clothing, and musical instruments. They preserved the bodies by mummification. They would remove the internal organs, wrap the body in linen, and bury it in a sarcophagus. Lower class people were buried with pots or food in shallow graves in the desert sand. They weren't preserved, but wrapped in linen or covered in straw. Because the bacteria that decomposes bodies needs moisture to survive, the desert's dry air caused the bodies to lose moisture quickly and create "natural" mummies. The Ancient Egyptians believed that every human being was composed of physical and spiritual parts. In addition to the body, each person had a shadow, personality or soul, life-force, and name. They thought the heart held our thoughts and emotions. The ultimate goal of the dead was to rejoin his or her life-force and personality or soul and become one of the "blessed dead", living on as an "effective one". The dead had to be judged in trial for this to happen. If judged worthy, the deceased could continue their existence on Earth in spiritual form.