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Religion's overall impact on Egyptian culture
Essay on the ancient egyptian religion
Religion's overall impact on Egyptian culture
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Priests were the second highest group in the Egyptian social structure. They were extremely important in Ancient Egypt, and they all worked for the pharaoh. Lots of priests were appointed by the pharaoh, or by other important figures. A priest's main job was to be responsible for temples and hold religious ceremonies. Those priests were called temple priests. Woman who were priests were called priestesses. A Priestess's main duty was to oversee temples that were devoted to music and dancing.
In Egypt the Pharaoh was considered to be the “holy leader” or God of the Egyptian people. We read and understood that his law was never questioned much just like Hammurabi’s law. As people of that time “never chastised the pharaoh for simply doing his job, because he gave the nation his best.” We know he “did” his “job” in promoting peace and prosperity, but what was the Pharaoh’s real job. Was the Pharaoh meant to keep cultures civilized like Hammurabi, or was he created as a symbol of hope and betterment to the people of Egypt? Or was it
Both Mesopotamia and Egypt were affiliated with divine authority. The priest-king of Mesopotamia and the pharaoh of Egypt were both closely tied to religious institutions. Even though both civilizations carried out their roles of kingship in different ways, the duties and responsibilities that they had to take were the same in many aspects. The two major roles as a priest-king or pharaoh were order and protection. They were in charge of maintaining peace and justice between not only the people of civilization, but also outsiders. He was looked upon as a religious who carried out religious, political, and social rituals and functions. Not only was he looked upon as a religious leader, but also as a military leader. They had to lead their armies into battle, and decide what was best for the people at the moment. Hammurabi, for example, was one of the greatest kings of Mesopotamia. Not only was he a successful military leader and administrator, but also believed in justice, which is why he created laws that governed Babylon called the Code of Hammurabi. An example of a great Egyptian
authority .16 The Egyptians believed that it was the Pharaoh who was responsible for the proper function of the Nile, the fertility of the crops, and he made sure the sun illuminated the earth. It was the Pharaoh’s job to protect the land and maintain order. If the land suffered the people believed it was because the Pharaoh was weak and was unable to maintain order. They believed that order would only be restored when a strong king takes the throne and restores order to the land.17
Family roles in ancient Egypt and ancient Rome were a very important part of life.
Pharaohs had the authoritative role in ancient Egypt and were worshiped just like the gods. Having the most power in ancient Egypt, the pharaoh owned all the land and the people. While the pharaoh was still living he had the responsibility to keep the land in the condition where people can live there and would not starve, but if he died the role could have been passed on to his eldest son (Jovinelly28).
Mythology and beliefs are a very large part of Ancient Egypt’s culture. Polytheism religion has its own way of running compared to what most people are used to today. This allows room for diversions and other religions branching out from this religion and taking only some aspects and applying it to their own beliefs. The culture with death and the after-life was a huge concern to the ancient Egyptian people.
to 2650 B.C., changed his name to the more commonly known Zoser. It was Zoser
Ancient Egyptians were very religious people with various beliefs and gods. Ancient Egypt consisted of the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, and the New Kingdom. Not only is Ancient Egypt known for their outstanding architecture in pyramids, but also, their astonishing understanding of the human body. Mummification began around c.3500 BCE and by the Old Kingdom it had become a standard practice. Everything Egyptians did, including mummification had to do with their religious beliefs. They followed rituals to please the gods and therefore received something in exchange. Moreover, they believed that mummifying a body was preparing a person for their afterlife. The process of mummification changed depending on the person’s socioeconomic status.
Gender roles have had a major influence throughout ancient history. Two of the most prominent ancient civilizations were ancient Athens and ancient Egypt. The gender roles in these societies effected inheritance, land ownership, government, and religion. One of the biggest times of change for ancient Egypt was the Ptolemaic Dynasty, which lasted from 332-30 BCE, in which the ancient Athenian influence was incorporated into the Egyptian values. Likewise, ancient Egyptians influenced ancient Athens during this era. Ancient Egyptian women were given larger roles in society than ancient Athenian women however; Egyptian women lost some of their power in society during the Ptolemaic Dynasty when Athenian influence entered Egypt.
Ancient Egypt's religion was a major part of what made them such a unique civilization. Although they began like many other ancient civilizations, on a river side, they quickly became one of the longest lasting empires the world had ever seen. Their religion helped to create this by introducing an unchanging element into their culture. Religion was also a very strong part of their government. Both of these factors helped to add to their stability and adaptability which was one of the most impressive in both the ancient and the modern world. Ancient Egypt's culture, government, adaptability and overall stability came from their extremely intricate and ever present religion.
Egyptians cherished family life the way we cherish food or money. Children were considered a blessing. They prayed for them and used magic to have children, but if a couple could not conceive they adopted. Men were the head of the household and the oldest son inherited everything of the father’s. Egyptian women were to obey their fathers and husbands, but were equal in many other ways. For example, women could have jobs, some rights in court cases, and they were able to own land. Women were also allowed to own businesses. Only noble women, however, could be priestesses. The women raised the children and took care of the house. Wealthy families would hire maids and nannies to do such things. Divorce was not common in Ancient Egypt, though it was an option. Problems were talked about between families, and if they could not be settled a divorce would take place. Some women became rulers but only in secret. The only woman who ruled as a pharaoh in the open was Queen Hatsheput. Ordinary men normally had one wife, while pharaohs and kings had several. Most marriages were arranged by parents. Most girls married at age twelve while boys were usually a little older.
Religion was a very important part of Ancient Egypt and helped form the basis of an intricate social structure. Ancient Egyptian religion and the records of it tell us a lot about how this age-old civilisation functioned. Gods, temples, priests, mummification, the journey to the afterlife and the afterlife were all significant parts of being an ancient Egyptian.
It is difficult to fully understand the role of women in ancient Egyptian society because the understandings of the society and government are still incomplete. There are also two other major problems, those being that there is very little source material on women, and the material that has been found was biased by the ideas and minds of previous Egyptologists. The only source material that has survived from great kingdoms of Egypt is material that has been either found in tombs on the walls and sarcophaguses, or carved on major government and religious document. None of the writings on papyrus and other delicate materials survived. This material, which has survived, is the writings of the Egyptian literate male elite. In their writings the also did not show any emotions or feelings, this was not the style of the Egyptian people, writings were purely a record keeping device. Because of these limitations, “It is essential to avoid the temptation to extrapolate from the particular to the general, a process which can only too easily introduce error.”
Egypt had many intricate structures that have made history, but the most important of the designs is their social structure. The society of Egypt was structured as a pyramid with the pharaoh at the top. The elite part of society contains the nobles, priests, viziers, and government officials. Next, soldiers and military are used for protection and to keep order throughout the kingdom. The scribes record and keep records about the kingdom. Merchants, artisans, and farmers are a large section of the pyramid. They supply the kingdom with food, money, and jobs. Last, slaves and servants are their to help and support the people above them. Each part of society has their role to benefit the kingdom as a whole. The pharaoh is at the top of the pyramid and must control all of society.
As king, the pharaoh had many duties that were civic and religious. The people saw him as the living Horus and the son of Ra. They believed only pharaoh could sacrifice to the gods and only the pharaoh could appoint the priests to serve the gods in his place. The people believed that he became Osiris after death and would continue to help his people in the afterlife. Pharaoh was the commander-in-chief of the army and the highest judge in the land. The people saw the pharaoh as essential for keeping their lives in balance and keeping harmony in Egypt. His rule was absolute.