THE BARBADOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ARTH 321
HISTORY OF DESIGN

THE EGYPTIAN RELIGION

TUTOR: L. STEN
FROM: JARON GRIFFIN (0012301)

RELIGION OF ANCIENT EGYPT

Ancient Egypt was a Country far more advanced than others in its time period. Their advances in
Architecture, Art and Technology are still marvelled over today by modern society. The Ancient
Egyptians however, did not simply do the things they did, simply because they felt like doing so.
They believed they were doing everything for, or to please a set of deities whom they believed
had control over everything. Therefore, in this essay we will explore the religion of the ancient
Egyptians, and the significance of said religion in other aspects of their life, for instance, the
pyramids and the sphinx, as well as decorative wear.

RELIGION OF ANCIENT EGYPT

The Egyptian religion is not referred to by any one name; it is, however, defined as a:
complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals which were an integral part of Egyptian
society. It cenered on the Egyptians interaction with many deities whom they believed to
be in control of the forces and elements of nature.
As a result, the Egyptian lifestyle centred around gaining the favour of, and pleasing these gods.
The Pharaoh was seen as a sort of religious leader, and a bridge between the gods and the people.
As a result, the Pharaoh was expected even more so to maintain balance through rituals and
offerings. Individuals could also interact with the gods on a more personal basis, however,
whether through prayer or magic. The Egyptians also believed in an afterlife, and as a result,
gave great care to ensuring the survival of the souls in said afterlife, by providing tombs to
preserve the bodies of the deceased. This was done because the Egyptians believed that a part of
a persons life force, known as ba returned to the body each night. The Egyptians also
provided offerings of food, because they believed the ka which is the spirit, and other half of
the life force, still required sustenance to survive even in the afterlife.
As mentioned before, the Egyptians worshipped a number of different Gods since they were
followers of a polytheistic religion, which they believed to be in control of many different things
in nature. It is noted that the ancient Egyptians worshipped around 2000 gods, each for different
purposes. Some of the more familiar gods, however, are:
Amun: The creator god and god of wind
Ra: the sun god
Isis: the mother goddess
Anubis: protector of the dead and embalming

Horus: god of vengeance, sky, protection and war

PRESCENCE OF RELIGION IN THE EGYPTIAN CULTURE

The Egyptian religion, as mentioned before, was present in all aspects of the Egyptian culture.
So, much so that their religion is very prevalent in their art and design. This encompasses
paintings, statues, monuments and articles of clothing.

PAINTINGS
Wall Painting of King Tutanthakmun with Anubis(left) and Nephthis(right)

The Egyptians had many paintings of their Pharaos and of their Gods; depicting stories of them.
One example of a paintng telling such a story is The wall painting of King Tutanthakmun
shown with The god Anubis and the goddess Nephthis. As Nephthis is also a deity of death, this
painting probably represents king Tuts death and/or his transcendence into the afterlife.

Papyrus painting showing the story of Hunifers transcendence into the afterlife

Another is the painting in the book of the dead or the book of coming forth by day in
which Hunifer, a 19th dynasty Egyptian scribe is tested to enter the afterlife by having his heart
weighed on the scale of Maat, goddess of truth and justice. His heart is weighed against the
feather of truth by Anubis, and the result is recorded by Toth, god of knowledge. As his heart
equals the weight of the feather, he is allowed to enter the afterlife and is presented to Osiris by
Horus.

STATUES
The seated funerary statue of Pharaoh Khafre.

An example of a statue, done with a religious influence is The seated funerary statue of
Pharaoh Khafre. The statue in itself was done with religious intent because it was used as a
substitute dwelling place for the ka. This is usually attributed to a damaged mummy. The statue
itself however, displays an eagle with its wings spread over the back side of Khafres head. This
represents the horus, who is protecting Khafre, as he is god of protection, among other things. It
also represents the unification of Egypt as Horus was god of Lower Egypt.

Two monuments that also have a great religious significance are the very well-known Sphinx
and Pyramids of Giza.

Great Sphinx of Giza

Though there is still a lot of debate even today about the sphinx, it is speculated that the head of
the sphinx is of Pharaoh Khafre. There are also many other pharaohs who have had their faces
sculpted onto sphinxes, for example Pharaoh Tarahqa, though, technically not from the state of
Egypt, has been sculpted into a sphinx, and is seen as being protected by one. For this reason, the
sphinx most likely represents a symbol of the pharaohs divinity. It could also represent a feared
rule, as the sphinx is usually seen as malevolent or having great strength.

The Pyramids of Giza

There is also a lot of debate around the great pyramids. There is however, evidence that some of
them may have been used for tombs. Therefore, there is reason to believe that they are indeed
religious monuments is some form.
Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut

Deemed as one of the most powerful religious monuments, is the Mortuary temple of Queen
Hatshepsut. Queen Hatshepsut, also referred to as the Djeser-Djeseru, or holy of holies, is
buried inside this temple. It is dedicated to the sun god, Amon-Ra, and is astronomically aligned
with the sun in such a way that its rays illuminate Three statues of gods inside the structure on
December 21st or 22nd. First Osiris, then Amen- Ra, and finally, the Nile god, Hapi.

CLOTHING
Uraeus worn by Pharaos

The Egyptians also had religion play a part in their daily wear. One example is the Uraeus. This
was worn on the crowns or headdresses of the Pharaos. Though they are symbols of authority
over different areas of Egypt, those symbols are not without religious significance. The animals
depicted on these objects (cobra and/or vulture) are depictions of their respective gods. The
cobra, representing Wadjet, god over lower Egypt, and the vulture, representing Nekhbet, of
upper Egypt.

CONCLUSION
The Egyptians were a society far more advanced than their time. They had very a strong
devotion to their religion, to the point that it could be seen as a culture or way of life. It is quite
interesting how they were able to incorporate and inte-rrelate their religious symbols in so many
aspects of their culture. As one encounters the information on the Ancient Egyptians, in any
form of study on their history, one realises that they were never disassociated from their religion
and their portrayal of their religion so boldly, intricately and with such high artistic standards is
quite intriguing.

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