Egyptian Literature

Geography
The ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land, the 'black land' and the 'red
land'. The ancient Egyptians thought of Egypt as being divided into two types of land, the 'black land' and the
'red land'.
The 'black land' was the fertile land on the banks of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians used this land for growing
their crops. This was the only land in ancient Egypt that could be farmed because a layer of rich, black silt was
deposited there every year after the Nile flooded.
The 'red land' was the barren desert that protected Egypt on two sides. These deserts separated ancient Egypt
from neighbouring countries and invading armies. They also provided the ancient Egyptians with a source for
precious metals and semi-precious stones.
Old Kingdom - A period of ancient Egyptian history that lasted from about 2686 B.C. to 2181 B.C.
Middle Kingdom A period of ancient Egyptian history that lasted from about 2055 B.C. to 1650 B.C.
New Kingdom which lasted from about 1550-1070 BCE, was the last of Egypt's three great kingdoms.

Pyramids
The ancient Egyptians built pyramids as tombs for the pharaohs and their queens. The pharaohs were buried
in pyramids of many different shapes and sizes from before the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the end of the
Middle Kingdom.
The Sphinx of Giza is a symbol that has represented the essence of Egypt for thousands of years. The body
of a lion with the head of a king or god, the sphinx has come to symbolize strength and wisdom.
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza pyramid complex
bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only
one to remain largely intact.
The pyramid of Khafre is the second largest of the pyramids of Giza.
The Step Pyramid of Djoser is the oldest pyramid in Egypt. It was built about 4,700 years ago.

Writing
The ancient Egyptians believed that it was important to record and communicate information about religion and
government. Thus, they invented written scripts that could be used to record this information.
The most famous of all ancient Egyptian scripts is hieroglyphic.
Hieroglyphs is made from two Greek words:

hieros meaning holy

glyphe meaning writing

However, throughout three thousand years of ancient Egyptian civilisation, at least three other scripts were
used for different purposes. Using these scripts, scribes were able to preserve the beliefs, history and ideas of
ancient Egypt in temple and tomb walls and on papyrus scrolls.

Funerary Texts are a collection of religious documents that were used in ancient Egypt, usually to
help the spirit of the concerned person to be preserved in the afterlife.
Pyramid Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian religious texts from the time of the Old Kingdom.
The Pyramid Texts were a collection of spells, prayers, descriptions and instructions designed to
allow the king a safe journey to the Afterlife.
Coffin Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian funerary spells written on coffins.

The Book of the Dead is a New Kingdom collection of texts composed primarily from earlier funerary
works such as the Pyramid and Coffin Texts. It was usually written on papyrus, however many
individual chapters of the book have been found on tomb walls, scarabs, statuettes and on at least
one royal mortuary temple (Rameses III).
Mummification
The earliest ancient Egyptians buried their dead in small pits in the desert. The heat and dryness of the sand
dehydrated the bodies quickly, creating lifelike and natural 'mummies'.
Later, the ancient Egyptians began burying their dead in coffins to protect them from wild animals in the desert.
However, they realised that bodies placed in coffins decayed when they were not exposed to the hot, dry sand
of the desert.
Over many centuries, the ancient Egyptians developed a method of preserving bodies so they would remain
lifelike. The process included embalming the bodies and wrapping them in strips of linen. Today we call this
process mummification.
Temples
The ancient Egyptians believed that temples were the homes of the gods and goddesses. Every temple was
dedicated to a god or goddess and he or she was worshipped there by the temple priests and the pharaoh.
The large temple buildings were made of stone so that they would last forever. Their walls were covered with
scenes that were carved onto the stone then brightly painted. These scenes showed the pharaoh fighting in
battles and performing rituals with the gods and goddesses.
Pharaoh: Lord of the Two Lands
The most powerful person in ancient Egypt was the pharaoh. The pharaoh was the political and religious
leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles: 'Lord of the Two Lands' and 'High Priest of Every Temple'.
As 'Lord of the Two Lands' the pharaoh was the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt. He owned all of the land,
made laws, collected taxes, and defended Egypt against foreigners.
As 'High Priest of Every Temple', the pharaoh represented the gods on Earth. He performed rituals and built
temples to honour the gods.
Many pharaohs went to war when their land was threatened or when they wanted to control foreign lands. If
the pharaoh won the battle, the conquered people had to recognise the Egyptian pharaoh as their ruler and
offer him the finest and most valuable goods from their land.

What is the Great Sphinx?

The Great Sphinx is a large human-headed lion that was carved from a mound of natural rock. It is located in
Giza where it guards the front of Khafra's pyramid.
What does the word 'pyramid' mean?
The word 'pyramid' actually comes from the Greek word 'pyramis' which means 'wheat cake'. The word
'pyramis' was used to describe the ancient Egyptian buildings because they reminded the Greeks of pointytopped wheat cakes.
Why did the ancient Egyptians use the pyramid shape?
Egyptologists have developed many theories about why the tombs of the early pharaohs were built in the
pyramid shape. Here are three different ideas:
1. The pyramid represented the first land to appear at the beginning of time- a hill called 'Ben-Ben'.
2. The pyramid had sloping sides so that the dead pharaoh could symbolically climb to the sky and live
forever.
3. The pyramid represented the rays of the sun.

Why did the ancient Egyptians mummify their dead?

The ancient Egyptians believed that when someone died, their soul left their body. The soul would then return
and be reunited with the body after it was buried. However, the soul needed to be able to find and recognise the
body in order to live forever.

Sources:
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/pharaoh/home.html.
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/temples/home.html
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/geography/home.html
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/mummies/home.html
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/home.html
http://www.guardians.net/egypt/sphinx/
http://www.livescience.com/23050-step-pyramid-djoser.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/pyramidtext.html

List of 15 Most Worshiped Ancient Egyptian

Gods and Goddesses
Osiris
Osiris was a wise king who was married to his sister Isis. Osiris was also the god of vegetation and was often
painted with green skin, symbolizing new growth and renewal.
Isis
Isis was the ultimate goddess for she was the mother of Horus and both wife and sister of Osiris. Isis, portrayed
as a woman holding an Ankh in her hand and sometimes with a female body and cows head or cows horns was
also worshiped as goddess of fertility.
Horus
One of the most important ancient Egyptian gods was the son of Osiris and Isis. Also worshiped as the god of
light and sky, Horus was usually depicted as a falcon-headed male creature wearing a white and red crown.
Thoth
The god of wisdom, writing and magic was most often portrayed as an ibis-headed man. Thoth was the scribe of
the underworld who recorded the verdict on the deceased in the Hall of Maat, maintained the library of the
gods, authored the spells in The Book of the Dead and wrote The Book of Thoth (containing the secrets of
the universe). But he also played an important role in many ancient Egyptian myths, acting as an arbiter
between the forces of good and evil.
Ra
Ra or Re was the sun god and one of the most important ancient Egyptian deities. he was usually portrayed as a
falcon-headed man. Ra was depicted wearing a solar disc on his head.
Seth
Seth or Set was the god of desert and storms who later also became associated with chaos and darkness. He was
the god of darkness, chaos, and confusion.
Mut
Mut formed part of the Theban Triad. The Theban Triad: Amen, Mut and Khons. She was
the Vulture goddess and is often depicted as a woman with a long, brightly colored dress
and a vulture headdress surmounted by the double crown.

Bastet
Bastet was a feline goddess who was depicted either as a cat or woman with the head of
a cat. She was the daughter of the sun god Ra and was closely associated with
domesticated cat. Bastet was worshiped for her maternal, protective nature and was
often painted surrounded by kittens.
Amun
Worshiped as the king of gods (similarly as Zeus by ancient Greeks). Amun was later merged with Ra into
Amun-Ra which remained the chief god throughout the period of ancient Egypt. Amuns name means Hidden
One, Mysterious of Form, and although he is most often represented as a human wearing a double plumed
crown, he is sometimes depicted as a ram or a goose. The implication is that his true identity can never be
revealed.
Ptah
He was the creator-god and the patron deity of crafts and craftsmanship. Ptah was usually depicted as a
mummified figure with his hands protruding through the bandaging to hold a staff with the symbols of
dominion and stability.
Wadjet
Wadjet was worshiped as a cobra and was often included in royal insignia as a symbol of sovereignty over
Egypt. She was seen as the protector of the living Horus the pharaoh.
Hathor
Hathor was the cow goddess who was associated with dancing and music but she was also known as the Lady
of Heaven, Earth and the Underworld. She protected women during pregnancy and childbirth, and was also
worshiped as goddess as fertility.
Sekhmet
Sekhmet was the goddess of war who was depicted as the lion-headed goddess. She was the Powerful One
and destroyed the enemies of Ra but she also helped kings against their opponents.
Anubis
Anubis was a jackal-headed god, the divine embalmer who was closely associated with mummification and the
afterlife; he was the custodian of the dead on their journey into the afterlife. He also attended the Weighting of
the Heart ceremony in the afterlife.
Maat
Maat was the personification and goddess of truth, morality, justice, order, and harmony. She symbolized the
natural equilibrium of the universe; she was the opposite of chaos and therefore the highest attainment of Egypt.
The Weighing of the Heart ceremony as depicted in the Book of the Dead took place in the Hall of Maat.

Sources:
http://historylists.org/other/list-of-15-most-worshiped-ancient-egyptian-gods-and-goddesses.html
http://discoveringegypt.com/ancient-egyptian-gods-and-goddesses/