The Ancient Egyptians Beliefs & Practices

by Rosalie, David

• ISBN13: 9781898723721
• ISBN10: 1898723729
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-04-19
• Publisher: Sussex Academic Press

Summary

This updated and fully revised second edition contains a new selection of plates and illustrations. The book traces the evolution of religious beliefs and practices within the historical and poltitical contexts of the main periods of Egypt's civilization. It shows how historical and political events influenced state cults, temple rituals and frnerary apractices and emphasises how religion permeated most aspects of everyday life, including law, medicine and education. The book describes how some religious customs have even survived, in different forms, until the present day. Contains extensive bibliographies of primary and secondary sources.

Author Biography

Rosalie David is Reader in Egyptology at the University of Manchester, and keeper of Egyptology at the Manchester University Museum. She lectures on Ancient Egyptian religion, and her research has included the scientific investigation of Egyptian mummies, and a study of Egyptian temple ritual. She is the author of over twenty books of Egyptology.

Table of Contents

List of Maps, Figures and Plates	p. viii
Maps 1 and 2	p. xii
Preface	p. xiv
Acknowledgments	p. xvi
Abbreviation	p. xvii
A Survey Of The Historical Development Of Religion In Ancient Egypt
Introduction	p. 3
The Predynastic and Early Dynastic communities	p. 10
The Predynastic societies	p. 10
The Dynastic Race	p. 11
The political and social organisation of the Naqada II communities	p. 14
The Unification of Egypt	p. 15
The political organisation of the Early Dynastic period	p. 17
Religious beliefs and practices during the Predynastic and Early Dynastic Periods	p. 19
The contribution of the Archaic Period	p. 40
The Old Kingdom	p. 41
Organisation of the society	p. 42
Religious organisation	p. 44
Cosmogonies	p. 45
The cult of Re'	p. 48
The Wisdom Literature	p. 50
The funerary beliefs and customs of the Old Kingdom	p. 52
The Pyramid Texts	p. 70
The tombs of the nobility	p. 74
Tomb art - the underlying principles	p. 79
The decline of the Old Kingdom	p. 87
The First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom	p. 91
Collapse of the society	p. 91
Restoration of political order	p. 93
The Middle Kingdom	p. 94
Religious developments in Dynasties 11 and 12	p. 97
Royal funerary monuments of Dynasties 11 and l2	p. 98
The royal jewellery of the Middle Kingdom	p. 100
A pyramid workmen's village	p. 104
Osiris and the democratisation of funerary beliefs	p. 105
The tombs of the nobles during the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom	p. 112
Tomb equipment and furniture	p. 113
The New Kingdom	p. 119
The period of Hyksos rule	p. 119
The role of Amen-Re' (Amun)	p. 120
The Egyptian temple	p. 124
The priesthood	p. 134
The role of religion in education	p. 135
The role of religion in the law	p. 137
The role of religion in medicine	p. 139
Household gods and personal piety	p. 141
The relationship between Egyptian and foreign cults and deities	p. 143
Funerary beliefs and practices in the New Kingdom	p. 146
The court of Amenophis III	p. 153
History of the Aten	p. 157
Aspects of Atenism	p. 165
The counter-revolution	p. 169
Some Contributions made by Egyptian Religion to Other Traditions	p. 172
Primary Sources For The Study Of Egyptian Religion
Primary Sources: Religious Texts and Archaeological Bibliography	p. 182
Selected Passages from Egyptian Religious Literature	p. 196
A selective List of Major Religious sites in Egypt	p. 207
Secondary Sources For The Study Of Egyptian Religion
Secondary sources and Additional Bibliography Dealing with Specific Aspects and Controversies	p. 219
A Chronological Table of Egyptian History	p. 253
Index	p. 255
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