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Ancient Egypt

Ok, what do I want to know about Ancient Egypt??? I would like to know more about its history, famous figures (kings, thinkers,,,,), famous values and beliefs (mythology, religion, philosophy, social standards,,,), some of their secrets (symbols, pyramids, science, astronomy,,,),,,, mainly that kind of stuff. So let’s start digging… :-)

  • Timeline of Ancient Egypt’s history
  • Egyptian Gods
  • Ma’at
  • Ankh

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First of all, what’s the timeline of Ancient Egyptian History?

So we can say that there are three main ‘kingdoms’: the old one, the middle and the new kingdom. Between them there were some intermediate periods, and of course there is pre-old dynasty and post-late one. Okay? Now what happened during all this time that made dynasties rise and fall?

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Now what about their gods? I see in the drawings and the temples different types of gods, can we list them?List Of Egyptian Gods

  • Amun,God of the wind
  • Ra, God of the Sun – When with Amun, they become Amun-Ra.
  • Anubis, God of the Dead, and of Embalming.
  • Aten, A form of the Sun God Ra.
  • Bastet, God of Protection
  • Bes, Protector of Pregnant Women, Newborn babies, and Families.
  • Geb, God of the Earth, father of Osiris, Isis, Nephthys and Seth.
  • Hathor, Goddess of Love
  • Horus, God of the Sky
  • Isis, Protective Goddess – used powerful Magic Spells when people were in need, and was the Wife of Osiris.
  • Nephthys, Goddess of the Dead – Wife of Seth.
  • Ptah, God of Craftsmen.
  • Ra-Horakhty, God of both sky and Sun. A combination of Ra and Horus – thought to be God of the Rising Sun.
  • Osiris, God of the Dead, and Ruler of the Underworld.
  • Sekhmet, Goddess of War.
  • Set, God of Chaos.

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What about Maat?

I heard she had a significant influence, why isn’t she included in the list of Gods in the Egyptian Mythology?Ma’at was the Ancient Egyptian concept of law, morality, and justice which was deified as a goddess. Mmmm, so she was not a god in the sense of God, she was more of a representation of the concepts of law, morality and justice, that’s interesting. And here, there is another rephrasing of the same idea: Ma’at, unlike Hathor and Nephthys, seemed to be more of a concept than an actual goddess. Her name, literally, meant ‘truth’ in Egyptian. She was truth, order, balance and justice personified. She was harmony, she was what was right, she was what things should be. It was thought that if Ma’at didn’t exist, the universe would become chaos, once again!

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The most famous Egyptian souvenirs for foreigners are Ankh (the sign of life) and the cartouche (where the name of the king was written in hieroglyph). What’s the significance of both?

Let’s start with Ankh….The ankh (pronounced ‘ahnk’, symbol ☥) was the Egyptian hieroglyphic character that stood for the word ʿnḫ, meaning life. Egyptian gods are often portrayed carrying it by its loop, or bearing one in each hand, arms crossed over their chest. It is also known as the Egyptian Cross, or as crux ansata, Latin for “cross with a handle”….It has been suggested that it combines the male and female symbols of Osiris (the cross) and Isis (the oval) and therefore signifies the union of heaven and earth… Over time, the ankh has come to symbolize life and immortality, the universe, power and life-giving air and water. “Its key like shape also encouraged the belief it could unlock the gates of death”.

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Comments»

1. nousha - 25 January, 2007

Life in Ancient Egypt
ADOLF ERMAN
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=80953051
(very recommended)

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