Ancient Egypt, that narrow, fertile land bordering the Nile River, has always seemed to draw humankind�s attention and imagination. We know much about Egypt, yet there still remain many unanswered questions, suppositions, and just plain guesses about their beliefs and culture. The culture of long ago Egypt is still covered with mystique that fascinates people. What is really remarkable is that this civilization remained virtually unchanged for over 3000 years.
This great civilization began about 4500 BC. The four greatest periods in its history were the Old Kingdom (2686-2181 BC, Dynasties III-VIII), the Middle Kingdom (2134-1786 BC, Dynasties XI and XII), the Second Intermediate Kingdom (1786-1570 BC, Dynasties XIII-XVII), and the New Kingdom (1570-1085 BC, Dynasties XVIII-XX) The Persians, Greeks, and Romans, who ruled Egypt from 525 BC to AD 324, did little, if anything, to restore the former glory and advancement of the culture.
During these periods, there were several individuals and one group that made their mark on Egyptian history. In the Old Kingdom, Khufu was responsible for building one of the magnificent pyramids, but little is known of his life.
During the Second Intermediate Kingdom, the Hyksos (Shepherd Kings) came out of the east to conquer Egypt in the middle of the eighteenth century BC, and continued to rule by force for about 150 years. The Egyptians called them Aamu (Asiatics).
Although some of their rulers had Semetic names, it is impossible to identify their country of origin. It is likely that the Hyksos introduced the horse and chariot into Egypt, an innovation that may have contributed to their downfall.
In the New Kingdom Dynasty XVIII, arose a very singular pharaoh, a women named Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was the first, and probably the only, women to ascend the Egyptian throne. She began as the wife of her half-brother Thutmose II. Only daughters came from this union, but Thutmose had a son by a concubine. Thutmose II died while the son was still very small; Hatshepsut seized the throne and ruled for more than twenty years. She added to the Temple of Amen at Karnak and also built the magnificent temple at Deir el Bahri (called Djeser-djeseru in Egyptian). When Thutmose III came to the throne at her death in 1481 BC, he obliterated her name on everything, destroyed many of her statues, and persecuted anyone who had upheld her claim to rule.
Akhenaton (also known as Ikhnaton) born about 1370 BC, is remembered for the controversy he created when he tried to force the Egyptians into the worship of one god. He reigned in the same Dynasty as Hatshepsut. At his birth his father, Amenhotep III, game him the name Akhenamen (meaning 'Amen is satisfied'). His mother Ti was a commoner, raised to royal status by the marriage. In the sixth year of his reign, Akhenaton changed his name to reflect his new religious interest. He moved his capital from Thebes (home of the god Amen) to a new city, Akhetaton (the Horizon of Aton) 300 miles to the north. Soon he forbade worship of the old gods, especially Amen-Ra, whose name was obliterated from all temples, tombs, and monuments. He decreed that Aton was the one and only god to be worshipped. There was so much controversy over his dictatorial religious laws that there was little mourning at his death.
Tutankhamen was Akhhenaton's son-in-law, ruling after Akhenaton, and related in some way to Amenhotep III. It is possible that he was the son of Akhenaton by a lesser wife or concubine. When he became pharaoh he was somewhere between nine and twelve years old and his wife, Ankhesenamon, about eleven or twelve. We do know that his original name was Tutankhaton, but he changed it to Tutankhamen when, after three years of rule, he moved his court back to Thebes. One of Tutankhamen's first projects was to restore the temples that Akhenaton has desecrated. It is known from his mummy that he died violently at age eighteen, but history is silent about the actual events.
Egyptian pharaohs usually were born into or married into the ruling family of a Great Queen or Great Royal Wife. Remnants of the Goddess-civilization were evident in the fact that no man became a pharaoh except by marrying a daughter of the ruling house. Inheritance of the throne and power descended through the female lineage.
Religion
From early in their history the Egyptians held the concept of continuation of life after death. They perfected the art of embalming and built magnificent tombs and pyramids. Their environment was reflected in the nature, aspects, and appearances of their deities.
In the Old Kingdom, the three important religious centers were Memphis, Heliopolis, and Hermoplois. (I am using the more familiar Greek names for these cities.) By the time of the New Kingdom, the priests of Amen at Thebes had gained supremacy, making that city the ultimate religious power, and their god ruler of the Egyptian pantheon.
Egyptian deities did not require human sacrifice or annihilation of people with other religious beliefs. Temples were not considered a place of communal worship. They were looked upon as houses for the deities; there, statues were kept and attended by priests and priestesses. The priesthood was not celibate. The pharaoh was considered an incarnated god upon Earth.
The life of the average Egyptian was a blend of religion and the use of magick. Magick was a vital part of everyday life. The people believed that worship was basically a private, personal concern and duty. After all, the ancient Egyptians said, when you stood in the Hall of Judgment after death, no one could tamper with the scales that weighed your heart for truth and goodness. Your soul was laid bare; everything was revealed.
Individual worship was performed at home altars and certain shrines, with the populace as a whole participating in the great seasonal festivals. The common people were not admitted to the great temples, but they made pilgrimages to certain shrines.
National or regional festivals of deities were primarily journeys of the appropriate statues through the local streets or on the Nile, as in the case of Amen's Feast of Opet, when his statue was taken from Karnak to his temoke at Luxor and back.
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