Egypt

The Egyptians believed that before the world was created, all that was, were the waters of chaos whose name was Nun. It was out of the waters that the first dry land arose, and on this piece of dry land, known as the primeval mound, Atum, the sun god and ruler of the gods, emerged and he then created his children Shu, lord of the upper sky, and Tefun, the goddess of moisture. It is thought that from this myth that the pyramids were born; archaeologists found a pyramid shaped stone called Benben, in on of the earliest temples, it is thought to symbolize the hill from which the Egyptians believed life emerged. To them, the pyramid represented the first piece of dry land that rose from the waters of chaos and the tomb inside was a representation and reminder of the creation of life. When the pharaoh died, they believed that a small part of the soul that did not go to the afterlife remained in the body, and if the pharaoh did not receive proper mummification, he would not be able to carry out his responsibilities as the new king of the dead. Everything he would need in his afterlife was put into his tomb with him like; clay pots, gold, food, furniture, and small doll versions of servants, called ushabti. If it were not for the Egyptians intense dedication to their religion, some of the most famous monuments in Egypt today, would have never existed. Temples, much like pyramids, were built to last for hundreds of years and were also believed to represent the primeval mound. The larger temples usually were separated into three main parts: a courtyard where common people were allowed to pay their respects to the gods. The second part was a more provate room that was reserved for kings, pharaohs, and sometimes the noble family, and the third part was for the priests only. Inside there was a statue of the god of that temple, which was usually cast in bronze and covered or inlaid with gold as the Egyptians believed that gold was the skin of the gods. When a new temple was built, ancient rituals and hymns were necessary in every step of the process. The goddess of measurement, Seshat, “directed” what was called the stretching of the cord ceremony. This took place at night because the cord was stretched between two rods, and the placement of the corners of the temple were determined by the points of four stars in the sky. When the four points had been decided, ceremonial bricks that were molded from straw and mud, were placed in the ground by the pharaoh. Then he covered them with sand which represented the soil from the primeval mound. It was the god of the western desert, Ha, who oversaw the part of the temple building process where the earth that was used to cover the bricks was transported back to the temple. Once all of these rituals had been preformed, the temple would then start to be built. When it was finished, priests would preform various hymns and sacrifices for the gods to please them and make sure that the temple was suitable for the designated god. The art in ancient Egypt was not created just to be admired or for profit. It linked the people the gods through that specific work of art. If anything was represented in any sort of art form and the correct religious saying of hymn was inscribed or recited to it, it was believed that it would last forever. The most widely known type of ancient Egyptian religious are were the scenes that were painted on the walls of the “places of god” like; temples, tombs, and inside pyramids. These scenes depicted sacred rituals, sacrificed, and offerings preformed by priests and the pharaohs, daily rituals of the common people, and the stories of the gods.