Even in negotiations and treaties with other countries, Egyptian preference for remaining in Egypt was dominant. There are many far less dramatic examples, however, recorded on temple walls, stele, and on papyrus fragments.īecause of this devotion to the homeland, Egyptians were not great world-travelers, and there is no 'Egyptian Herodotus' to leave behind impressions of the ancient world beyond Egyptian borders. A famous example of this is when Ramesses II was surrounded by his enemies at the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BCE) and, calling upon the god Amun for aid, found the strength to fight his way through to safety. The gods who had fashioned the soul and created the world consistently watched over the people of Egypt and heard and responded to, their petitions. As the Khat and the Ka were created at the same time, the Ka would be unable to journey to The Field of Reeds if it lacked the physical component on earth. The famous Egyptian mummy (whose name comes from the Persian and Arabic words for 'wax' and 'bitumen', muum and mumia) was created to preserve the individual's physical body ( Khat) without which the soul could not achieve immortality. The tomb was the 'Mansion of Eternity' and the dead was an Akh, a transformed spirit. The hieroglyph for a corpse was translated as 'participating in eternal life'. The term 'Going to One's Ka' (astral being) was used in each age to express dying. According to the historian Margaret Bunson:Įternity was an endless period of existence that was not to be feared by any Egyptian. Knowledge of a person's true name gave one magical powers over that individual, and this is among the reasons why the rulers of Egypt took another name upon ascending the throne it was not only to link oneself symbolically to another successful pharaoh but also a form of protection to ensure one's safety and help guarantee a trouble-free journey to eternity when one's life on earth was completed. Ab was the heart, the source of good and evilĪn individual's name was considered of such importance that an Egyptian's true name was kept secret throughout life, and one was known by a nickname.Sahu and Sechem aspects were of the Akh.Ba was a human-headed bird aspect which could speed between earth and the heavens.So-called ' Egyptian mythology' was, in ancient times, as valid a belief structure as any accepted religion in the modern day. As with the people of Mesopotamia, the Egyptians considered themselves co-laborers with the gods but with an important distinction: whereas the Mesopotamian peoples believed they needed to work with their gods to prevent the recurrence of the original state of chaos, the Egyptians understood their gods to have already completed that purpose and a human's duty was to celebrate that fact and give thanks for it. Religion was an integral part of the daily life of every Egyptian. The Cult of Hathor was very popular in Egypt, among all classes, and epitomizes the prime importance of gratitude in Egyptian culture. Once one felt ungrateful, it was observed, one then was apt to indulge oneself further in bad behavior. Ingratitude was considered a 'gateway sin' as it led to all other types of negative thinking and resultant behavior.
This is exemplified in the concept of gratitude and the ritual known as The Five Gifts of Hathor in which the poor laborers were encouraged to regard the fingers of their left hand (the hand they reached with daily to harvest field crops) and to consider the five things they were most grateful for in their lives. While the lower classes in Egypt, as elsewhere, subsisted on much less than the more affluent, they still seem to have appreciated life in the same way as the wealthier citizens. This passion for life imbued in the ancient Egyptians a great love for their land as it was thought that there could be no better place on earth in which to enjoy existence. The tombs, mortuary temples and mummies that they produced were a celebration of life and a means of continuing it for eternity…For the Egyptians, as for other cultures, death was part of the journey of life, with death marking a transition or transformation after which life continued in another form, the spiritual rather than the corporeal. The Egyptians were obsessed by life and its continuation rather than by a morbid fascination with death.
Judging by the numbers of tombs and mummies that the ancient Egyptians left behind, one can be forgiven for thinking that they were obsessed by death.