The Horizon Book Of Daily Life In Ancient Egypt By Lionel Casson

When talking about Egypt the thought of religion is what comes to mind for many people. When learning about ancient Egypt, the beliefs, and Gods that they believed in are usually taught first because it was so important to them. This is because, in ancient Egypt religion played a major role in Egyptian life. Egyptians believed that there is a power behind everything. Lionel Casson writes in his book “The Horizon Book of Daily Life in Ancient Egypt” that, “Religion permeated an Egyptians total existence. In his eyes, every detail of his own life and of the life about him, whether the annual inundation of the Nile that spelled hunger or plenty for the whole nation or the chance death of his cat, was a specific, calculated act of god.” With
Split into three groups, the belief system was Heka, Ma’at, and Duat. Heka, which not only is a god but the Egyptian term for magic, basically means the ability to make things happen by indirect means. It stems from the fact that Egyptians believe that life first emerged from the dark and formless void of nun that the gods created. Next is Ma’at which is Egyptians concepts of harmony, justice, and balance. Once again stemming from gods, Egyptians believed that, “The balance of order and chaos in the universe could only be maintained by gods and their representatives on earth, the king” Says Joann Fletcher in the book “Ancient Egypt.” The last is Duat which is the realm of the dead. This is where the dead go to receive their judgement. All three made up the beliefs of the religion that most Egyptians
With that Egyptians started to write these “words of the gods,” this is known as Hieroglyphics. Said to be written by the god Thoth, the god of writing, hieroglyphics were sacred writings used by only priests. In the book “Ancient Egypt” Joann Fletcher wrote, “The written word was believed to hold great power, which explains the fact that some symbols in religious inscriptions were occasionally mutilated as they were carved to ‘neutralize’ potential dangers.” With what Fletcher wrote it can be inferred how powerful the writings were. Other things used for gods were temples. The purpose of a temple was the housing of the image of a god. That’s why hieroglyphics are usually found in temples and tombs. Various rituals would be conducted inside the temple and festivals would take place once a year for the gods