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The gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt were an integral aspect of the peoples’ daily lives, inhabiting not only the temples thought to be their homes but the streams, lakes, plains, and trees of the land and, of course, the Nile River. The ancient Egyptians responded to the energies of these deities through art, preserving their images.
Belief in these higher powers is evident from the Predynastic Period in Egypt (c. 6000-3150 BCE) through the Ptolemaic Period (323-30 BCE) and even into the period of Roman Egypt (30 BCE - 646 CE). Their images adorned temples, monuments, tombs, sarcophagi, and papyrus texts as well as appearing as statuary, figurines, palacewall reliefs, and as amulets. To an ancient Egyptian, the gods were always present and their images in artworks were a constant reminder of the gifts they gave to the people every day.
Geb & Nut, Book of the Dead
by Trustees of the British Museum
published on 04 October 2020
A detail of the Book of the Dead of Henuttawy, depicting the goddess Nut arched over the god Geb. Geb is depicted with the head of a snake. The full papyrus measures 74 cm x 23 cm (29 in x 9 in). Egypt. Third Intermediate Period (c. 1069-525 BCE). (Courtesy of the British Museum)
How long were the gods & goddesses of ancient Egypt worshipped?
The gods & goddesses of ancient Egypt were worshipped from the Predynastic Period (c. 6000-3150 BCE through the Roman Period of Egypt (30 BCE- 646 CE).
How did people worship the gods of ancient Egypt?
People worshipped the gods through festivals and private rituals. There were no "worship services" as one would understand them today. Clergy communed with the god/goddess at the temple and people could visit the temple complex but were not allowed in the temple itself.
Who was the most popular deity of ancient Egypt?
Isis was the most popular deity of ancient Egypt. Temples were raised in her honor outside of Egypt as far away as Roman Britain and her cult was a major contender with early Christianity.
Who was the most powerful deity of ancient Egypt?
The most powerful deity of ancient Egypt was Amun. Amun was worshipped the longest and his clergy was so wealthy that their power rivaled that of the monarch.
The British Museum has released this image under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) license. You can read more about the British Museum and Creative Commons here.
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