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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Non-Christian religions > Pre-Christian European & Mediterranean religions > Ancient Egyptian religion
Religious belief was central to life in ancient Egypt and played a
fundamental role in the development of their great society. In the
first half of this book, the state religion is considered, with an
examination of the preparation for the afterlife, including the
procedures and ceremonies that followed death. The section includes
an examination of the afterlife, the Book of the Dead and
ceremonies such as mummification and the Weighing of the Heart. The
second half of the book examines the effects of popular religion on
daily activities. It describes temple rites and offerings, the
power of the high priests, and the role of women in religion. The
religion of this fascinating society has been documented with maps
and a wealth of over 200 beautiful photographs, reproductions and
colour artworks, making this book an essential reference for anyone
interested in this ancient civilization.
The gods of Kemet/Ancient Egypt re-examined with a simplified guide
providing an accessible introduction for beginners to familiarise
themselves with the fascinating world of the gods of Kemet/Ancient
Egypt and to become acquainted with a part of the culture of the
greatest civilization in history. Additionally, the book contains a
comprehensive list of the dynasties of the Pharaohs of Kemet.
When Jean-Francois Champollion rediscovered how to translate the
Egyptian hieroglyphs in the early nineteenth century he described
them as "....a complex system, a writing that is figurative,
symbolic, and phonetic all within the same text, a single sentence,
I would even say a single word." Since then, although his
discoveries have led to the translation of most of the ancient
Egyptian texts, the emphasis in modern scholarship is to regard the
hieroglyphs purely as sounds and to disregard or even deny their
symbolic meaning. This book explores how the hieroglyphs function
as a comprehensive system of magical symbolism, the medw neter or
Words of the Gods by which the sacred truths of the Inner worlds of
creation are conveyed to humanity. Their effect is 'magical'
because when we study them and ponder their meaning they cause
changes in our consciousness, enabling us to reach a deeper
understanding of ourselves, of our surroundings and of the
universal principles that lie behind all creation. They also
incidentally teach us a great deal about the magical beliefs and
practices of the ancient Egyptians and their perception of the
relationship between the earthly and spiritual worlds. Using many
examples and illustrations, this book demonstrates how the
hieroglyphs formed the basis of Egyptian magic and were the means
by which it was taught and practiced. It offers an entirely new
interpretation of Egyptian magic, and shows how the hieroglyphs can
be used as a magical tool that is as transformative today as it was
in ancient times.
This book provides the first edition with an extensive introduction
and full commentary of a unique land survey written on papyrus in
Greek which derives from that area of southern (Upper) Egypt known
as the Apollonopolite (or Edfu) nome and is now preserved in
Copenhagen. Dating from the late second century BC, this survey
provides a new picture of both landholding and taxation in the area
which differs significantly from that currently accepted. The
introduction sets this new evidence in its contemporary context,
drawing particular attention to what it reveals about the nature of
the relations of the Ptolemaic royal administration with local
grandees, Egyptian temples and the army. No student of Hellenistic
Egypt can afford to ignore this text, which importantly extends our
knowledge of Upper Egypt under the Ptolemaic kings and involves
some modification to the prevailing picture of landholding in
Hellenistic Egypt.
Sums up all that is known about magic Ancient Egypt: the role of magic in controlling the gods, powerful amulets that warded off evil spirits, scarabs of immortality, use of wax images, formulas and spells, the secret name, much more.
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