religion new kingdom essays

religion new kingdom essays Egypt had a polytheistic religion, meaning that they believed in many gods, each of which played a role of its own for example Hapi the god of the nile. He was depicted in statues and praised as the one who came to nourish Egypt and create all good things. The people of Egypt prayed to him asking for a good flood. Religion had a great impact on NKE society through the social hierarchy, from the ordinary people to the pharaoh himself. The pharaoh was believed to be the incarnation of god who had created Egyptian universe and to whom he would return upon death. In other words the people believed the Phoraoh to be god on earth. Although the ordinary people where not allowed into the temple, religion still had an impact on their lives. Ears were carved outside important temples, into which the ordinary people whispered their longings and prayers believing that the gods leaned close to hear every word. Evidence of personal peity (meaning direct communication of people with the gods) have been found in the village of Medina, where the villagers wrote messages to the gods. Throughout Egypt, the Egyptians believed the gods took a personal interest in their lives. They believed the gods would punished and forgiven them, this is illustrated by the draughtsman, Nebre, prayers for his sick son (he believed he was sick as a punishment to him) to Amun, the god who listened to prayers. Another Example is the sculptor, Ken, put up a stela for a to read confessing that he had deceived his wife my swearing a false oath to her. These examples illustrate the role of religion in the lives of the ordinary Egyptians. The religion was closely integrated with the economy. The Egyptians believed that the temple was not only the house or the mansion of the god but symbolised the conditions that existed at the time of the creation. The temple was central to all economic activity. Every temple receive ...