Egyptian Daily Life And Religion
Social Structure
Ancient Egyptians lived in a hierarchical society
The Egyptians lived in different classes
At the top of the society was the pharaoh
Slaves were at the bottom of this class system
Egyptian Women
Egyptian women were different than Mesopotamian women
They were able to own property
They could conduct business
They were able to participate in court cases
Although women had these rights, their main role was that of wife and mother
Egyptian Gods
Ancient Egyptians believed in many gods (polytheism), just like Mesopotamians
Egyptians had as many as 1,500 gods, or more
Egyptian gods controlled every part of their daily lives
The most important god was Re, the sun god
Osiris was the god of the underworld
Influential Gods
Egyptians believed that their acceptance to the afterlife was dependent on living good lives
The god Anubis would weigh the heart of the dead with an ostrich feather
If the heart weighed the same as the ostrich feather, the dead would be allowed to enter the afterlife
Mummification
Egyptians believed in mummification
A dead person's spirit required food and a body to live in
Experts in mummification removed organs and preserved them in canopic jars
The body was dried and wrapped in linen
Finally, the body was put in a coffin and priests did rituals to give life to the mummy
Noah R.
Olive Vista Middle School Student