Principal Beliefs
Duat:
Ma'at:
Numerology:
Certain numbers were considered sacred, holy, or magical by the ancient Egyptians, particularly 2, 3, 4, 7, and their multiples and sums.
Mythology:
Philosophy:
Soul:
The ancient Egyptians believed that a human soul was made up of five parts:
- In Egyptian mythology, Duat is the underworld. The Duat is a vast area under the Earth, connected with Nun, the waters of the primordial abyss.
- The Duat is the realm of the god Osiris and the residence of other gods and supernatural beings.
- It is the region through which the sun god Ra travels from west to east during the night, and where he battled Apep. It also was the place where people's souls went after death for judgement, though it was not the full extent of the afterlife.
- Burial chambers formed touching-points between the mundane world and the Duat, and spirits could use tombs to travel back and forth from the Duat.
Ma'at:
- Maat was the ancient Egyptian concept of truth, balance, order, law, morality, and justice.
- Maat was also personified as a goddess regulating the stars, seasons, and the actions of both mortals and the deities, who set the order of the universe from chaos at the moment of creation.
Numerology:
Certain numbers were considered sacred, holy, or magical by the ancient Egyptians, particularly 2, 3, 4, 7, and their multiples and sums.
Mythology:
- Egyptian mythology is the collection of myths from ancient Egypt, which describe the actions of the Egyptian gods as a means of understanding the world.
- The beliefs that these myths express are an important part of ancient Egyptian religion.
- Myths appear frequently in Egyptian writings and art, particularly in short stories and in religious material such as hymns, ritual texts, funerary texts, and temple decoration. These sources rarely contain a complete account of a myth and often describe only brief fragments.
Philosophy:
- Ancient Egyptian philosophy has been credited by the ancient Greeks as being the beginning of philosophy.
- It is characterised by being flexible, pragmatic, and giving attention to emotion.
Soul:
The ancient Egyptians believed that a human soul was made up of five parts:
- The Ren
- The Ba
- The Ka
- The Sheut
- The Ib