Gods of Ancient Egypt

The main characteristics of ancient Egyptian religion were animism, fetishism, and magic. The myriad deities worshipped by the ancient Egyptians fell into three main categories: local gods, the inanimate objects (fetishes) of animals, birds, and other living creatures associated with a particular locality; universal gods, the cosmic deities who represented the forces of nature - the sun, moon, stars, wind and storm; and personal gods, the objects chosen by men and women to be the recipients of their own individual worship. This study traces the origins of all the major deities of ancient Egypt and links each of them to a particular time and place. It is, however, more than a gazetteer of gods: the text recounts the sometimes racy, sometimes amusing, mythological stories associated with the major deities and, since the basis of religion in ancient Egypt was not belief but cult practices, particularly the local cult, there are sections of personal religion and temple ritual. The significance of the religious artifacts of ancient Egypt, from the smallest amulet to the largest temple, is also explained. In addition to a range of photographs and line illustrations, many in color, there is a map of the principal cult centers, a list of localities giving their modern, classical and ancient Egyptian names, and a useful chronological table and glossary. The previously loved book is in very fine condition.