Exploring Religion in Ancient Egypt

Exploring Religion in Ancient Egypt presents an overview of the beliefs, sacred rituals, and religious practices of the people of Kemet – literally, “the Black Land” – whose Nile Valley population stretched from Aswan to the Mediterranean coast beginning from circa 3100 B.C. Dispelling some of the dominant modern preconceptions about ancient Egyptian religion, author Stephen Quirke considers the evidence for ancient patterns of marking sacred space and time, and the verbal and visual imagery on creation and Ma`at – the expression of truth and balance, or “what is good,” in the language of Kemet. Within these frameworks, Quirke reveals how people in ancient Egypt struggled to secure well–being in the present life as they prepared for the afterlife. Exploring Religion in Ancient Egypt offers illuminating insights into an ancient civilization whose complex series of religious beliefs and practices remain unique in the history of human religion.

Preface List of Illustrations 1 Belief without a Book 2 Finding the sacred 3 Creating sacred space and time 4 Chaos and Life 5 Being Good 6 Being Well 7 Attaining Eternal Life Bibliography

Stephen Quirke is Professor of Egyptology in the Institute for Archaeology at University College London, and Curator at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. His books include The Cult of Ra: Sun–Worship in Ancient Egypt (2001), Egyptian Literature 1800 BC: Questions and Readings (2004), and Lahun: A Town in Egypt 1800 BC, and the History of its Landscape (2005).