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Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of polytheistic beliefs and rituals that formed an integral part of ancient Egyptian culture. It centered on the Egyptians' interactions with many deities believed to be present and in control of the world. About 1,500 deities are known. [1]
Isis [Note 1] was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom ( c. 2686 – c. 2181 BCE ) as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth , in which she resurrects her slain brother and husband, the divine king Osiris , and produces and protects ...
In recent years some Egyptologists, such as Gerhard Haeny, have argued that there is no clear division between the two. The Egyptians did not refer to mortuary temples by any distinct name. [16] [Note 2] Nor were rituals for the dead and rituals for the gods mutually exclusive; the symbolism surrounding death was present in all Egyptian temples ...
The temple at Philae was a prominent site of worship for the ancient Egyptian religion, as it was believed to be one of the burial places of the god Osiris. The primary deity of worship was Isis , the sister-wife of Osiris, though several other deities are also recorded to have been worshipped at the temple.
Roman statue of Isis, second century CE. Greco-Roman mysteries were voluntary, secret initiation rituals. [2] They were dedicated to a particular deity or group of deities, and used a variety of intense experiences, such as nocturnal darkness interrupted by bright light, or loud music or noise, that induced a state of disorientation and an intense religious experience.
It is located at the temple of Isis on the island of Philae, in Upper Egypt believed to be one of the final remaining places of worship of native Egyptian religion. [17] By this time, Egyptian religion was largely confined to the south of the country and to the distant, isolated Siwa Oasis in the west. [18]
The final step in the formation of Egyptian religion was the unification of Egypt, in which rulers from Upper Egypt made themselves pharaohs of the entire country. [14] These sacred kings and their subordinates assumed the right to interact with the gods, [ 22 ] and kingship became the unifying focus of the religion.
The Dendera temple complex contains the most evidence of the connection between Isis and Hatmehit, where Isis is referred to explicitly as Hatmehit on two occasions. The first is on the wall of the mysterious hall in a series of inscriptions about Isis visiting the various nomes. When they get to Nome 16 of Lower Egypt it states: