Osiris, one of Egypt’s most important deities, was god of the underworld. He also symbolized death, resurrection, and the cycle of Nile floods that Egypt relied on for agricultural fertility. Isis, the origins of Isis are obscure. Unlike many gods, she can’t be drawn to a specific town, and there are no certain mentions of her in the earliest Egyptian literature. Hawk-headed sun god Ra was one of the most important gods of all. He was gobbled up every night by the sky goddess Nut, then reborn every morning at sunrise. Later in Egyptian history, Ra was merged with the god of wind, Amun, making him the most powerful of all the Egyptian gods.

MUMMIFICATION

Ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife when someone died. Mummification helped someone reach the afterlife as they thought that, in order to have an afterlife, the dead person would have to repossess or her body. Egyptians believed that the only way to do this was if the body was recognisable. Mummification was mainly done to wealthy people as poorer people could not afford the process. The chief embalmer was a priest wearing a mask of Anubis. Anubis was the jackal headed god of the dead. He was closely associated with mummification and embalming, hence priests wore a mask of Anubis.

This is the step-by-step process of how mummification took place:

Insert a hook through a hole near the nose and pull out part of the brain Make a cut on the left side of the body near the tummy Remove all internal organs Let the internal organs dry Place the lungs, intestines, stomach and liver inside canopic jars Place the heart back inside the body Rinse inside of body with wine and spices Cover the corpse with natron (salt) for 70 days After 40 days stuff the body with linen or sand to give it a more human shape After the 70 days wrap the body from head to toe in bandages Place in a sarcophagus (a type of box like a coffin)

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HIEROGLIPCS

The Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphs using symbols for both numbers and words Different symbols were used for the most commonly used words. For names and words without symbols they used the symbols below. Hieroglyphic writing could be written in rows or columns. They could be written from left to right or from right to left. If written from left to right the animals would be facing left and if written from right to left the animals would be facing right. Writing in columns was generally written from top to bottom.

THE RIVER NILE

The River Nile is about 6,670 km (4,160 miles) in length and is the longest river in Africa and in the world. Although it is generally associated with Egypt, only 22% of the Nile’s course runs through Egypt. In Egypt, the River Nile creates a fertile green valley across the desert. It was by the banks of the river that one of the oldest civilizations in the world began. The ancient Egyptians lived and farmed along the Nile, using the soil to produce food for themselves and their animals