Description
By W. M. Flinders Petrie. Explore the gods, beliefs, and sacred traditions of ancient Egypt through the work of one of the great pioneers of Egyptology.
In The Religion of Ancient Egypt, pioneering archaeologist and Egyptologist W. M. Flinders Petrie examines the religious ideas and practices that shaped Egyptian civilization for more than three thousand years. Written by one of the founding figures of modern archaeology, this classic study offers readers a fascinating introduction to the gods, religious practices, priesthood, sacred texts, funerary beliefs, and moral ideas of the ancient Nile world.
Beginning with the nature of the Egyptian gods and the Egyptian conception of humanity, Petrie examines beliefs concerning the soul, the future life, and immortality before turning to the many forms of Egyptian worship. He considers animal worship and the great groups of deities—including animal-headed, human, cosmic, and abstract gods—as well as foreign deities incorporated into Egyptian religion. Later chapters examine Egyptian ideas of creation, ritual and priesthood, sacred books, private worship, ethics, and the influence of Egyptian religion beyond Egypt itself.
Written during the formative years of modern Egyptology, Petrie’s work offers the perspective of a scholar who played a major role in establishing archaeology as a systematic discipline. His clear and thoughtful treatment brings together an extraordinary range of religious ideas and practices while providing a revealing glimpse into the developing scholarship of his era.
This carefully restored edition revives an important classic of historical and archaeological literature. Essential reading for students of ancient history, mythology, religion, and archaeology, The Religion of Ancient Egypt remains a compelling window into the beliefs of a civilization whose monuments, symbols, and mysteries continue to captivate the imagination.
About the author: Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie, FRS, FBA (1853–1942), commonly known as Flinders Petrie, was a pioneering English Egyptologist and archaeologist who helped establish systematic methods of archaeological excavation and recording. He became the first Edwards Professor of Egyptian Archaeology and Philology at University College London, and the collection he assembled formed the foundation of what is now the Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology.
