What+I+Want+to+Learn-+A.E.M.-Brandon+DeGeer

(L.Egypt)Only the ocean existed at first. Then Ra (the sun) came out of an egg that appeared on the surface of the water. (U. Egypt)At first there was only //Nun// , the primal ocean of chaos that contained the beginnings of everything to come. From these waters came Ra __[]__ **The Sun god Ra was thought to have created himself by willing himself into existence. He found himself in a swirling watery place. So, he created a hill, and on this hill, a temple was built.** __[]__ || Geb and Nut later had two sons, Set and Osiris, and two daughters, Isis and Nephthys. (U. Egypt)Ra who, by himself, gave birth to Shu and Tefnut. Shu, the god of air, and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture gave birth to Geb and Nut, the earth god and the sky goddess. Men were created from Ra's tears. They proved to be ungrateful so Ra, and a council of gods, decided they should be destroyed. Re created Sekhmet to do the job. Against Ra's orders, Geb and Nut married.But Nut was already pregnant, although unable to give birth as Ra had decreed she could not give birth in any month of any year. Thoth, the god of learning, decided to help her and gambling with the moon for extra light, was able to add five extra days to the 360-day calendar. On those five days Nut gave birth to Osiris, Horus the Elder, Set, Isis, and Nephthys successively. __[]__ Others say || A** ncient Egypt had by tradition a great variety of gods and what today can be labeled as "spirits" and "divine forces". ** [] In [|Egyptian mythology], Apep (also spelled Apepi, and Aapep, or Apophis in Greek) was an evil demon, the deification of darkness and chaos, and thus opponent of light and Ma'at (order/truth), whose existence was believed about from the MidThe most important of all Egyptian myths was the [|myth of Osiris and Isis].[|[46]] It tells of the divine ruler Osiris, who was murdered by his jealous brother [|Set], a god often associated with chaos.[|[47]] Osiris' sister and wife [|Isis] resurrected him so that he could conceive an heir, Horus. Osiris then entered the underworld and became the ruler of the dead. Once grown, Horus fought and defeated Set to become king himself.[|[48]] Set's association with chaos, and the identification of Osiris and Horus as the rightful rulersdle Kingdom onwards. [] || An Egyptian ram-headed god, often shown as a bearded man wearing a cap with two tall plumes. The era of this Theban sky god's greatest ascendancy occurred in the sixteenth century BC when the Egyptians expelled the Hyksos invaders and extended the imperial frontiers into Canaan. Rivalry with Re was eliminated by the association of Amun with Re as Amon-Re, except during the reign of Akhenaton. As a dynastic guardian, Amon-Re was ‘king of the gods’, incarnate in the ruling pharaoh, and out of the tribute of Asia great temples were built for his worship at Luxor and Karnak.
 * Questions? || Answers! ||
 * How was Ra created? || In the beginning, nothing existed in this world, except for a watery chaos. This liquid essence, from which all things would emerge, was known as <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">**Nun** <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Out of this primordial soup emerged the god of creation, the sun god Ra.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is the origin of the gods? || <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(L. Egypt)Ra brought forth four children, the gods Shu and Geb and the goddesses Tefnut and Nut.
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How many gods and goddesses are there? || Egyptian religion has over 700 gods and goddesses with a variety of beliefs depending on the time period of Egyptian history which is still being studied. Even the Egyptians recognized the difficulty of following the multitude of gods and goddesses as early as the Old Kingdom . They attempted to simplify the religion by organizing their gods in family groups of eight or nine. []
 * The total number of them was over 2.000 but many had similar characteristics and appeared all over the country by different names. This great diversity is due to the fact that before the country was united the Nile Valley was split up into about forty self ruling areas (later to be provinces - so called nomes) where the ruling tribes had their own deities. [] ** ||
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Who was the snake god or goddess? || the Egyptian snake goddess [|Wadjet].
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is the most important myth? || The most important of all Egyptian myths was the [|myth of Osiris and Isis].[|[46]] It tells of the divine ruler Osiris, who was murdered by his jealous brother [|Set], a god often associated with chaos.[|[47]] Osiris' sister and wife [|Isis] resurrected him so that he could conceive an heir, Horus. Osiris then entered the underworld and became the ruler of the dead. Once grown, Horus fought and defeated Set to become king himself.[|[48]] Set's association with chaos, and the identification of Osiris and Horus as the rightful rulers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_religion ||
 * What is the biggest god rivalry? || Seth disputed Horus’ succession to the Egyptian throne and the matter was not resolved for 80 years when Nephthys offered a resolution to the dispute []

Read more: [] || the Chief Embalmer (the 'Controller of the Mysteries') was Anubis, the jackal headed god of cemeteries and embalming, the God's Seal Bearer assisted the Chief Embalmer, a Lector Priest was present in order to read spells throughout, the Ripper-Up, PARASCHITES, made the incision for removal of the internal organs minor priests - WTW - carried out bandaging and other similar duties The first step for the body on the road towards mummification was the purification - the body was washed and cleansed using water containing natron (natron was the drying agent, this step was not part of drying the body out, that would come later). **2. Removal of the Organs** Once the body had been cleaned from any impurities it was taken to the 'Place of Embalming' - the WABET. It was here that the internal organs were removed - this included the lungs, stomach, intestines and liver (kidneys were often left in place, this may be because they were thought to have little importance), these were removed through an inscision on the side of the body: ||    ||  **Position of the incision**; this varied only slightly throughout ancient Egyptian history - up to the 18th Dynasty organs were removed through an incision on the side (position 1), during the 18th dynasty this position changed slightly to one from the hip to the pubic are (position 2). || Once the organs were removed, the remaining space within the body was then cleansed and filled with a temporary stuffing - the organs were treated with the same proceedure as the rest of the body, they were even individually wrapped in linen and placed in the tomb. The placement of the internal organs in the tomb varies - up to the 21st dynasty they were placed within canopic jars, during the 21st dynasty the organs (still wrapped in linen) were placed back in the body, and in the Late Period the organs were placed between the legs of the mummy. CT-scan of mummy from 22nd dynasty, the highlighted area shows wrapped organs which had been placed back into the body cavity (the spinal cord is a the base of the picture). The brain was also removed (this practice seems to have started around the time of the late Middle Kingdom, or early New Kingdom period onwards), a hole was punched through the thin bone at the top of the nostrils (the Ethmoid bone) - modern experiments made by Bob Brier, have shown that the brain needs to be 'whisked up' into a sort of liquid before the body is placed face-down allowing the brain then to pour out through the nose. Sometimes an incision at the base of the neck would be used to removed the brain. Once the brain had been removed, a coating of resin was then applied to the face. The one organ that was not removed was the heart - the heart was seen as most important to keep within the body, it was thought of as the place of wisdom, intelligence in the body. If the deceased were ever to reach the Beyond it was essential that the body and heart were not separated (the heart was needed in the Weighing of the Heart ceremony), The heart was not to be cut from the body - if this happened accidently with the removal of the other internal organs then it was later put back. **The bath of Natron** Possibly on the 16th day after death, the body was put into a bath of natron - modern analysis has identified this as a natural salt of Sodium Carbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate (along with some smaller amounts of Sodium Sulphate and Sodium Chloride). The cavities made in the body by the extraction of the internal organs were also packed with natron - so that the drying process caused by the natron happened both inside and outside the body. It was originally thought that the body was laid into a water solution which held the natron - but it is now known that the desired results are only achievable when the natron is dry and literally heaped onto the body. After 40 days the body would have been completely dessicated - all moisture would have been removed, and the body safe from further decay. It was at this point in some periods that the mummies were also covered with hot resin as a further protection against decay (for example the mummy of Tutankhamun). In the 3rd Intermediate period mummies had linen and other items packed under the skin to give the deceased a more life-like appearance (the height of the mummification proceedure dates from thie period). **Anointing and decorating the body** After the body had been fully dessicated in the bath of natron it was then moved to the 'House of Beauty' (Per Nefer), it was here that perfumes and oils were rubbed over the skin to make it soft once more. Firstly, however, any materials that had been placed in the body before the bath of natron were taken out and replaced (these original padding materials were not discarded but were kept to be buried with the body), the body was then re-stuffed (this might include linen soaked in resin, lichen, onions, mud or sawdust). Once perfums and oils had been rubbed over the skin (the quality of these oils depended on the wealth of the deceased), the embalming incision was covered - either with wax, or with a metal plate. The metal plate was used for protection and was decorated with a magical symbol: The metal plate which covered the embalming incision of Psusennes I:   The gods are the four gods of the viscera - Imsety, Hapi, Duamutef and Qebehsenuf, they pray to the eye 'on behalf of the Osiris King Psusennes-beloved-of-Amun' The bodies were also sometimes coloured - men were painted red, women painted yellow - henna was rubbed onto the hands and feet. In the Graeco-Roman period gold leaf was applied to parts of the body, and female mummies had their faces painted and their eyes highlighted. **The Wrapping of the Mummy.** At least fifteen days were needed to fully wrap the body, this slow process was often interrupted by the need for prayer and ritual. The linen used for the bandages may have come from many different sources - the linen may have been specially made painted with magical inscriptions to protect the mummy, or for the poorer burials ordinary household linen would have been used. The linen used as bandages were torn into strips approximately 2 to 8 inches in width. The limbs of the body would each be wrapped separately at first (the head and neck, toes and fingers, arms and legs followed by the torso). During this wrapping many amulets would be placed within the wrappings - again to protect the mummy in the Beyond: Location of amulets placed on the body (Late Period) Left side - glazed amulets placed in the outer layer of wrappings Right side - Stone amulets placed in the inner layer
 * Who is the most beloved god? || Isis was the **most** popular **Egyptian goddess** ||
 * HOW WERE PEOPLE mummified ||  || __ ** [|Themes] > [|Science] > [|Life Sciences] > [|Collection & Preservation] > [|Mummification] > ** **The Mummifying Ritual**  __ ||
 * 1. Purification**  Soon after death, the embalmers were called - they would then carry the deceased away to be embalmed, this lengthy proceedure would take place in the IBU (the 'Tent of Purification'). During this 70 day embalming period (70 days also the period for the journey of the Decans in the underworld), the embalming was not only would a surgical and drying process take place, but also a highly ritual process. The embalmers themselves would assume roles whilst embalming the deceased :
 * 1. Purification**  Soon after death, the embalmers were called - they would then carry the deceased away to be embalmed, this lengthy proceedure would take place in the IBU (the 'Tent of Purification'). During this 70 day embalming period (70 days also the period for the journey of the Decans in the underworld), the embalming was not only would a surgical and drying process take place, but also a highly ritual process. The embalmers themselves would assume roles whilst embalming the deceased :




 * [[image:http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/lifescience/collectionpreservation/mummification/MummifyingRitual/amulet-1.gif width="237" height="300" align="bottom"]] ||  [[image:http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/lifescience/collectionpreservation/mummification/MummifyingRitual/karlof.jpg width="266" height="454" align="bottom"]]  ||  [[image:http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/sciences/lifescience/collectionpreservation/mummification/MummifyingRitual/amulet_2.gif width="174" height="377" align="bottom"]]  ||

Once the individual parts of the body had been wrapped, the body was then completely wrapped from head to toe using layers and layers of linen - the positioning of the arms during this final wrapping varied over the centuries (sometimes the arms were crossed - as in the above picture - or extended down to the groin - or straight down by the sides of the body). The final moment of wrapping was the use of a single large sheet of linen which covered the whole mummy which was then secured by linen bands (in the New Kingdom the linen sheet was dyed red, in the 21st Dynasty red leather straps crossed over the shoulders, in the Late Period the body was covered by a net of blue faience beads).

**Use of a Mask** The use of masks with the burial dates originally to the Middle Kingdom, during some periods throughout the rest of ancient Egyptian history a mask made from cartonnage was placed over the head and shoulders of the mummy. The mask was painted - in royal burials the mask was made from gold and precious stones. During Late Graeco-Roman periods the mask consisted of a face mask which was placed over intricate criss-crossing bandaging - these masks would show the dead person as if resting on a pillow. During the Roman Period, the living would have a portrait made of themselves during life - this same portrait was then placed over the head of the mummy. Once the mask was in place further amounts of resin were poured over the mummy as well as perfumes and unguents - finally the mummy would be placed in the coffin just before burial. With the advent of Christainity into Egypt, the practice of mummification gradually dissappeared - although burials have been found dating to the fourth Century AD which show a limited form of the mummification technique. When Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian, visited Egypt in the 5th century BC he described the mummification technique. || //Information provided by: http://members.tripod.com// ||   ||