Home Forums Egypt and Mesopotamia Egypt and Mesopotamia Reply To: Egypt and Mesopotamia

#6443
Aubri Stogsdill
Participant

It is clear through the sheer quantity and prevalence of the inclusion of the gods in Egyptian art that these people were extremely religious. An example of the presence of the gods in Egyptian art is seen on the Palette of Kind Narmer. In this carving we see Horus, a god falcon holding the head of an enemy, which is assumed to be an enemy of Narmer. Clearly, in this palette we see that the god is helping Narmer in his conquest. Horus could even be the instigator of the conquest. Also in this same work there are a number of other images of the goddess Hathor who is in the form of a cow and is set at the top of the stone. The gods blessed the conquest of the kings, but are strategically placed above them the kings. This demonstrates the hierarchy– the kings were in fact subject to the gods in many ways. We are also able to see the relationship of the gods with the Egyptians in the Tomb of Nefetari. Here is found a number of New kingdom paintings that show interaction between Nefetari and the gods. The Egyptians valued connecting with and pleasing their gods. They desired to please their gods in order to remain in their good graces so that Egypt could continue to be great. It was the ultimate honor for the gods to interact with them as humans, which is likely why we primarily see great leaders depicted interacting with the gods.