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#6462
Miranda Johansson
Participant

You can tell from the art that the Egyptians were religious and ritualistic people, even with the architecture of the temples. For example, the funerary temple of Hatshepsut where the different courts and shrines are dedicated to various gods. Or even the temple of Amun at Karnak, where there was a statue of Amun that was washed and clothed every day and even received two meals. These rituals show how dedicated the Egyptians were to their gods and worshipping them. And the fact that there were shrines and courts, dedicated as holy places, for the purpose of worshiping the gods.
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You can also see how the Egyptians believed that the gods guided them throughout life in various steles, or storyboards. Such as in the books of the dead, where the various gods are receiving the dead in the afterlife. Even the pharaoh, with the decorations that s/he used to symbolize the gods participation in their reign. For example, looking at the funerary mask of Tutankhamun, he has the vulture and cobra on his forehead that represents two gods. This symbolizes a unified Egypt, but I would think that it also symbolizes the guidance that he received as they are placed on his forehead.
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What I find the most interesting and probably most divergent is Ramses II. While most other artifacts and architecture dedicated place and time to the gods, to honor them and ask for their guidance throughout life. Ramses II believed that he was one of the gods, equal to them. This temple that he built shows this, where his statues are larger than the gods.
<br>While there seems to be a balance between humans and gods, a separation where the gods are all powerful and humans need their guidance, Ramses II defied this balance with his ego. Overall, there seemed to be a delicate dedication of time from humans to worship the gods through rituals.