In five pages this paper examines how ancient Egyptians regarded nature and how this was instrumental in their afterlife concept. Five sources are cited in the bibliography.
Name of Research Paper File: AM2_PPegyAft.doc
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
forces and components of that environment. The ancient Egyptians believed in many gods. There were gods for everything around them including both living and nonliving entities such
as animals, rocks, and trees (Casson, 1965). Sometimes these gods appeared in their animal form and animals began to be associated with a high degree of respect. Many
animals, in fact, were viewed as sacred by the ancient Egyptians. Among those animals considered sacred were the cat, bull, fish, jackal, ram, boar, frog, and lion (Casson, 1965).
The serpent gained a particularly strong reverence in Egyptian society as did the Nile River and the sun (Casson, 1965).
Natural forces, animals, and other aspects of the Egyptian environment played a very important role in the religious beliefs of the people. Religious beliefs started early in the
history of Egypt and probably arose during the Neolithic period (Casson, 1965). The Egyptians believed that the gods had created the world as they wanted it to be, that
it was perfect and would never change (Casson, 1965). They developed the understanding that the gods intended for the people to join them in the afterlife, upon the end
of the mortal life. Consequently there were elaborate worship rituals concerning death and the afterlife. Many of these rituals were tied into the Nile River itself.
The Nile was an important part of Egyptian life both in regard to their day to day livelihood and in regard to their concepts of
the afterlife. The Nile was the primary water source for the Egyptians. From it came the water to nourish their bodies and the annual flooding through which their