Table of Contents

Contents: Preface; A Survey of the Historical Development of Religion in Ancient Egypt; Introduction; The Predynastic and Early Dynastic Communities; The Predynastic societies; The Dynastic Race; The political and social organisation of the Naqada II communities; The Unification of Egypt; The political organisation of the Early Dynastic period; Religious beliefs and practices during the Predynastic and Early Dynastic Periods ; The contribution of the Archaic Period; The Old Kingdom; Organisation of the society; Religious organisation; Cosmogonies; The cult of Re; The Wisdom Literature; The funerary beliefs and customs of the Old Kingdom; The Pyramid Texts; The tombs of the nobility; Tomb art -- the underlying principles; The decline of the Old Kingdom; The First Intermediate Period and the; Middle Kingdom; Collapse of the society; Restoration of political order; The Middle Kingdom; Religious developments in Dynasties 11 and 12; Royal funerary monuments of Dynasties 11 and 12; The royal jewellery of the Middle Kingdom; A pyramid workmen's village; Osiris and the democratisation of funerary beliefs; The tombs of the nobles during the First Intermediate; Period and the Middle Kingdom ; Tomb equipment and furniture; The New Kingdom; The period of Hyksos rule; The role of Amen-Re (Amun); The Egyptian temple; The priesthood; The role of religion in education; The role of religion in the law; The role of religion in medicine; Household gods and personal piety; The relationship between Egyptian and foreign cults and deities; Funerary beliefs and practices in the New Kingdom; The court of Amenophis III; History of the Aten; Aspects of Atenism; The counter-revolution; Some Contributions made by Egyptian Religion to other Religions; Index.

About the Author

Rosalie David is Emerita Professor of Egyptology at The University of Manchester. The focus of her career has been the establishment of a new university specialisation – biomedical research within the field of Egyptology – to provide a different approach to understanding the civilisation of ancient Egypt. She was the first Director of the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at The University of Manchester until her retirement in 2012, and continues her research and teaching at the Centre. She is the author/editor of over 35 books and many journal articles, and has been consultant and contributor to several television documentaries. She has received Fellowships of The Royal Society of Arts and The Royal Society of Medicine, and in the New Year Honours List for 2003, she was awarded the OBE for services to Egyptology.

Reviews

"An excellent reference for students and experts in the field of Egyptology." -- http//www.ptahhotep.com/reviews.html "A readable inroduction to the main themes - creation myths and solar beliefs, priesthood and ritual, Osiris and the theology of kingship, architecture and iconongraphy - set into the context of Egyptian history as it develops over two and a half millennia." -- The Expository Times.