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How Did Ancient Egyptian Gods Evolve Throughout the Civilisation's History?


It's amazing to think that the ancient Egyptian civilisation lasted for over 3000 years. Throughout that time, society evolved greatly and underwent many changes. This was especially the case with religion, and archaeologists have been able to ascertain that the various gods of the era took on different forms.

There's a great fascination with these gods in popular culture, and they have often been represented in the entertainment industry. It's interesting to think about how people's beliefs were altered throughout different generations of the ancient Egyptian era.

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Fascination with Egyptian gods in the mainstream

The Greek gods may be the most famous of all the ancient religions, but the Egyptian ones are arguably the most mysterious. This adds to the fascination around them, and many people want to discover more through games and other forms of entertainment.

This is highlighted in the online bingo at Paddy Power slot game section, where there are several ancient Egyptian-themed titles to choose from. Anubis Rising: Jackpot King, for instance, is a popular game on the market at the moment. It draws players in with its ancient Egyptian imagery on the thumbnail, and then gives players a crash course in the god that resembled a man with a canine head.

There are plenty of documentaries that have given viewers some great insight into the gods of the era as well. These include The Gods of Egypt, Magical Egypt, and Secrets of the Egyptian Pyramids. All of these offerings provide greater detail about Egyptian beliefs, and many viewers are intrigued by the fact that so much is still unknown about the period.

A way of understanding the world

Before the age of science, ancient civilisations used religion as a way of understanding the world. Ancient Egyptian culture had its own creation myths, but these varied between different locations and periods within the grand society.

However, there were some stories that were more prominent than others. It seemed that there was a widespread belief that the sun god Atum created himself through sheer will. He then went on to generate other gods such as Shu and Tefnut.

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Like in many ancient religions, the gods of ancient Egypt often represented elemental forces and served as explanations for natural phenomena. For instance, according to an article in Britannica, Shu was the god of the air, sun, and storms.

Interactions with other ancient beliefs

It's hard to comprehend just how long the ancient Egyptian civilisation existed for, but there were countless societal changes during its tenure. The Egyptians would often interact with other cultures of the era, such as the ancient Greeks.

This is why there are a lot of crossovers between gods in these religions in the later years of the Egyptian civilisation. According to a piece in TV Tropes, this crossover cosmology is now common in popular culture.

Just as our society is evolving and constantly developing different beliefs, the ancient Egyptians also experienced an evolution with their deities. The greatest influence on this could have been when the people of the time came into contact with other civilisations.

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