Religion has played an important role in various cultures for many, many years. Polytheism, the "belief in or worship of more than one god," has been practiced by many of these cultures. (polytheism, 2014) Two such societies of people in ancient history, the Egyptians and the Greeks, practiced Polytheism. While both of these societies practiced religion in a similar manner, they also had a number of noticeable differences between them. Often, it would seem that each of the societies chose to adapt parts of the others religion and incorporated it into their own. Before the actual idea of God existed, the ancient Egyptians believed in a magic power that would have been contained in the sceptre of their pharaoh or in hieroglyphics themselves.
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Their gods manifested in human form and each had their own personality. More important gods were classified as Olympians and were recognized across all of their lands, although some variations depending on the location of the state had been noted. They had gods with personalities that represented the good in life as well as the bad, and worshiped both. The Greeks has also taken and incorporated gods from outside of their lands and personalized them accordingly. (Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2009-2014) Similar to the gods of Greece, the Egyptians had a large number, which often were portrayed differently depending on the person and location of the people practicing. Each society of people built a number of temples in honor of their gods. Both the Egyptians and the Greeks believed the gods to reside in these temples as well as their energies. In Egypt, it was believed that the first temple was designed by the gods themselves, after which each consecutive temple was a copy of the first, which often led to confusing over which temple was what. They built large and elaborate temples to honor the gods as well as their dead. (Civilization.ca - Egyptian civilization - Architecture - …show more content…
Egyptians most common sacrifice was the ox. They would sacrifice both adult and calves of the male sex. They would not include female oxen in sacrifice rituals as they believed them to be sacred to Isis. Depending on the god being worshiped, goats were sacrificed over sheep and vice versa. Not much written text has been found about Greek rituals, but the most common known is about animal sacrifice. The Greeks often sacrificed "pigs, sheep, goats or cows and always the same sex as the god." (Herodotus on Animal Sacrifice in Egypt, 2009-2014) The Egyptians would often sever an animal in parts, some of which they would stuff with food and spices and burn the offering. The Greeks would cook their meat or burn it as well before offering. At times, they also found it appropriate to examine the innards of the animal and read the future events. The Egyptians held a calendar of events every year to honor their gods that the public was invited to. These celebrations would often last a number of days during a specific month. Involved would be processions, food and drink, singing and dancing, prayer, sacrifice and the leaving of offerings. Boat processions were common, in which a image of the god being worshiped was carried from the temple and transported by boat across a long distance, usually down one of the great rivers. (Public Religious Ceremonies,
Their gods manifested in human form and each had their own personality. More important gods were classified as Olympians and were recognized across all of their lands, although some variations depending on the location of the state had been noted. They had gods with personalities that represented the good in life as well as the bad, and worshiped both. The Greeks has also taken and incorporated gods from outside of their lands and personalized them accordingly. (Ancient History Encyclopedia, 2009-2014) Similar to the gods of Greece, the Egyptians had a large number, which often were portrayed differently depending on the person and location of the people practicing. Each society of people built a number of temples in honor of their gods. Both the Egyptians and the Greeks believed the gods to reside in these temples as well as their energies. In Egypt, it was believed that the first temple was designed by the gods themselves, after which each consecutive temple was a copy of the first, which often led to confusing over which temple was what. They built large and elaborate temples to honor the gods as well as their dead. (Civilization.ca - Egyptian civilization - Architecture - …show more content…
Egyptians most common sacrifice was the ox. They would sacrifice both adult and calves of the male sex. They would not include female oxen in sacrifice rituals as they believed them to be sacred to Isis. Depending on the god being worshiped, goats were sacrificed over sheep and vice versa. Not much written text has been found about Greek rituals, but the most common known is about animal sacrifice. The Greeks often sacrificed "pigs, sheep, goats or cows and always the same sex as the god." (Herodotus on Animal Sacrifice in Egypt, 2009-2014) The Egyptians would often sever an animal in parts, some of which they would stuff with food and spices and burn the offering. The Greeks would cook their meat or burn it as well before offering. At times, they also found it appropriate to examine the innards of the animal and read the future events. The Egyptians held a calendar of events every year to honor their gods that the public was invited to. These celebrations would often last a number of days during a specific month. Involved would be processions, food and drink, singing and dancing, prayer, sacrifice and the leaving of offerings. Boat processions were common, in which a image of the god being worshiped was carried from the temple and transported by boat across a long distance, usually down one of the great rivers. (Public Religious Ceremonies,