Like most ancient civilizations, the Egyptians and the Aryans developed beliefs and rituals that helped them make sense of the world in which they lived. Humans had no control over natural disasters, disease, and famine, so they created deities who could and worshipped them for good favor. The religions of the Egyptians and Aryans share some common characteristics, but also have qualities that make them unique to their culture. This paper will discuss some of these similarities and differences in the Egyptian and Aryan religions. The Egyptians and Aryans both practiced polytheism. They worshipped several gods, with each deity having its own responsibility. In Egypt, Amon was responsible for the creation of the universe and Osiris was the
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Once a person dies their soul must then take a journey to the underworld. Once they made it to the underworld, the god Osiris would weigh their heart to determine if they had been a good person deserving eternal life. It was believed that the soul would continue to do in death, all the things it used to do in life. Therefore, people were buried in tombs that closely resembled their home, and they were buried with things they would need (i.g. food, kitchenware, toiletries, jewelry, etc.). Rosalie David notes that “models of houses, estates, servants, brewers, bakers, and agricultural and textile workers were placed in the tomb, in the belief that these could be magically activated by the tomb owner.”2 The Aryans, on the other hand, believed in a cycle of reincarnation. Once a person died, they were then reborn into another body. How they acted in a past life directly related to their status in the present life. They believed every soul had certain lessons to learn, and each new life directed them toward the next lesson to be learned. The soul continued through reincarnation until it finally reached a point of self-awareness and discovered the Brahman, or “Supreme Consciousness.”3 The soul was then released from the cycle of rebirth and granted eternal life or
Once a person dies their soul must then take a journey to the underworld. Once they made it to the underworld, the god Osiris would weigh their heart to determine if they had been a good person deserving eternal life. It was believed that the soul would continue to do in death, all the things it used to do in life. Therefore, people were buried in tombs that closely resembled their home, and they were buried with things they would need (i.g. food, kitchenware, toiletries, jewelry, etc.). Rosalie David notes that “models of houses, estates, servants, brewers, bakers, and agricultural and textile workers were placed in the tomb, in the belief that these could be magically activated by the tomb owner.”2 The Aryans, on the other hand, believed in a cycle of reincarnation. Once a person died, they were then reborn into another body. How they acted in a past life directly related to their status in the present life. They believed every soul had certain lessons to learn, and each new life directed them toward the next lesson to be learned. The soul continued through reincarnation until it finally reached a point of self-awareness and discovered the Brahman, or “Supreme Consciousness.”3 The soul was then released from the cycle of rebirth and granted eternal life or