'Ra has placed the king on his throne forever': Ancient Egyptian religion

Ancient Egyptian religion seems exotic and inaccessible. This course will make sense of the bewildering number and form of the Ancient Egyptian gods and explain how this religion and its institutions fulfilled the state's and individuals' political, social and spiritual needs in Egypt for more than three millennia. We begin with a structure to aid the understanding of the vast interlinked pantheons of Ancient Egypt - gods and goddesses of creation, the sun, kingship, the afterlife and other functions - and the myths associated with them. We will then discuss the origins, roles, iconography and interrelationships of the major deities.