ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS:
RELIGION
How were the beliefs of the ancient civilizations similar? How
were they different?
THE EGYPTIANS
•
Polytheistic
•
Importance of nature influenced religious beliefs
•
Forces of nature
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Life and death
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Village god plus other gods
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Amon-Re: the sun god
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Osiris: god of the Nile, underworld
THE EGYPTIANS (CONT)
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What did Egyptians think the afterlife was like?
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How did they plan for the afterlife?
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•
Stone pyramids (built on west bank of Nile)
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Treasures, furniture, food
•
Mummification - why?
Religion and government: Believed PHARAOH was a god
(son of Amon-Re)
THE SUMERIANS
Polytheistic
Worshipped individual citystate’s god, as well as others
Importance of nature
influenced religious beliefs
(again)
Complete dependence on
gods for survival - must please
the gods or keep them
content
Gifts of harvest
THE SUMERIANS (CONT)
•
•
•
•
Ziggurats: temple of the god of that city-state, ladder
How did geography/climate affect the Sumerians’
beliefs/outlook?
•
Beliefs about gods?
•
Beliefs about afterlife?
Oral tradition, use of cuneiform
Religion and government: KINGS (lugals) were gods’
representatives; PRIESTS knew how to please/appease gods
THE PERSIANS
Early beliefs - polytheistic
wisdom, truth
Zoroaster - founder of new
religion; 600 BCE
Ahriman: evil spirit
Battleground between good
and evil
Ahura Mazda: goodness,
Final battle followed by
judgment
Zend Avesta
THE HEBREWS
How were their religious
beliefs different from the
other ancient civilizations?
First to develop ethical world
view - monotheism, concern
for individuals
Early Hebrew beliefs about
God/later Hebrew beliefs
about God
The Torah and the Ten
Commandments
Judgment and punishment
Prophets
Influenced which other
religions?
SHANG RELIGION
•
How did the Shang religious beliefs combine some
polytheistic/animistic elements?
•
Influence of gods on nature
•
Ancestor worship
•
Shang priests used oracle bones
•
Religion and government: Shang KING was CHIEF PRIEST
INDUS RELIGION
•
Polytheistic
•
Reverence for certain sacred animals and trees
•
Religion and government: Probably a PRIEST-KING ruled cities
of Indus Valley
THE ARYANS
Polytheistic
Reincarnation
Gods of nature
Epic literature such as
“Mahabharata” and
“Ramayana”
Less interested in afterlife Why?
Vedas
Upanishads
Oral traditions and use of
Sanskrit
Brahmans, or priests, top of
the social caste system
Depiction of battle between
Rama and Ramayana
The Rigveda (Rig
Veda)