Atum: Did you mean...?

The djed is an ancient Egyptian symbol for stability which features prominently in Egyptian art and architecture throughout the country's history. `Stability' should be understood to mean not only a firm footing but immutability and permanance...

Uat-Ur was the ancient Egyptian name for the Mediterranean Sea (also known as Wadj-Wer) and is translated as 'the Great Green'. Uat-Ur was understood as a living entity imbued with the spirit of the divine which, like all other aspects of...

This is one of the largest representations of scarab beetles to survive. It also ranks among the last great statues of any pharaonic deity. The scarab represented Khepri, the form assumed by the sun-god at dawn. The Egyptians noticed that...

This detail shows the cobra goddess Wadjyt empowering king Nectanebo I, who is represented by his Horus name and cartouches. A pharaoh had five official names; this panel, shows the most important three. The Horus name identifies the king...

This slab enclosed a sacred spot in the temple of Atum, a creator god, Heliopolis. King Nectanebo I is shown kneeling and making offerings. In this scene, he presents a loaf of bread. On the other side (now damaged), he appeared in the company...

Montuemhat kneels behind a stela, raising his hands in worship. The damaged top left of the stela shows him likewise, adorning the sun-god Atum-Khepri. A hymn below describes Atum's sunset into the netherworld. A matching statue, now in Cairo...

On this side, Psamtek (Psamtik) I kneels making offerings to fearsome-looking deities, including a double-headed bull god and a snake. The majority hold long knives, as they were meant to guard a sacred space located behind this wall. Most...

Music and dance were highly valued in ancient Egyptian culture, but they were more important than is generally thought: they were integral to creation and communion with the gods and, further, were the human response to the gift of life and...

The Forty-Two Judges were divine entities associated with the afterlife in ancient Egypt and, specifically, the judgment of the soul in the Hall of Truth. The soul would recite the Negative Confession in their presence as well as other gods...

At the beginning of time, the god Atum stood on the primordial mound in the midst of the waters of chaos and created the world. The power which enabled this act was heka (magic) personified in the god Heka, the invisible force behind the...