From Origins to the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Religion

The ancient Egyptian religion is a mosaic of beliefs focused on the importance of deities and the mystery of the afterlife. Survivals from ancient Egypt linger on modern religion, such as with the pig taboo and concepts of heaven and hell and the endless battles between good and evil.

To better understand the complexities of this belief system, this seminar is presented in four parts. The first class covers the origins and evolution of ancient Egyptian religion, how, why and where Egyptian religion evolved and the complex cosmology and forms it took. This includes concepts of polytheism, henotheism and the roots of monotheism, as well as survivals in Judeo-Christian and Muslim theology. We will then focus on the animal-derived deities of ancient Egyptian religions and the roles they played in their dynamic interactions with humans and Egyptian theology. We will continue by delving into the human-derived gods, goddesses and pharaohs who gave order, justice and legitimacy to ancient Egypt. Our final session will interconnect all of the previously studied concepts and how they functioned together, especially in addressing the eternal questions of the afterlife and judgement day.

Richard Lobban, Ph.D., professor emeritus of anthropology and African studies at Rhode Island College, serves as adjunct professor of African studies at the Naval War College. He has a master’s degree from Temple University and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University and has taught at the American University in Cairo, Tufts University and Dartmouth College, among others. He has conducted field research in Tunis and Egypt and has been excavating a temple in Sudan for 10 years. Richard is widely published in urban and complex societies, informal sector economy, gender, ethnicity, race and class, especially in the Middle East. He often serves as a subject matter expert and court-appointed expert witness in political asylum cases for refugees from Africa and the Middle East.