God: Amun Appearance: Man with a ram-head staff and wearing an ostrich plumed hat.

Goddess: Bastet Appearance: Woman with the head of a cat 17 Goddess: Hathor 'House of Horus' Appearance: Woman with the ears of a cow and a headdress of horns and a sun disk.

29 Amun was one of the most powerful gods in ancient Egypt. 28 At the height of Egyptian civilisation he was called the 'King of the Gods'. 24 Amun was important throughout the history of ancient Egypt. 30 When Amun was combined with the sun god Ra he was even more powerful. He was then called Amun-Ra. 16 A large and important temple was built at Thebes to honour Amun.

23 Bastet was a protective goddess. 24 Bastet was usually seen as a gentle protective goddess. However, she sometimes appeared with the head of a lioness to protect the Pharaoh in battle. 20 The cat was a symbol of Bastet. The ancient Egyptians made many statues of cats like this one to honour Bastet. 21 Bastet was one of the daughters of the sun god, Ra. 19 A great temple was built in her honour at Bubastis in the Delta.

27 Hathor was a protective goddess. She was also the goddess of love and joy. 23 Hathor was the wife of Horus, and was sometimes thought of as the mother of the pharaoh. 18 Hathor was connected with foreign places and materials. For instance, Hathor was the goddess of the desert and the turquoise mines in the Sinai. 14 A large temple was built to honour Hathor at Dendera.

God: Khnum Appearance: Man with the head of a curlyhorned ram

Goddess: Nut Appearance: Woman whose body arches across the sky, wearing a dress decorated with stars. 25 Nut was the sky-goddess, whose body created a vault or canopy over the earth. 16 Nut was the sister/wife of Geb, the god of the earth. She was also the mother of Isis, Osiris, Nepthys and Seth. 18 The ancient Egyptians believed that at the end of the day, Nut swallowed the sungod, Ra, and gave birth to him again the next morning.

17 God: Ra-Horakhty 'Horus in the Horizon' Appearance: Man with the head of a hawk, with a sun disk headdress. 29 Ra-Horakhty was a combination of the gods Horus and Ra. 27 Horus was a god of the sky, and Ra was the god of the sun. Thus, Ra-Horakhty was thought of as the god of the rising sun.

28 Khnum was a creator god, and a god of the innundation (The yearly flooding of the Nile River). 26 Khnum was a creator-god, moulding people on a potter's wheel. Since potters used Nile mud,

God: Thoth Appearance: A man with the head of an ibis holding a writing palette 27 Thoth was the god of writing and knowledge. 24 The ancient Egyptians believed that Thoth gave them the gift of hieroglyphic writing God: Anubis Appearance: Man with a jackal head 19 Anubis was the god of embalming and the dead. 10 Since jackals were often seen in cemeteries, the ancient Egyptians believed that Anubis watched over the dead.

God: Shu 'He Who Rises Up' Appearance: Man wearing a headdress with feathers.. 25 Shu was the god of the air. 17 Shu held up the figure of Nut so that the earth and the sky were separated.

28 Thoth served as a mediating power, especially between good and evil, making 9 Anubis was the god who helped to embalm sure neither had a decisive victory over Osiris after he was killed by Seth. Thus,
the other. 30 Without his words, the Egyptians believed, the gods would not exist. His power was unlimited in the Underworld and rivaled that of Ra and Osiris. 24 The Egyptians credited him as the author of all works of science, religion, philosophy, and magic. Anubis was the god who watched over the process of mummifying people when they died. 11 Priests often wore a mask of Anubis during mummification ceremonies.

God: Horus 'The One Far Above' God: Bes 12 Appearance: A Dwarf with lion and human features Appearance: Man with the head of a hawk 24 Horus was a god of the sky. 28 He is probably most wellknown as the protector of the ruler of Egypt. The Egyptians believed that the pharaoh was the 'living Horus'. 11 The ancient Egyptians had many different beliefs about the god Horus. One of the most common beliefs was that Horus was the son of Isis and Osiris. 6 After Osiris was murdered by his brother Seth, Horus fought with Seth for the throne of Egypt. In this battle, Horus lost one of his eyes. 28 The eye was restored to him and it became a symbol of protection. After this battle, Horus was chosen to be the ruler of the world of the living. Goddess: Ma'at Appearance:Woman with a feather on her head. 29 Ma'at was the goddess of truth, justice and harmony. She was associated with the balance of things on earth. 8 Ma'at was the daughter of the sun god Ra. 6 Pharaohs are frequently shown in wall reliefs making an offering of Ma'at to the gods-showing that they are preserving harmony and justice on earth. 5 The vizier who was in charge of the law courts was known as the 'priest of Ma'at'.

Bes was the protector of pregnant women, newborn babies and the family. 7 The ancient Egyptians also believed that Bes protected against snake and scorpion bites. 5 Amulets of Bes were popular at all levels of Egyptian society.

God: Osiris Appearance: A mummified man wearing a white cone-like headdress with feathers

17 Godess: Sekhmet 'The Powerful One' Appearance: Woman with the head of a lioness

God: Sobek Appearance: Man with the head of a crocodile and a headdress of feathers and a sun-disk.

28 Osiris was the god of the dead, and ruler of the underworld. 25 Osiris was the brother/husband of Isis, and the brother of Nepthys and Seth. He was also the father of Horus. 24 As well as being a god of the dead, Osiris was a god of resurrection and fertility. 26 In fact, the ancient Egyptians believed that Osiris gave them the gift of barley, one of their most important crops. 16 A large temple was built to honour Osiris at Abydos.

29 Sekhmet was the goddess of war. She was also a goddess of healing. 24 Sekhmet also is a sun goddess, sometimes called the daughter of the sun god Ra. 22 To pacify and calm Sekhmet, festivals were celebrated at the end of battle, so that the destruction would come to an end. 24 During an annual festival held at the beginning of the year, a festival of intoxication, the Egyptians danced and played music to soothe the wildness of the goddess and drank great quantities of wine.

28 Sobek was a Nile god. 27 Sobek was connected with the Nile, and protected the king. Live crocodiles were kept in pools at temples built to honour Sobek. When they died, they were mummified and buried in special animal cemeteries 18 Egyptians who worked or travelled on the Nile hoped that if they prayed to Sobek, the crocodile/Nile god, he would protect them from being attacked by crocodiles. 23 Sobek was considered the army's patron, as a representation of strength and power.

God: Aten God: Geb

Goddess: Isis Appearance: Woman with headdress in the shape of a throne A pair of cow horns with a sun disk.

Appearance: A sun disk with rays which end in hands. Aten is interesting as he is not normally shown with a human form but rather as rays of the sun. 28 Aten was a form of the sun god Ra.

Appearance: Man lying down below the arch of the sky goddess Nut. 15 Geb was the god of the earth.

29 During the reign of Akhenaten, the Aten 18 Geb was the husband and brother of the sky goddess Nut. He was also the father of was made the 'king' of the gods. Osiris, Isis, Nepthys and Seth. 29 In a way Aten replaced all the other gods as some Egyptians worshipped only him, (Monotheism one god like in Islam, Christianity and Judaism unlike most ancient Egyptians who believed in Polytheism many gods). 22 When Seth and Horus fought for the throne of Egypt, Geb made Horus the ruler of the living. 27 The ancient Egyptians believed that earthquakes were Geb's laughter.

23 Isis was a protective goddess. She used powerful magic spells to help people in need. 25 Isis was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus. Isis was very important. Since each pharaoh was considered the 'living Horus', 24 Isis is often shown holding Horus on her lap. Isis is associated with thrones because her lap was the first 'throne' that Horus sat upon. 8 A commonly worn amulet was the 'Isis knot' - a symbol of protection. 17 A temple was built to honour Isis at Philae.

Goddess: Nephthys 'Lady of the Mansion' Appearance: Woman with headdress showing her name in hieroglyphs.

God: Ptah Appearance: Man wrapped in a tight white cloak carrying a staff.

Goddess: Seshat Appearance: Woman wearing a panther skin dress and a star headdress

22 Nephthys was a protective goddess of the dead. 18 Nephthys was the sister of Isis and Osiris, and the sister/wife of Seth. Nephthys was also the mother of Anubis. 7 She is often shown on coffins, or in funerary scenes.

14 Ptah was the god of craftsmen. 28 In one creation myth Ptah was a creator god. He spoke the words and the world came into being. 15 He is the husband of Sekhmet and the father of Nefertum. 11 He was also regarded as the father of the sage Imhotep (a mortal). 23 Seshat was the goddess of wisdom, knowledge, and writing. 28 She was seen as a scribe and record keeper, and is credited with inventing writing. 22 She also became identified as the goddess of architecture, astronomy, astrology, building, mathematics, and surveying. These are all professions that relied upon expertise in her skills.

23 Goddess: Tawaret 'The Great One' Appearance: Head of a hippopotamus with the arms and legs of a lion, the back and tail of a crocodile, and the breasts and stomach of a pregnant woman. 27 Tawaret was a goddess who protected women during pregnancy and childbirth. 24 Many of the gods and goddesses in ancient Egypt had temples built to honour them. Other gods and goddesses like Tawaret and Bes were worshipped by people in their own homes. 6 Many women wore Tawaret amulets, or kept them in their homes.

God: Nefertum Appearance: Nefertem a man with a cluster of lotus flowers upon his head, but sometimes he has the head of a lion. He is also often shown standing upon the 29 God: Atum 'The All' or 'Perfection' Appearance: Man with the double crown

back of a lion.

21 An ancient Egyptian god identified with the lotus, but he also personified some form of the morning sun. He was often considered the most handsome and beautiful of all the gods. 18 He is a son of Ptah and Sakhmet or Bastet. He represents the sun-god in the legend which made him burst forth from a lotus. ? Ancient Egyptians often carried small statuettes of him as good-luck charms.

29Atum was a creator god. 30 The ancient Egyptians believed that Atum was the first god to exist on earth. 29 The ancient Egyptians believed that Atum rose from the waters of chaos (Nun) and created all the gods. Atum was therefore a very important god.

15 God: Hapy or Hapi Not to be confused with a god of the same name who was the son of Horus and had a baboon head as depicted on the canopic jar that lungs would be placed in during mummification. 17 Appearance: Man with a pot belly, shown with water plants, sometimes shown as a pair of blue genies holding up the upper and lower Nile. 27 Hapy was the god of the innundation (The yearly flooding of the Nile River). 29 Hapy was especially important to the ancient Egyptians because he brought the flood every year. 28 The flood deposited rich silt on the banks of the Nile, allowing the Egyptians to grow crops.

God: Khepri 'He Who is Coming into Being' Appearance: Man with the head of a scarab.

God: Nun

Appearance: Man carrying a bark (A boat (also spelled 'barque'). 29 According to an ancient Egyptian creation myth, Nun was the waters of chaos (The state of being without order or organization). 29 Nun was the only thing that existed on Earth before there was land. Then, the first land (in the form of a mound) rose out of Nun. 29 Nun was also associated with the chaos that existed at the edges of the universe.

26 Khepri was a god of creation, the movement of the sun, and rebirth. 23 The scarab beetle lays its eggs in a ball of dung. Then, it rolls the ball along the ground until the young beetles are ready to hatch. When the young beetles are ready, they crawl out of the ball. The ancient Egyptians believed that the beetles just appeared from nowhere- as they believed that their creator god had appeared from nowhere. Thus, they thought that the scarab beetle was special. 26 In certain creation stories, Khepri is connected with the god Atum. He is also connected with the sun god Ra who pushed the sun through the sky every day.

27 God: Ra 'Sun' Appearance: Man with hawk head and headdress with a sun disk. 30 Ra was the sun god. He was the most important god of the ancient Egyptians. 27 The ancient Egyptians believed that Ra was swallowed every night by the sky goddess Nut, and was reborn every morning. 25 The ancient Egyptians also believed that he travelled through the underworld at night. In the underworld, Ra appeared as a man with the head of a ram. 30 When Ra was combined with Amun, king of the gods he was even more powerful. He was then called Amun-Ra.

God: Seth Appearance: Man with the head of a 'Seth animal' (unidentifiable)

Goddess: Tefnut Appearance: Woman with the head of a lioness.

29 Seth was the god of chaos. 28 Seth represented everything that threatened harmony in Egypt. 18 He was the brother of Osiris and Isis, as well as the brother/husband of Nepthys. 28 He murdered his brother Osiris, then battled with his nephew Horus to be the ruler of the living. 14 At certain times in the history of ancient Egypt, Seth was associated with royalty.

23 Tefnut was the goddess of moisture. 22 She was the wife of Shu and the mother of Nut (the sky) and Geb (the earth). 22 When in a rage she would travel to Nubia.