For more than 3000 years Egyptian civilisation offered a way of life, which centred on towns and had a rigid class structure. The development of writing was of great significance to the Egyptian culture, and has allowed future generations to understand a great deal about this complex but important civilisation.

Sacrifice and ritual held central positions, and the priesthood was a powerful class. Over the years, changes took place and affected the Egyptians’ customs.

The complex array of gods evolved and coalesced; half-human and half-animal, they represented the mighty natural forces for the prosperity of the empire rested on the Nile, which flooded its banks annually, bringing down fertile silt in which to sow the crops.

The Egyptians used no sacred books, nor a revelation of divine truth. Myths and legends told the stories of the gods and their relationships with one another, and reinforced the sacred hierarchy.

A belief in the afterlife was at the heart of the religion. Bodies were prepared for the grave as if for a journey to the afterworld, mummified and accompanied by treasure for the voyage. Even animals were prepared in this way, particularly those which were considered sacred, such as cats.

The ancient cultures of Middle and South America are known to us only from archaeology and from the accounts of the Spanish conquistadors who destroyed them in the 16th century. — Religions of the World