Question

egyptian gods and goddesses
religion was very important to ancient egyptians. they were “polytheistic,” which means they recognized more than one god or goddess. they worshipped hundreds of gods. they believed that their gods and goddesses controlled the natural world. the gods could be kind or dangerous. they controlled everything from flooding of the nile to the death of a child. many were associated with animals. statues or other works of art often show a god with the head or body of a lion, a crocodile or some other creature. egyptians believed their gods shared the qualities of these animals, such as their strength, speed, or bad temper. egyptians built temples in honor of their gods. they offered them food, gifts, and prayers.
20 each town had its own gods and goddesses. but all egyptians worshipped certain gods. over time, they all began to believe in a group of gods. the chief god of the ancient egyptians was amon - re (uhn mun ray). he protected rich and poor alike. another powerful god was osiris (oh sy ris), the god of the living and the dead. the goddess isis (eye sis) was his wife. horus, the sky god, was their son.
belief in an afterlife
21 ancient egyptians believed in an afterlife. if they had pleased the gods, their spirits joined osiris. they lived a life of ease and pleasure. however, the souls of the dead could not survive without food, clothing, and other items from this life. so, their favorite items were buried with them.
22 at first, most egyptians were buried in the desert in shallow pits. the climate dried out the body, creating a mummy. the egyptians believed the soul left the mummy - a preserved body - but returned to it for food offerings. the body had to be preserved so that the soul could find it. later, the egyptians began to preserve bodies artificially. this process was expensive. it took two or three months. workers removed the organs. the body was filled with a natural salt and dried out. then it was cleaned and bathed with spices. finally, it was wrapped in layers of long linen bandages.
23 while the mummy was being prepared, workers carved the coffin. pharaohs had three or four coffins that fit inside one another. the innermost inside was usually shaped like a human body. the dead person’s face was painted on the top.
the pharaohs’ tombs
24 the earliest royal tombs were made of mud brick. the pharaohs of the fourth dynasty built the largest and most famous tombs. these were the pyramids. the largest is the great pyramid in giza. it was built for khufu (khoo foo), the second king of this dynasty.
25 pyramid building took great organization. for example, the great pyramid is made up of more than 2 million stones. the average weight is 5,000 pounds (2,270 kilograms). each stone had to be hauled up the side and put into its place.
26 it could take more than 20 years to build a pyramid. first a site was selected on the west bank of the nile. engineers set the pyramid’s sides with the main points of the compass. workers then cut the building blocks. stone for the inside came from nearby. but fine stone for the outside came from farther away. some stone came by boat.
27 sledges, wooden rollers, and levers were used to get the blocks into place. they dragged and pushed the blocks up ramps of packed rubble. it was dangerous work. men were killed in accidents. but the workers believed that their work was important. it meant the pharaoh had a place in the afterlife.
directions: answer the following questions using passage above.

1. list and draw a picture illustrating afterlife, mummy, pyramid and giza
2. what form of religion did egyptians practice? paragraph 19
3. why were gods and goddesses important to egyptians? paragraph 19
4. how did egyptians worship their gods and goddesses? paragraph 19
5. what role did amon - re, osiris, isis, and horus play in the egyptian religion? paragraph 20
6. why did egyptians want their spirit to join osiris? paragraph 21
7. how could egyptians join osiris? paragraph 21
8. why did egyptians want to be buried with their items from this life? paragraph 21
9. what was the purpose of a mummy for ancient egyptians? see egyptian religion chart
10. briefly describe how egyptians created mummies? paragraph 22
11. which dynasty built the largest and most famous pyramids? paragraph 24
12. the great pyramid in giza was built for which pharaoh? paragraph 24
13. list two reasons why stones used to build pyramids were important? paragraph 25
14. how long did it typically take to build a pyramid? paragraph 25
15. when did the egyptians build most of the pyramids? see chart
16. why did egyptians build their pyramids on the west side of the nile river? see egyptian religion chart
17. what motivated many egyptians to participate in building the pyramids? paragraph 26
18. which egyptian god was known as the protector of the dead? describe his appearance. see egyptian gods and goddesses
19. how do we know that the afterlife was important to the ancient egyptians? answer question using four to five sentences

Explanation:

To answer these questions, we'll refer to the provided passage:

Question 2 (What form of religion did Egyptians practice? paragraph 19)

From paragraph 19, it says they were "polytheistic," meaning they worshipped more than one god (in fact, hundreds of gods).

Paragraph 19 states they believed gods and goddesses controlled the natural world (from flooding of the Nile to death of a child) and could be kind or dangerous. So the gods/goddesses' control over natural events and life aspects made them important.

Paragraph 19 says Egyptians built temples, offered food, gifts, and prayers to worship their gods.

Answer:

The Egyptians practiced polytheistic religion (they worshipped many gods and goddesses).

Question 3 (Why were gods and goddesses important to Egyptians? paragraph 19)