Ancient Egyptian Deities Pharaoh

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Painted relief of a seated man with green skin and tight garments, a man with the head head of a jackal, and a man with the head of a falcon The gods Osiris, Anubis, and Horus Part of a series on Ancient Egyptian religion Eye of Horus Beliefs Practices Deities (list) Locations Symbols and Objects Texts Related religions Pyramidi aavikolla.png Ancient Egypt portal Ancient Egyptian deities are the gods and goddesses worshipped in ancient Egypt. The beliefs and rituals surrounding these gods formed the core of ancient Egyptian religion, which emerged sometime in prehistory. Deities represented natural forces and phenomena, and the Egyptians supported and appeased them through offerings and rituals so that these forces would continue to function according to maat, or divine order. After the founding of the Egyptian state around 3100 BC, the authority to perform these tasks was controlled by the pharaoh, who claimed to be the gods' representative and managed the temples where the rituals were carried out. The gods' complex characteristics were expressed in myths and in intricate relationships between deities: family ties, loose groups and hierarchies, and combinations of separate gods into one. Deities' diverse appearances in art—as animals, humans, objects, and combinations of different forms—also alluded, through symbolism, to their essential features.