The pharaoh, as link between the gods and the people, was semi-divine. The living king was seen as the son of the Sun god, Re, while the dead king was seen as Osiris. As a result, while the kings built pyramids up towards the Sun god Re and the stars, they also built chambers down below the pyramids to show their relationship to Osiris.

The ancient Egyptians had no written texts, like a bible, to hand down from one generation to the next. Everything was done by word of mouth. Naturally, therefore, what was done, and what was taught, changed over time.

In the rest of this section you will find out about some of these important gods and how they were represented.