Week 4 Essay: Ancient Egypt

This week I was excited to read the Ancient Egypt reading unit because I've always been interested in Egyptology. Ever since I was little I've been fascinated by their mythology, culture, landscape, language. Just about every weekend growing up we would get up early on Sunday and go out to breakfast at Steak and Eggs before hitting the local garage sales. We would spend all morning hunting for bargains, which for me meant books. I would scour the sales for books about anatomy, animals, Egypt, and weird facts. So, naturally, this reading unit was right up my alley.

I began the reading eagerly, but found it hard to continue reading after i'd been reading for a while during the first story. This story told the Egyptian creation myth which is a wonderful and interesting topic, however because it was written or adapted to be a condensed version of the story it came off as tedious and confusing. I often felt lost and had to reread a section to make sure I had the gods and goddesses straight. I took notes, marking the name and status of each god/goddess as well as how they were related to aforementioned gods/goddesses. This helped, but it did not make the story more easy to read and I ended up feeling relieved when I finished the story. I think some further explanation or notes might help, or maybe some diagrams or pictures that can map out some of the tangled situations present in the myth.

That being said, I enjoyed the rest of the stories immensely! I was particularly interested in the story titled, "The Secret Name of Ra" because in other religions and cultures words of power are often featured and names are seen as holding the key to someone's power. I also just enjoyed the story because it was entertaining and strange.

Speaking of Ra, I found a funny picture of him and thought i'd share it:

Ra is Smexy and He Knows it

Made by XanaGirl33 on DeviantArt