FIND OUT MORE. Ancient Egypt 370–371 • Conquistadors 405
282 Society and Beliefs
Some religions have died out, along with the cultures
that practised them. We know about them and
their practices, such as belief in the
. AFTERLIFE, through their buildings
and artefacts. Some of the best
known are from Egypt,
Greece, and Mexico
The idea of an afterlife – what happens to people after they die –
has been around as long as the oldest religions. Ancient rulers
were often buried with large numbers of useful items, such as
model boats and food, to help them live on in the next world.WHAT WERE THE PYRAMIDS?
Some Ancient Egyptian pharaohs were buried in huge
pyramids. These monumental tombs symbolically
pointed to the stars to guide the pharaoh’s soul on its
journey to the heavens. The most famous are the three
found at Giza, near Cairo.ARE THE OLD GODS STILL WITH US?
The names of the Ancient Roman and Greek gods are
still used in Western naming systems. All the planets
of the Solar System (apart from Earth) are named after
Roman gods. The swift-footed messenger god Mercury
gives his name to a silvery liquid metal.WHAT IS A SOUL?
Many religions believe that there is an eternal, godlike
part in people, called a soul or spirit. Some religions,
such as Hinduism, believe that all living things have
a soul. After death, the soul returns to Earth in a new
body, or goes on to inhabit heaven or hell.WHO WAS RA?
The Egyptian sun god Ra could be
shown with the head of a falcon, a ram,
or an old man. Like many long-lived
religions, Ancient Egyptian beliefs
combined gods from several local religions.WHO WORSHIPPED A FEATHERED SNAKE?
The Feather serpent god, Quetzalcoatl, was worshipped for
over a thousand years by the Aztecs in Ancient Mexico.
He was also the god of fertility and wind. When the
Spanish conquistador Cortés landed in Mexico, the Aztec
ruler believed he was the returning Quetzalcoatl.Ancient Religions
1 REACHING TO THE HEAVENS
Central American cultures such as the Zapotecs (forerunners of the
Aztecs) built huge pyramid temples with stairs leading up to platforms
for human sacrifice (top). Mount Fuji (above) is sacred to Shintoism.AFTERLIFE
4 EGYPTIAN MUMMY
The corpses of Egyptian
nobles were mummified, so
that they were preserved
for the afterlife. Internal
organs were carefully
removed and kept in
sealed jars near the body.1 MARS, GOD OF WAR
Mars, the Roman god of war,
gave his name to the fourth
planet of the Solar System, the
month of March, martial arts
(fighting skills), and martial law
(military rule).ancient
religions