to Atum in ancient Egyptian literature is in the
Pyramid Texts and is dated to circa 2350 BC. An
analysis of the Pyramid Texts demonstrates that the
deity Atum served at least three primary functions
in ancient Egyptian religious and philosophical
thought: the progenitor of the Heliopolitan cos-
mogony, the author of divine kingship, and, as
already indicated, the primary ontological category
by which all matter, phenomena, and life material-
ized from a nonexistent primordial state.
The wordAtumhas been variously translated by
Egyptologists as “The All,” “The Complete One,”
and the “Undifferentiated One.” The word is also a
variation of the Egyptian verbtm, meaning “to not
be,” communicating the ideas of preexistence and
precreation. According to ancient Egyptian
cosmogonical narratives, Atum emerges from the
primieval waters of Nun to inaugurate the initial
creative act of creation. Hence, Atum was often
aligned with the Egyptian concept ofsp tpy, mean-
ing the “First Time,” the infinitesimal moment at
which uncreated infinity becomes an ever-evolving
existence of countless beings and life forms.
Atum was also central to one of the premier
philosophical traditions in ancient Egypt, the
Heliopolitan cosmology, based in the city ofIunu
and called the city of the sun by the ancient
Greeks because of its principal dedication to the
deity Ra. Ra was frequently characterized as the
active mode of creative energy, whereas Atum was
described as its inert aspect, therefore rendering
the early name of Atum-Ra as indicated in the
Pyramid Texts.
The Heliopolitan cosmological school was cen-
tered on nine cosmic deities, including Atum who
was their “father” and originator. The nine “gods,”
often called theEnneadin ancient Greek and the
Psedjetin ancient Egyptian, represented the totality
of the plurality of all life. The Pyramid Texts refer
to Atum as the creator of four pairs of dyadically
gendered male and female gods functioning as
complementary opposites: Shu and Tefnut, Geb
and Nut, Ausar and Auset, and Neb-Het and Set.
Together these deities formed the basic divine com-
munity of ancient Egyptian cosmology.
Atum as a supreme divinity of creation was
also the authorizer of kingship. In ancient
Egyptian political philosophy, the office of king-
ship functioned as a position emanating from the
power of divine mandate. All kings were viewed
as the offspring of the gods. In particular, kings
were presented as the actual sons of the primary
creator-gods such as Ra, Amen, and, of course,
Atum. The Pyramid Texts reiterates this theme
when it says, “O Atum, raise this King up to you,
enclose him within your embrace, for he is your
son of your body forever.” By the New Kingdom
period of ancient Egyptian history, Atum’s role as
authorizer of kingship was eclipsed by Amen and
Ra, yet the god always remained a primary deity
for how ancient Egyptians explained their primor-
dial beginnings.Salim FarajiSee alsoEnnead; OgdoadFurther Readings
Assman, J. (1996).The Mind of Egypt. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard University Press.
Bilolo, M. (1994).Metaphysique Pharaonique. Munich-
Kinshasa: Publications Universitaires Africaines.
Diop, C. A. (1991).Civilization or Barbarism:An
Authentic Anthropology. Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill
Books.
Hornung, E. (1996).Conceptions of God in Ancient
Egypt:The One and the Many. Ithaca, NY: Cornell
University Press.
Karenga, M. (2006).Maat:The Moral Ideal in Ancient
Egypt:A Study in Classical African Ethics. Los
Angeles: University of Sankore Press.
Quirke, S. (1992).Ancient Egyptian Religion. New
York: Dover.AUSAR
Ausar (Asar, Wasiri, Osiris) is an ancient Kemetic
diety whose center of worship and study was
Abydos, a town in the eighthnomeof Egypt. Ausar
became the central deity in all mortuary rituals.
Ausar is ruler of the underworld (Dwt, Duat) and is
the personification of the resurrection principle. He
is also associated with agricultural renewal.
In addition, Ausar is one of the main figures in
the creation myth, which includes Auset, Heru,
Set, and Nebhet. The story contained in this myth
(commonly called the Ausarian Drama) is the
basis for many rituals and festivals and is alludedAusar 77