Ancient Egypt religion in the view of political and social

Ancient Egypt was a civilization, which had, with its isolated geographical position and its own characteristic structure, maintained its existence for thousands of years. In all cults of the ancient Egyptians, the river Nile had an important role in the developing of that civilization. The history of political, administration and art of the ancient Egyptiancivilization had shown a development in coordination with its religious structure. It is important to understand the ancient Egyptian religion in order to study these interactions in a true manner. Ancient Egypt, before 3000 B.C., had consisted of many clans, named by Greeks as nomos. Upper and Lower Egypt, which these clans had formed, was unified by Narmer. Thus, in Ancient Egypt, there emerged common cults, besides clan cults. Ancient Egyptian civilization, which could preserve its homogenic structure by its geographical position until the second intermediate term, had succeeded to maintain its own belief system that it developed. In regards to religious changes in the Egyptian civilization, it is possible to identify them with political struggles, economic developments, natural disasters and climaticchanges. Especially, the cult of Ra, a very important during the Old Kingdom, was replaced by the cult of Osiris, because the Ra grew old and couldn't protect its country and people, and, as a result of this, some famines and invasions occurred in the first intermediate term. Together with the rising cult of Osiris after the first intermediate term, an idea emerged, according of which all humans are equal in the presence of God and the Maat is responsible for all people. Thus, the understanding of personal afterworld was seen to start to rise. In the second intermediate term, while any important religious change did not take place, with the relations that the Hyksos had established, the isolated and closed feature of ancient Egypt began to change and new belief systems penetrated into Egyptian lands during the New Kingdom. One of the most important alterations in the religious area in the New Kingdom took place in the term of Ahmose, the founder of the New Kingdom. In this period, the capital city was removed from Memphis to Theb, the cult of Amon, a local cult of Theb, started to rise. Thus, the influence that High Priests of Amun had gained reached to a level as to elect the king. Probably, as a result of the reaction to that influence, the cult of Aton began to emerge strongly, which preserved its existence not only in the New Kingdom, but also in the general history of the ancient Egypt. The cult of Aton had not emerged during the New Kingdom. The cult of Aton was coincided with in the previous pyramid texts. This cult, already known by the Egyptians, started to rise in the reign of Amenophis IV.