Spirits, Ancestors, and Gods in the World Model of Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt

In predynastic and early dynastic Egypt, artifacts and works of art serve as the main sources for studying the sacred model of the world and its creators. Zoomorphic, anthropomorphic, and zoo-anthropomorphic characters indicate a long development of the mythopoetic consciousness of the Nile Valley population, from totemic beliefs to the cult of the gods of the Early Kingdom. Transitional rites and rituals were the most important phenomena in society, and their purpose was to reproduce the original actions of the first ancestors in creating and renewing the universe. The central role in the rituals played by the leader, the regional and then the Egyptian king, who acted as a mediator between humans and the gods. The leader's iconography and attributes indicate his connection to the divine realm. During the Early Kingdom, under the first dynasties, the former predynastic local city gods acquired state status on a two-kingdom basis. The cult of the founding kings of the unified state existed in Egypt for many centuries. Cultural memory cemented society through rituals and ceremonies, establishing communication not only with previous generations, but also with the sacred world, and performing personal and collective identity in society.