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THE   RELIGION   AND   GODS   OF
ANCIENT   EGYPT.

The religion of the ancient Egyptians is one of the most
difficult problems of Egyptology, and though a great deal has
been written about it during the last few years, and many
difficulties have been satisfactorily explained, there still
remain unanswered a large number of questions connected
with it. In all religious texts the reader is always assumed
to have a knowledge of the subject treated of by the writer,
and no definite statement is made on the subject concerning
which very little, comparatively, is known by students to¬
day. For example, in the texts inscribed inside the
pyramids of Unas, Teta, and Pepi (b.c 3300-3233), we
are brought face to face with religious compositions which
mention the acts and relationships of the gods, and refer to
beliefs, and give instructions for the performance of certain
acts of ritual which are nowhere explained. It will be
remembered that Ptolemy II. Philadelphus instructed
Manetho to draw up a history of the religion of the ancient
Egyptians. If such a work was needed by the cultured
Greek who lived when the religion of ancient Egypt, though
much modified, was still in existence, how much more is
it needed now ? The main beliefs of the Egyptian religion
were always the same. The attributes of one god were
applied to another, or one god was confused with
another; the cult of one god declined in favour of
another, or new gods arose and became popular, but the