L. Weiss

Religious Practice at Deir el-Medina L. Weiss

With few exceptions, previous research on so-called personal religion
has focused on hymns preserved on stelae from Deir el-Medina. Whereas
their significance as testimony of personal choice and religious belief
should not be excluded, the stelae must be understood in their communal
cultic context. In order to grasp individual religious practices this
book seeks to broaden the scope of analysis and include the
archaeological remains from the houses at Deir el-Medina. Instead of
establishing individual relationships between the human and divine, it
appeared that 'personal' religion sought to preserve and maintain family
continuity. The ancient Egyptian concept of the continuous cycle of
creation was thus appropriated at home. Whereas the king guaranteed the
order of the cosmos by giving offerings to the gods in the temples,
corresponding activities were performed for the well-being of the family
at home.