Unlike the secular government we have today, ancient Egypt mixed religion with politics, creating a vast network of gods who ruled over specific parts of Egyptian life. There were gods for the Nile, the sun, the afterlife and even chaos and disorder. The Egyptians wholeheartedly believed in their gods and erected tombs, temples, and statues in their favor. For this reason, there is no Egyptian word for “religion.” The gods were linked to all activities of daily life and no Egyptian citizen believed that the gods were fallible. Although there were usually slight differences in how the gods interacted with the world, most citizens had the same views. There were the main deities, Horus and Amun-Re, and then there were the gods of specific aspects of life. An important god is Osiris, god of the afterlife. Life after death was an essential part of Egyptian society, and embalming a corpse was an important and ceremonial task that citizens performed. The embalming process was designed to help the dead navigate the afterlife and find peace. There was even a process called "opening the mouth", which allowed the dead to speak and retain their bodily functions. The gods were the rulers of space and time, and the Pharaoh himself was considered a superior human. It was he (or she, in some cases) who spoke to the gods and connected their otherworldly bodies to ordinary people. The Pharaoh was undeniable, and infallible, because to question the Pharaoh would be to question the gods. Ancient Egypt, for the most part, was a theocracy, ruled by one king and one religion. The Pharaoh adopted policies regarding taxes, which for the most part included a labor task that required citizens to work for whatever was necessary...... middle of paper...... advances are intended to satisfy their religious needs, maintain a civilized hierarchy and follow the evolution of their visions. More progress meant the ability to accomplish more. This momentum has thus maintained the demand for constant learning and technological progress. The Egyptians were not people who were content with their achievements; there was always a need for more in their culture. Visions of grandeur for their religious needs only meant that they would have to continue their advancements in engineering. None of this would be possible without a foundation and organization in their structure. Religion was their most basic need and through the collaboration of masses of people, they were able to achieve an incredible amount of progress. Their unification is a great example of how civilization can accomplish a lot with a unified vision..