The ancient Egyptians were a polytheistic people who believed that gods and goddesses controlled the forces of the human, natural, and supernatural world. ... To maintain maat, the living had to constantly worship and make sacrifices to the gods to pacify the deities and spirits of the afterlife.

Why did Egypt worship gods?

The ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods. Sometimes it's hard for us to tell who was who! These gods and goddesses often represented the natural world, for example the sky, earth, wind, or sun. ... They also worshipped popular gods and goddesses to help them with life events such as childbirth.

When did Egypt become polytheistic?

After the unification of Egypt, (3100 B.C.) their religion was polytheistic with one exception during the reign of Akhenaten. During this time the Pharaoh Akhenaten changed the religion of Egypt to be monotheistic, worshiping only Aten, his patron god.