The Religions of Ancient Egypt and Babylonia

Broken inscriptions and objects recovered from temples shape A. H. Sayce's account of how ancient Egyptians and Babylonians understood the divine. These Gifford Lectures, delivered in Aberdeen, divide their attention between the two religious traditions. The Egyptian section considers animal worship, Osiris, sacred books and popular beliefs. The Babylonian section turns to animism, myths, temple ritual and the religious significance of the stars.

Sayce repeatedly explains how gaps in the surviving record complicate interpretation. In his discussion of Babylonian beliefs, food and personal belongings placed in graves lead into changing ideas about spirits, gods and life beyond death. Ea and Merodach figure in his account of divine wisdom and power. Readers interested in ancient religion can follow these connections between everyday objects and spiritual beliefs, while those studying the history of scholarship can examine his cautions about evidence and the provisional nature of his conclusions.