Richard H. Wilkinson is an archaeologist in the field of Egyptology. He is Regents Professor Emeritus at theUniversity of Arizona and founding director of the University of Arizona Egyptian Expedition.

Introduction * Egyptian Religion and the Gods * Chronology * Map I Rise and Fall of the Gods: Birth of the Gods * Rule of the Gods * Decline of the Gods II Nature of the Gods: Forms of the Divine * Manifestations of the Gods * Egypt and Monotheism III Worship of the Gods: Care of the Gods * Manifestations of the Gods * Popular Religion and Piety * Relationships with the Divine IV Kingship and the Gods: Between Gods and Men * Deceased and Divine * Kingship Among the Gods V The Catalogue of Deities: Many Faces of the Divine * Groups and Deities * Male Anthropomorphic Deities * Female Anthropomorphic Deities * Mammalian Deities * Avian Deities * Reptile, Amphibian and Fish Deities * Invertebrate and Insect Deities * Inanimate Object Deities Epilogue: A Lasting Legacy * Further Reading * Sources of Quotations * Illustrations Credits * Acknowledgments * Index

The gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt, worshipped for over half of recorded history, are among the most fascinating and complex of any civilization. Here is a comprehensive and authoritative guide to the deities that lay at the heart of Egyptian religion and society. It examines the evolution, worship and eventual decline of the numerous gods and goddesses from minor household figures such as Bes and Taweret to the all-powerful deities Amun and Re that made Egypt the most completely theocratic society of the ancient world, and made Egyptians, according to Herodotus, more religious than any other people.