o was also worshipped at Bubastis
under the name of Bast, and whose symbol is a cat. Ptah, it will be
seen, is a less distinct figure than either Osiris or Ra, and he very
readily passes into combinations with other gods. Ptah-Sokari and
Ptah-Sokar-Osiris are found much more frequently than Ptah alone.

These are the chief gods of the old kingdom--that is to say, of the
first six dynasties. When we come to the great twelfth dynasty, after
the gap in the monuments which extends from 2500-2000 B.C., we find
that these gods have become faint and new gods have become supreme,
namely, the local gods of Thebes, and of the adjoining nomes. Of
these, Amon, god of Thebes, has the most distinguished history,
though Chem, the agricultural god of Coptos, and Munt of Hermonthis
were originally as important. Amon, the hidden, _i.e._ the hidden
force of nature, like Ptah, is seldom found alone; he is generally
combined with some other god, especially with Ra. The gods of
agriculture bow their heads by degrees before the sun-gods who tend
to draw to themselves all Egyptian worship; rude country
representations connected with the idea of fertility being
discredited before the religion of the royal temples which was
directed mainly to the god of light.

Was the Earliest Religion Monotheistic?--We have mentioned only some
of the chief gods of Egypt, out of a countless number. These are the
gods favoured by kings and city priesthoods, who, we cannot doubt,
desired the religious elevation of the people. The gods they praised
were of a nature to promote that end. It will be granted that the
worship of the light-gods of Egyptian religion was fitted to lead the
minds of the Egyptians to theism. In illustration of this statement
extracts may be here given from hymns, which date as we have them
from the eighteenth dynasty 1590 B.C., but which are probably much
older.

TO HORUS

The gods recognise the universal lord.... He judges the world
according to his will; heaven and earth are in subjection to him. He
giveth his commands to men, to the generations present, past, and
future; to Egyptians and to strangers. The circuit of the solar orb
is under his direction; the winds, the waters, the wood of the
plants, and all vegetables. A god of seeds, he giveth all herbs and
the abundance of the soil. He affordeth plentifulness, and giveth it
to all the earth. All men are in ecstasy, all hearts in sweetness,
all bosoms in joy, every one in adorat