Definition. The ancient Egyptians had no word for "religion." For them, religion was not a separate category of thought requiring an approach different from that used when discussing philosophy, science, or any other topic. In order to study Egyptian religion, one must first decide what religion is and then examine the Egyptian record for data relating to this definition. Attempts to define religion as a phenomenon are plentiful, and no universal definition has been decided. The definition used here will follow that of Melford Spiro, who suggested that religion is an "institution consisting of culturally patterned interaction with culturally postulated superhuman beings."

Components. This definition consists of several main components. Religion is first an institution, or something practiced by social groups. In other words, a person cannot have a religion of one. An individual can have his or her own beliefs, but for those beliefs to be called...