Changes

====Egyptian Cosmogony and Cosmology====Unlike many other literate pre-modern cultures, such as the Greeks and Romans, the early ancient Egyptians had few <i>narrative</i> myth cycles and none that related to cosmogony or cosmology. This is not to say that the The Egyptians did not have any creation mythmyths, just that but they were not written in a narrative style as other others in other cultures. The Egyptian creation myths are mentioned in fragments from a number of different Egyptian texts, most notably the <i>Pyramid Texts,</i> the <i>Coffin Texts</i>, and the <i>Book of the Dead</i>. These three texts consist of collections of “utterances” and “spells” that were intended to successfully send a deceased person into the afterlife, successfully. although they also make mention of the creation of the universe and the gods that were involved. <ref> Morenz, Sigried. <i> Egyptian Religion.</i> Translated by Ann E. Kemp. (Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press, 1992), p. 160</ref> It was not until the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1069 BC) when the Egyptians began to write myths in a narrative form and it was not until the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods (332-Christian Era) when the collections of disparate spells and mentions of creation in the older texts were transferred into a narrative. <ref> Shaw, Ian and Paul Nicholson. <i> The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt.</i> (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1995), p. 73</ref>

It was not until the New Kingdom (c. 1550-1069 BC) when the Egyptians began to write myths in a narrative form and it was not until the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods (332-Christian Era) when the collections of disparate spells and mentions of creation in the older texts were transferred into a narrative. <ref> Shaw, Ian, and Paul Nicholson. <i> The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt.</i> (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1995), p. 73</ref> The non-narrative nature of early Egyptian creation myths is certainly interesting, but the most a fascinating aspect of Egyptian cosmogony was the simultaneous existence of three creation myths. It was once believed that the plurality of creation myths was the result of the three cities being “cult centers” of three major gods: the god of a particular city and his accompanying myth took precedence over all others to his followers. However, although the other gods and goddesses were not necessarily ignored. This view still holds sway with some Egyptologists, although most .  Most now believe, based on studies of the ancient Egyptian concept of time, that the ancient Egyptians simply viewed the three myths as different perspectives of creation and that there was no intellectual contradiction to see all three versions taking place simultaneously. <ref> Wilkinson, Richard H. <i> The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt.</i> (London: Thames and Hudson, 2003), p. 16 </ref>