Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

The Egyptian language lacked specific terms for “religion” and “piety.” Nonetheless, Egyptologists recognize the significance of personal faith and piety in studying the religious sentiments and behavior of private individuals as expressed in texts and image. “Personal piety” was a complex phenomenon in ancient Egyptian religion and, as a result, the questions of how to define and apply the term remain controversial in Egyptology today. This article aims at presenting the Egyptological investigation of personal piety by providing both a history of its study and an overview of related issues and of the theories and methods applied to its research up to the present.