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Ra

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Ancient Egyptian art showing a stylized figure with a falcon head and sun disk.

Ra, the Sun God

Ra was a very important god in ancient Egyptian religion. He was the god of the Sun. People believed Ra brought sunlight every day and helped plants grow.

Ra was often shown as a falcon with a sun disc on his head. Sometimes he looked like a man with a falcon's head. He was also shown as a beetle, a ram, or even a lion.

People thought Ra sailed across the sky in a special boat called the solar barque. Each morning, he would bring the sunlight, and each evening he would travel through the underworld.

Ra was loved and honored in many places, especially in Heliopolis, close to modern-day Cairo. People built special buildings like pyramids and sun temples to remember him. They believed Ra created the world and many other gods and goddesses.

Images

Ancient Egyptian sculpture showing Pharaoh Thutmose III with the god Montu-Ra and goddess Hathor, from the temple of Amun-Ra at Karnak.
An ancient gold necklace shaped like a falcon, decorated with colorful stones, from the treasures of Tutankhamun.
Ancient Egyptian painting from the tomb of Nefertari, showcasing symbolic art and hieroglyphs.
An ancient Egyptian stele depicting Lady Taperet, on display at the Louvre Museum.
Ancient Egyptian artwork from the tomb of Ramses IV, featuring symbolic images of gods and pharaohs.
Ancient limestone pyramidion of Khonsu, displayed at the Museo Egizio in Turin.
An artistic depiction of the ancient Egyptian god Ra as a ram-headed falcon with outstretched wings and a traditional crown.
A traditional wooden sculpture from the Dogon people of Mali, showing a figure with raised arms, possibly praying for rain.
An illustration of a pyramid in a desert landscape, symbolizing ancient Egyptian monuments.
Ancient Egyptian illustration showing the sun god Ra traveling in his sacred barque through the underworld, from the tomb of Ramses I.
An ancient Egyptian hieroglyph symbol from historical records.

Related articles

Ancient Egyptian religion
Falcon
Solar barque
Pyramid

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Ra, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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