ABSTRACT
In Egypt, at all times, the gods lived in intimate relations with men. 1 The society of the divine beings was superimposed on human society, being modelled on the same organization and living by the same means. In reality, men imagined the gods in their own image, and projected idealized beings and leaders on to a higher plane. In theory, however, the gods were on the earth before men, and revealed to their creatures the means of livelihood and the benefits of social organization. In Egyptian tradition, the divine dynasties reigned before the Pharaohs, and the gods were the first inhabitants of the Black Land.
