Statuette of Ptah, god of the capital Memphis, creator god and patron of artisans

According to Egyptian belief, creation took place within the primordial condition of dark watery chaos, from which the creator god emerged on a primeval hill and created the world. This concept undoubtedly relates to the annual receding of the Nile after inundation, which exposes arable land on which vegetation and life can develop. Creator gods were usually sun gods or gods of capital cities, the latter frequently fused with the primary sun god.

Credit: Bequest of Norbert Schimmel, New York, to American Friends of the Israel Museum