Amenhotep introduced the idea of monotheism during his reign of 1364 -1347 B.C.. He worshipped one god known as Aten and then changed his name to Akhenaten in honor of Aten. After his death, under the rule of Tutankhamen (King Tut), the egyptians went back to the traditional belief of polytheism. Nature and religion went hand in hand in Egyptian culture. The people of Egypt were dependent upon the Nile and they more that they understood its functions the more confident they became. As human beings their ability to understand nature grew. Egyptians represented Gods with ferocious animals. They were also portrayed as half man, half animal. As a whole, the Egyptian culture was optimistic and according to The Book of the Dead the afterlife may be secured through your doings or not doings on earth. There were two religions prevalent in Indias beginning. The first of the two was Hinduism. The Hindu faith is a product of slow mixing of the Aryan beliefs with those of the native Indians (Adler, 48). Early Hinduism was given by the Laws of Manu (human and divine). These laws were based on caste system and men and women, as well. The afterlife is based on a lengthy series of bodily existence's, being reincarnated (samsura) in accord with its karma (Adler, 48). Karma is the tally of good and bad committed in a given life (Adler, 48) Good karma would promote you to a higher caste in the next life (Adler, 48). To obtain good kharma, one must follow the code of morals prescribed for ones caste, called dharma (Adler, 48). If a person lived a perfect life within there dharma, after a series of reincarnations, death would not entitle another reincarnation, but instead free them from the great Wheel of Life, called moksha (Adler, 48). Moksha is an end of individuality, and the soul then submerges into a world-soul represented by Brahman (Adler, 48). Siddartha Gautama was considered the Buddha and his life created a whole new mode of thought among India...
