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Dynastic/Imperial Cult- Ruler worship in Egypt had taken place since Pharaonic times. Both the Ptolemaic and Roman rulers continued this tradition in Egypt. P. Mich 170 and 1717 reveal priests of the dynastic cult.
Feasts- Feasts were usually held during religious festivals or holidays. Often, guilds would hold monthly feasts or banquets, which were included in a memebers dues.
Festivals- Many festivals were held in honor of the gods and rulers, usually in the temple districts. Feasts, musical, dramatic and athletic contests would often be held during this time.
Funerary Practices- Guild ordinances frequently assure that the burial of a deceased member will be provided for and well attended. Clauses were commonly added in wills, which provided for the burial of the deceased by the benefactors. It was especially important in Egyptian religion that the deceased receive proper burial, as the body was the carrier of the soul to the next world.
Health & Medicine- Medicine was closely tied to religion and magic in the Egyptian tradition. For this reason, priests and temples were often the people and places of healing. The Greeks brought with them their medical practices, further advancing them in Alexandria. This advance in medicine was more likely to have an effect on the elite of the cities than those living in the countryside. Thus, P. Mich 5302, exhibits that even in fourth century Karanis, magic is still invoked as an everyday cure.
Magic- As stated above, magic was tightly interwoven with medicine and religion in the Egyptian tradition. It continued to have an influence on populations and religions entering Egypt, well into the Christian period.
Priesthood- In Egyptian religion, priesthoods were tradtionally heriditary positions, which were highly restricted according to ones' purity. The Greeks, on the other hand, treated their priesthoods as they would an administrative position. Thus, they were prestigious positions held by the elite.
Religion- Egypt has been a host to a number of religions throughout the millenia. Egyptian religion purveyed for over 3,000 years, during which the Greek, Roman, Jewish and Christian religions were introduced. Over time, the Egyptian religion slowly died out, having been replaced first by the Christians as a whole, next by the Monophysite sect of Christians, and finally by the Islamic religion, still prominent today.
