Ma’at

Goddess of Truth and Balance

Ma'at was both a goddess and one of the most important ideas in ancient Egyptian life. Her name represented truth, justice, balance and the correct order of the world. Egyptians believed that life worked properly when Ma'at was protected. The Nile followed its cycle, the Sun continued its journey and people treated one another fairly. The opposite was called isfet, meaning disorder, injustice and destructive chaos. Ma'at was usually shown as a woman wearing a single ostrich feather on her head, although sometimes the feather alone represented her.

The pharaoh had a special responsibility to protect Ma'at. Temple pictures sometimes show the king offering a tiny figure of the goddess to another god. This was a way of showing that the ruler promised to keep Egypt properly ordered. That included maintaining temples, defending the country and making fair decisions. Ordinary people had responsibilities too. Being honest, using fair measurements, avoiding cruelty and helping other people could all support Ma'at. Egyptians did not think chaos had disappeared forever. Order needed people to keep working at it.

Ma'at became especially important after death. Egyptians believed the heart held a person's character and memories, so it was usually left inside the body during mummification. In the Hall of Judgement, the heart was weighed against Ma'at's feather. Anubis checked the scales, Thoth recorded the result and Osiris presided over the judgement. If the heart balanced properly, the person could continue into the afterlife. Ammit waited nearby if it did not. The picture is symbolic rather than a real weighing experiment. The point was that wealth and status could not hide the truth about how somebody had lived. I think that makes Ma'at surprisingly easy to understand today. She represents the idea that a good world does not simply happen by accident. People have to make fair choices, tell the truth and keep things in balance. Even the pharaoh was supposed to follow that rule.

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