Ma'at

In Ancient Egypt, ma’at was the philosophy of justice, law, and ethics, concepts that the ancient Egyptians believed to be the foundation of universal order, truth, and harmony. Personified as a goddess, Ma’at is depicted as a woman wearing an ostrich feather on her head, a symbol of the principles she represents. Controlling the movement of the stars and the seasonal flooding of the Nile River, Ma’at also dictated codes of tradition and customs. Deviation from the tenets of ma’at could prove disastrous for the pharaoh whose responsibility it was to maintain order throughout the kingdom. Ma’at was central to funerary practices in which the heart of the deceased, considered the center of intellect and memory, was weighed against a feather and judged worthy of eternal life.