Atum was one of the most important deities of the Egyptian centre of the sun cult, Heliopolis. He was venerated as the primeval god who created the world, gods and humans there. He is (so far) attested from the Old Kingdom onwards, and during the long period of Egyptian history he had acquired more and more roles, attributes and epithets. The number of sacred animals connected with him increased, too. The article concentrates on his original roles and the question where Atum’s origin is to be found. His Old Kingdom characteristic is based on various types of Old Kingdom sources, mainly the Pyramid Texts.
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