maat

Ma'at (also Maʿat) is an ancient Egyptian concept and goddess representing truth, order, balance, harmony, and justice in creation, society, and governance. In religious and political contexts, Ma'at denotes the cosmic order that maintains stability against chaos (isfet). The Pharaoh’s legitimacy rested on maintaining Ma'at through rightful rule, ritual practice, and ethical behavior, thereby sustaining the fertility of the land and the well-being of the people.

As a goddess, Ma'at personified these principles. She is usually depicted as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head, or with the feather placed on a throne. In funerary scenes she accompanies the dead and is invoked in spells and prayers to restore order.

In the judgment of the dead, Ma'at’s feather serves as the standard of truth. In the Weighing of the Heart, the heart of the deceased is weighed against Ma'at’s ostrich feather by Anubis; if balanced or lighter, the soul may proceed to the afterlife and join Osiris; if heavier, the heart is devoured by Ammit and passage is denied. Thoth records the verdict.

Ma'at thus underlies both cosmic balance and social conduct, influencing Egyptian law, inscriptions, and temple ritual. In modern scholarship, Ma'at is often discussed as a central organizing principle of ancient Egyptian religion and statecraft.