As one of the earliest and most successful agricultural cultures on Earth, the ancient Egyptians gave their sun god, Ra, supremacy, recognizing the importance of sunlight in producing food. The Pharaohs of Egypt believed they were descendants of Ra. 

The daily rise, overhead passage, and setting of Ra greatly impressed the Egyptians. At dawn, Ra was seen as a newborn child, issuing from the sky or a heavenly cow. By midday, Ra was thought of as a flying bird or sailing boat. At sunset, Ra was seen as an old man descending to the land of the dead. Overnight, Ra as a boat sailed eastward through the underworld in preparation for the next day’s ascent. Along the way he had to battle or evade Apep, the great serpent of the underworld that sought to devour him. Part of the worship of Ra involved creating magic to aid or protect Ra in his nightly struggle with Apep, helping to assure the return of the sun. 

Later in the ancient Egyptian period, Ra was diminished by being forced to reveal to Isis his name, thereby giving her access to some of his magical power. Despite the uplifting of other gods by some cults, however, worship of the sun remained paramount in ancient Egypt. Ra was often combined with other deities to enhance the prestige of the latter, as in Ra-Atum or Amun-Ra.