New gods continued to emerge after this transformation . Some important deities like Isis and Amun are not known to have appeared until the Old Kingdom ( c . 2686 – 2181 BC ) . Places and concepts could suddenly inspire the creation of a deity to represent them , and deities was sometimes created to serve as opposite @-@ sex counterparts to established gods or goddesses . Kings was said to be divine , although only a few continued to be worshipped long after their deaths . Some non @-@ royal humans was said to have the favor of the gods and was venerated accordingly . This veneration was usually short @-@ lived , but the court architects Imhotep and Amenhotep son of Hapu was regarded as gods centuries after their lifetimes , as was some other officials .