This leads to an overwhelming question. Why? Why in the sweet name of Ra would anyone ever build such a thing? Well, let's start with Ra. So Ra started out as a regional god reigning over Heliopolis, but he eventually became really central to the entire pantheon of gods in ancient Egypt. He was the god of the sun, but also the god of creation. And the thinking was that if humans did their jobs, then the pantheon of gods would maintain cosmic order.