The ancient Egyptian sun god whose main place of worship was at Heliopolis. The sun god became the principal god of Egypt beginning in Dynasty 4, displacing the sky god Horus, with whom Re is often combined in the form of the god Re-Harakhty. He was usually combined with other gods who were placed at the head of the pantheon, notably Sobek andAmun. During late Dynasty 18, the worship of Re in the form of the sun’s disk, or Aten, was promoted by Akhenaten but failed to displace Amun. Re is usually depicted as a human figure with a feathered headdress but can be represented with a hawk head.
See also Religion.
Historical Dictionary Of Ancient Egypt by Morris L. Bierbrier
Ancient Egypt. A Reference Guide. EdwART. 2011.