Ancient Mesopotamian Religion

To begin with the Mesopotamians believed in the gods and goddesses. They would praise them for a significant reason either if its water, nature, wind, sun, etc. and each god has their own specific powers. To please the gods they will have to sacrifice one for a specific desire or necessity. In The Epic of Gilgamesh it is said that gods feast and love the smell of burnt human flesh; “When the gods smelled the sweet savor, they gathered like flies over the sacrifice” . The relationships that Mesopotamians have with their gods is cruel, they please the gods with sacrifices. This is what they believed was necessary to have a peaceful life with no catastrophic chaos. The Mesopotamians wanted harmony with their gods so they don’t die. Mesopotamians did not only believe in one god but many gods so they would worship the gods for specific needs. They also viewed the gods as the highest level class, in other words

* The Gods are more superior beings then men and gave blessings and punishments to humans. On the other hand, humans pay tributes and ask questions to gods. For instance, Gilgamesh continuously asks deities for advices. Mesopotamian deities were more approachable beings rather than inaccessible things.

Ancient Mesopotamian religion was the oldest known recorded religion. Mesopotamian religion was polytheistic. There is a relationship between the codes of law and religion in Babylonian – Mesopotamian

Ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians had two different ideas of the afterlife. Ancient Egypt celebrated the afterlife, performing burial rituals such as mummification, and ceremonies to ensure a happy and easy transition into the underworld. Egyption gods did not have as much interference with humans unlike the Mesopotamian Gods. Egyption gods ruled as pharaohs other deities such as Osiris, god of the underworld. Mesopotamian afterlife beliefs were not as joyful as ancient Egyptians. The Mesopotamians afterlife had a gloomier outlook. Most of what we know about Mesopotamian afterlife comes from the epic of Gilgamesh.

Most societies that developed in ancient civilizations were centered around their belief systems. The Egyptians and the Mesopotamians were no different in this sense. Both civilizations were polytheistic and built elaborate temples to praise their gods. Additionally, the leaders in both regions were believed to be related to the gods because of the great power they held and the wealth under their control. However, the Mesopotamians had a pessimistic outlook on life because of the unpredictability of their environment. The Egyptians, on the other hand, had an optimistic outlook because the Nile River inundated their region regularly, which could be predicted by the stars. The similarities and differences in the religions of these two

Mesopotamian and Egyptian religions shared two key similarities: polytheism and priestly authority. The religions in Mesopotamia and

Although the stories are similar they are not identical. In Genesis God sent the Flood to destroy humankind because of man’s wickedness. Unlike The Gilgamesha where the reason was never said however the sender of the flood was a secret council of gods the idea was brought up by Enlil , the god of earth wind and air. God favored Noah because he was a righteous man therefore, he was chosen to build the ark that was three hundred cubits long, fifty cubit wide, and thirty cubits high, about three stories. Utnapishtim was chosen out of the cleverness of Ea, the god of wisdom and crafts. God came directly to Noah to tell him about the Flood where as Ea was swore to secrecy so “he repeated their plans to the reed fence” so he would no break the oath to the group. The boat Utnapishtim was directed to build was a rectangle shaped measuring one acre and about 6 stories high. When the floor came in Gilgamesh it was only rainwater however the Flood in Genesis was rain water as well as ground water. Both floods did indeed wipe out all of humankind but the did not last equal as long. After the flood Utnapishtim was gifted the gift of eternal life where as Noah was to multiply and have rule over the animals.

The first category of culture is religion. There were several similarities between the Mesopotamians and Egyptians. The Mesopotamians and Egyptians had their own religion and beliefs. Both were polytheistic, meaning they believed in numerous gods or goddesses instead of one god or goddess. There were also several differences between the Mesopotamian and Egyptians. While the Mesopotamians and Egyptians worshiped thousands of deities, there were four main essential deities for the Mesopotamians: An, Enlil, Enki, and Ninhursaga. An was the god of heaven. Enlil was the god of wind and became the power of energy, force, and authority on the earth. Enki was the god of

Mesopotamians government had a set of laws. They did not write them down, however. If a citizen broke a rule. Their punishment was based on the crime that they committed. For example, if you killed someone, the government would kill you. Next, Mesopotamia worshipped many gods. This was called polytheism. The builders of Mesopotamia would build ziggurats, or temples, to worship the gods. They would kneel and pray to the gods. They worshipped 7 gods in total.They also built and created their own tools.

Religion was an important factor in the everyday lives of Mesopotamians and ancient Egyptians. Both civilizations were polytheistic which meant they worshiped multiple gods. Many elaborate temples were built to praise them. The leaders in both regions were believed to be related to the gods because of the great power they held and wealth under their control. Mesopotamians and ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife. When people died, they were buried with items to take along.

“The basic operating premise for the ancient Mesopotamians throughout all periods of their history is that humans were created and placed on earth so the gods did not have to work.”

Agriculture was the basis for wealth. Religion played a central role in government and daily life. Leaders strongly identified themselves with the gods. Many societies rose and fell during the period we designate as the Ancient Near East. Stability was fleeting and this most of the objects pertained to religion and rule. The earliest of these communities were the Sumerians. The Sumerians are credited with many firsts: the wheel, the plow, casting objects in copper and bronze and cuneiform

The Mesopotamian creation myth incorporated many characteristics that define to most myths in general. One of the characteristics incorporated in the creation myth is that it takes place in the distant past, or in this case the beginning or pre-history. This characteristic is initially described in the opening passage of the Enuma Elish, “when on high [enuma elish] heaven and earth had not yet been named” (Leeming 19), and further codified by describing how the gods Apsu and Tiamat created “the silt deposits Lahmu and Lahamu, which we call ‘land’” (Leeming 19). A second characteristic of myths portrayed in this creation story is that it is a tale of supernatural beings, goddesses, or gods. Besides, Apsu, freshwater, and Tiamat, great saltwater

The Mesopotamian religion has not a large amount of information uncovered. There are both archaeological and textual data that has been found on religious beliefs of the early Sumerian civilization survive. The typical temples were constructed of mud bricks and adorned with buttresses and many small cones of different colors. On the inside there was a niche for the image of the deity right in front of an offering table. The early sanctuaries were simple in their style but the later new temples contained spacious courts, which were rooms for attendant priests and a ziggurat. There were three types of textual materials that have been discovered: prayers, descriptions of the rituals conducted by priests, and mythological literature. Prayers were always associated with specific rites to be performed by the person offering the prayers or by a priest attached to the sanctuary. The prayers would consist of invocations to the gods, requests for assistance, and expressions of gratitude for past favors or for dangers averted. There was a rule, that the worshipers did not emphasize such spiritual or moral topics as death, survival, and contact with the divine. The discovered mythological literature is difficult for present day readers to understand and the extent to which such myths reflect early religious beliefs is unknown. In its beginning, Mesopotamian religion expressed harmony between humanity and the natural powers on which it depended on survival. The Sumerians have

Situated in the Tigris Euphrates valley was the property of Mesopotamia. It was here that the first cities in the world were founded between 4000 - 3500 BC from the Sumerian people. They developed their very own belief system, using various goddesses and gods. They developed rites and spiritual practices for worshiping these strong deities. Their daily lives were also much different than those of the last hunter gatherer groups that roamed over the world in a continuous hunt for resources. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014)