RELIGION IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

RELIGION IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

RELIGION IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

1. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

2. HISTORICAL REFERENCES

3. COSMOGONIA

4. THE PANTHEON

5. CUNEIFORM WRITING

6. TEMPLES - ZIGGURAT

-The teritory between Tigru si Eufrat-Cradle of civilization - first literate societies have developed here-There is not a political entity named like this and not even well defined boundaries-It is a conventional name given by Greek historians - Very fertile area and coveted by all people

1. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

Empires and Civilisations which succeeded in the area

2. Historical References

Sumerian Civilisation

Sumero-Akkadian Empire

BABYLONIAN EMPIRE

Hammurabi’s Code - 1780 BC

Assyrian Empire

World’s Babylonian Map

Babylonian map includes some of the most important Mesopotamian cities and regions. It has been made around the year 600 BC and comes from the city Sippar. It is a very unusual type of map, different than the ones we are accustomed with; the map is more interested in areas that are believed to exist mystery behind the sea where lived the gods, heroes, animals and monsters.

Today’s territory of Iraq and Syria

At the beginning of time on earth were only gods and goddesses. They had to farm and work hard for their food

3. COSMOGONIA

Each god and goddess had a specific task that had to do. Some digging and cultivating land, others brought water for watering

crops.

The work was hard and they were not happy. Therefore, they met to discuss how to reduce work

They went for advice to Enki, who was wise. Enki was asleep in his under water house.

Enki suggested to make other creatures in order to serve them working the land. In this way, the life of gods and goddesses would have been much easier.

Gods and goddesses considered Enki's plan a very good solution. Enki took clay from his under water

house and he used it to create people.

He breathed life into his figurines but made them mortal. Only gods and goddesses are immortal.

People were put to work in the fields. As servants of the gods and goddesses, they had to provide them food and drink

People were taking water from rivers and wet areas that were dry. They dug the earth and planted different crops.

Working hard, people gave life to the earth and the gods who gave life to humans were happy.

Gods, Goddesses, Demons and Monsters Mesopotamians scribes conceived long lists of gods.There were many gods, responsible of every single aspect of life, from rivers and mountains to making the daily bread. Each city-state had its own supreme god, founder and patron, who conveyed the king's power.

The following list contains the names of the most important gods, goddesses, demons and monsters, using their Akkadian and Sumerian names.

4. THE PANTHEON

     Anu (An)                                       Sacred Number: 60   Anu was the Sky God. He was the supreme ruler of all gods. Mesopotamian legends render the story about the creation of World. These legends tell that the sky has become Anu’s house. Anu controlled the shooting stars. He was also responsible for the Bull of Heaven on earth that could be sent to avenge the gods. Although he is an important god there isn’t any representation of him.

The Creation Triad: Anu, Ea, Elil

Ea (Enki) Sacred number: 40 He is the God of fresh waters called ‘apsu’. He is a God of wisdom, agriculture, construction, arts and magic. He appears as a man surrounded by flowing water. He saves humanity from the flood.

Ellil (Enlil)                                               Sacred number: 50   Ellil is the God of Air, the son of Anu and Ki, Goddess of Earth. He is so strong that other gods can not even look at him. His city is Nippur. Here he receives gifts from the kings throughout Mesopotamia. Ellil guards 'tablets of destiny', which are some cuneiform tablets of fate in which he writes everything on earth.

Ninhursag is The Gods Mother. “High Mistress and mother of all living beings "appears in the early Mesopotamian mythology, but soon disappears.

Adad (Ishkur)                                   Sacred number: 6   Adad is the god of storms. It is usually represented wearing a shiny fork, symbolizing the power over the forces of nature. Adad's wife was the goddess Shala.

Shamash (Utu)                                Sacred number: 20   Shamash was the God of the Sun, of Truth and Justice worshiped in the city of Uruk. He holds a knife with nicked blade and cut his way through the mountains at dawn.

cosmic triad:

Shamash, Sin, Ishtar

                    Sin (Nanna)                         

Sin is the Moon God, the master of destiny. As a month is usually 30 days, its sacred number is 30.

                  Istar (Inanna)                                  Sacred number: 15   Daughter of Sin, Moon God, Ishtar is the morning and evening star (the planet we call it Venus), the goddess of love and war. In Assyria she is the Goddess of war. She is represented as a woman sitting on a lion and with different weapons in their hands.

Nergal is the Warrior God of darkness world. He uses against people fevers, plagues, fires

Ashur                              

    Ashur was the main god of the Assyrians. He was represented as a man wore a turban. He was also the god of the first capital of Assyrians, called Ashur. He is sometimes represented riding a dragon-snake.

Gods protectors of the cities

Marduk                                       Marduk is the protector of Babylon.

In babylonian mythology, Marduk was called to fight the army of demons of the goddess Tiamat. 

Amurru (Martu)                                                          

  Amurru was The God of migratory people. His symbol was a gazelle and a rod of a shepherd. It became important when migratory people called Amorites moved to Babylonia around 2100 BC

Nabu                               Nabu was the god of scribes and the patron of writing and wisdom. During the Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian period, Nabu was associated with agriculture and irrigation.

Ninurta                                                   Ninurta is the god of war.

He is the “wise man”. The babylonian tradition says that there were 7 Apkallu who lived at the beginning of the world, before the Flood. They were sent by the god Ea to teach the people about wisdom.They were represented as people with wings.They had bird heads but some wore fish skin, They protect people, and sometimes hold a bucket and cone for purifying

Apkallu

The Bull-Man                                       

  Bull man is a demon. Is a man to the waist and a bull below the waist. He helps people to fight against evil and chaos .

Bull of Heaven   

The bull of sky  The Bull of Sky is the constellbation that we call Taurus. It was controlled by the sky god Anu. He appears in Epic of Gilgamesh.

The Bulls with human heads                                           Bulls with human heads are protective creatures decorating objects dating around 3000-1800 BC

Lamashtu                           Lamashtu is a demon who prey unborn or newborn.Is often represented sitting on a donkey, feeding a pig and a dog and keeping snakes in their hands. Pregnant women wear amulets with Pazuzu, the demon to protect them from Lamashtu.

Lamassu   

  Lamassu was a bull or lion with human head and wings. It defends people from forces of chaos.

Pazuzu                                                                         Pazuzu is the demon that protects humans from wounds and evil. Has a human body with legs and claws of an eagle and the head of the monster.

It is used mainly for protection against evil goddess Lamashtu.

Scorpion Man                                                                        Scorpion Man has head and body of a man but from the waist down is like a scorpion-tailed bird.

He officiated the sun god - Shamash and was a protective god against demons.

Head

palmier

c.

3100 c.

2800c.

2400 c.

600

tree

5. The evolution of cuneiform writing

icons

bird

bull

Archaelogical excavations – Eridu

Temples built on the platform of older temples: civilisations

that succeeded

5200 i.Hr.

5000 i.Hr.

4900 i.Hr.

6. TEMPLES- ZIGGURAT

4000 BC

3600 BC

Eridu 4.000 BC

Temple – God’s House

Archaelogical excavations in Uruk – 3.200 BC

Ur 1850 – William Loftus measures Ur ziggurat and recommends archaelogical researches in the area

In 1922 english archaelogist C. Leonard Woolley begins the excavations

Ur ziggurat – at the end of the excavations

Sumerian period: Ur Ziggurat – built by king Ur-Nammu (2.100 BC.)

In honor of the Moon God Sin (Nanna)

Ur ZigguratBetween 555 - 539 BC. babylonian king Nabonidus reconstructed the ziggurat adding new improvements.

Cuneiform inscription discovered in Ur which testify this event from the king’s Nabonidus period

Today: Ur Ziggurat, reconstructed between 1960-1970 by the government of Irak

Ziggurat discovered near the old city of Babylon in honor of the god Marduk - the god of city, called 'Etemenanki' (House /

platform Heaven and Earth) (Rough Kurigalzu sec.14 BC) - considered to be the ruins of the legendary Tower of Babel

Babel Tower - Geneza 11, 1-5

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/Ancient History Sourcebook: Mesopotamia