The Land Between the Rivers Ancient Mesopotamia The Land Between the Rivers Photo by Cåsbr

Religion and Literature TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I Geography and Writing PART II Religion and Literature

Map Credit: NordNordWest Geography & Writing Map Credit: NordNordWest

Fertile Crescent

Mesopotamia Euphrates Tigris “The Land Between the Rivers” Map Credit: NordNordWest

Sumer The Sumerians established the first city-states c. 3,000 B.C.

Writing What purposes does writing serve? Why is writing necessary and useful? Photo by Pascal Maramis

The Sumerians were the first to develop Writing

Sumerian Clay Tablet

Cuneiform (Latin: Wedge-Shaped) Photo by tortipede

Pictograms Earliest writing form Words represented by symbols.

Scribes Professional Writers high social status rigorous education

A Scribe Remembers… My headmaster read my tablet, said: “There is something missing,” caned me. The fellow in charge of silence said: “Why did you talk without permission,” caned me. The fellow in charge of the assembly said: “Why did you stand at ease without permission,” caned me. Photo by JD Hancock

Scribes Employed in temples and palaces, recording: financial transactions legal documents literature Photo by Astacus

Sumerian Numbers

Religion & Literature

Deities and Existence What kind of characteristics do modern humans typically attribute to God? What is the purpose of human existence?

Enuma elish “When on high…” What does the Enuma elish tell us about Mesopotamian ideas about their gods? CLICK HERE to Read

Questions to answer: Were the ancient Babylonians monotheists or polytheists? Of what substance were the first humans made? __ What does this say about the relationship between god and man? For what purpose did the Babylonians create humans?

Creation story comparisons Using the stories about the creation from the texts, note at least 1 similarity and 2 differences between the two accounts of the creation. One Similarity: Differences: Enuma Enish Book of Genisis 1. 2.

Benevolence / Malevolence Deities can be described as benevolent or malevolent toward human beings.

Mesopotamian Religion  Photo by TooMuchDew Polytheism (Many Gods) Malevolence (Ill-willed) Anthropomorphism (Human-like Gods)

Floods Catastrophic Floods were a regular part of life in ancient Mesopotamia. Photo by stopherjones

Lots of Rivers = Lots of Floods

Patron god of Babylon Rivers / Floods Marduk Patron god of Babylon Rivers / Floods

The Great Flood CLICK HERE to Read Bonaventura Peeters, The Great Flood (17th c.)

Ancient Mesopotamians believed their gods destroyed humans because they were TOO NOISY!

The GOAL of Mesopotamian Religion?

Ziggurats Mesopotamian Temples Largest building in city A home for the gods Photo by jmcfall

IMMORTALITY If you could live forever, would you? Explain why or why not. Photo Credit: Notwist

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Utnapishtim The Survivor