1. Sumerian Sun God receives a tribute
Sumerian Religion
Sumerian Sun God receives a tribute

2. Purpose of Religion
Religious beliefs emerge as a way to explain the unexplainable…
Weather
Creation of Man
Natural Disasters
Plague

3. Sumerian Creation of Man
Sumerian Gods are look like men
Man was created by the Gods to act as their slaves.
The Gods used the mud from the Tigris and the Euphrates to mold the first men into shape.

4. Polytheism The belief in many Gods.
Sumerian’s believed that there were more than 3000 Gods.
Each City state had a primary God who was their protector.
The ziggurat in the center of the city was dedicated to the primary God.
Sumerian Gods looked and acted like people but had supernatural powers

5. Power of the Gods
Sumerians believed that everything that happened to them - be it good or bad - was the result of a god's pleasure or displeasure. 
This meant Sumerians lived in fear of making the Gods unhappy.

6. Happiness of Gods… To keep the gods happy one must Happy Gods
Unhappy Gods
To keep the gods happy one must
pray often
Give them gifts of food and drink
Honor them with holy days

7. Praying Statues
Praying statues were created to represent people praying to the Gods.
They were left in the temple to offer prayers when the people were not there.
These statues helped keep the gods happy.

8. Sumerian Priests Upper Class Citizens
Only people allowed inside the Ziggurat
Their job was to care for the gods and attend to their needs
Early priests were also kings given their power to converse with the Gods.
Later priests read omens and advised the kings
Priests could trap evil spirits and transfer them to animals
Priests also performed rituals and told fortunes

9. Gilgamesh Priest-king in Uruk around 2700 BCE Half-man / half god
Fought great beasts
Sought immortality
Story written on 12 tablets
Earliest story every recorded

10. Ziggurat Located in Ur and dedicated to Goddess Nanna
Built in 2100 BCE

11. Stairs

12. Ziggurat Constructed from sun baked mud / reed bricks.
The outside bricks were kiln fired and had a colorful glaze.
Largest building in the City State
Ziggurats ranged in size from 2 to 7 tiers
Not places of worship or ceremony – they were the homes of the gods
There are 32 known ziggurats (28 in Iraq, 4 in Iran)

13. Ziggurat Architecture
Early Ziggurats were solid – like a sand castle as they did not know how to build a hollow building of that size.
Later Ziggurats were store houses for wealth, knowledge, extra food

14. Creation of Sun Baked Mud Bricks
Bricks made from a combination of mud and reeds. Straw is added to keep the bricks from cracking as they dried.
Mud bricks needed to dry in the sun for several weeks before used.

15. Mud Bricks

16. Temple Complexes Included:
Homes for priests
Schools for scribes
Workshops for craftspeople
Storehouses for goods
Courtyard for trade

17. Ziggurat Courtyard Central place of Trade Slave trade Animal trade
Market place for skilled laborers
Central gathering place for city

18. Modern Architecture
Ziggurat Tower – West Sacramento, CA

21. Mesopotamian Empires

22. Characteristics of Mesopotamian Civilizations
City states
Each city had its own king and patron god or goddess
City states often warred with each other
Theocracy -- king as god’s representative
Hierosgamos: ritual marriage with the goddess/priestess
Highly legalistic
Law Codes
Contracts
Judicial proceedings and appeals processes
Extensive trading networks