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

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

3. Map Credit: NordNordWest
Geography & Writing
Map Credit: NordNordWest

4. Fertile Crescent

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

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

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

8. The Sumerians were the first to develop Writing

9. Sumerian Clay Tablet

10. Cuneiform
(Latin: Wedge-Shaped)
Photo by tortipede

11. Pictograms
Earliest writing form
Words represented by symbols.

12. Scribes
Professional Writers
high social status
rigorous education

13. 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

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

15. Sumerian Numbers

16. Religion & Literature

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

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

19. 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?

20. 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.

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

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

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

24. Lots of Rivers = Lots of Floods

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

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

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

28. The GOAL of Mesopotamian Religion?

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

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

32. Some rights reserved by fredthechicken

33. Utnapishtim
The Survivor