1. CHW3M Mesopotamia: Society and Culture Religion February 18 th, 2015

2. ‘D OCUMENT A NALYSIS ’ H ANDOUT & K EY T ERMS Take up ‘Document Analysis’ handout Key Terms Anthropomorphic Ziggurats Mythology Oracles Polytheistic Legends Theocracy Cuneiform City-state

3. G ODS & G ODDESSES The Mesopotamian people thought that their gods had the ______ and ___________ of human beings In other words, anthropomorphic Even though gods were considered _________, they ate, drank, developed ___________, got married, and had children The gods experienced and expressed emotions Anger Hate Jealousy Love (A flood would signify that a god was ‘angry’)

4. G ODS & G ODDESSES C ONT ’ D Religion in Mesopotamia was also polytheistic (many gods/goddesses) The Sumerians believed in over ______ different deities Each city-state selected one of the gods as its _________ patron – therefore the city belonged to that god The main deities in _______ were associated with aspects of ___________ Four gods were considered superior to others: Enlil – god of _____ (city was Nippur) An – the god of _________ (city was Uruk) Enki – god of earth and ________ (city was Eridu) Ninhursag – mother goddess of all _______ things (city was Lagash) Other important gods/goddesses: Utu (sun god); Nannar (moon god); Innana (goddess of love)

5. S UMERIAN R ELIGION : G ODS /G ODDESSES Gods lived in the ______ or ________ and ruled over the earth Below the earth was a gloomy __________ where the dead were entombed The god Enlil provided the universal ______ that governed everything in the universe, but he ________ one of the laws and was banished for a time to the underworld Enki provided all that made the earth ______ (water in rivers to stalls for livestock) Humans were created from ______ to serve the gods on earth and save them from the ______ work of providing their own food and ________ What are some similarities and differences when comparing the Sumerian religion to the Roman Catholic religon?

6. B ABYLONIAN R ELIGION : G ODS /G ODDESSES Babylonians ________ many of the Sumerian gods with gods of their own (functions remained the same) Goddess Ishtar replaced Innana Marduck replaced Enlil Anu replaced An The Babylonian pantheon also contained several _______ deities such as Apsu (god of fresh ______); Ti’amat (goddess of the _____); and Ea (the god of __________)

7. A SSYRIAN R ELIGION : G ODS /G ODDESSES Also recognized many of the same gods as the Sumerians, but worshiped a ______ god, Ashur Ashur was lord of ______ and _____, and creator of the world All of the Assyrian kings were closely _______ with Ashur Also popular: Ishtar, mother goddess, goddess of love and fertility, and the mistress of battle Any similarities/differences to the Roman Catholic religion?

8. M ESOPOTAMIAN R ELIGION C ONT ’ D Mesopotamians believe that the gods ________ in the heavens and in high places such as _________, however they also believed that the deities came down to ________ To ‘house’ them, the Mesopotamian’s built high _______ (ziggurats) and dedicated these buildings to the gods’ ________ _______ was placed in the shrine _______ for the gods to eat while they were in the temple Any similarities and/or differences from Roman Catholic religion?

9. R ELIGIOUS B ELIEFS AND P RACTICES The Mesopotamian gods __________ all aspects of the human and natural world Controlled the rains/_______ The changing _______ The fruitfulness of the ________ All other forces of _________ They could influence major human _______, such as ______, ______, and they could affect events in individual lives, such as success or failure of a business venture They could bring ill or _______ fortune at will

10. R ELIGIOUS B ELIEF ’ S & P RACTICES C ONT ’ D The people were _______ to the mysterious whims of the gods, but their religion also provided them with a sense of universal ______, and explained some of the mysteries of life and the natural world Sumerians, Babylonians and the Assyrians all created a strong __________ Told stories of the gods and their relationship to the world. The mythology also includes tales of _______ who lived in the fearsome underworld

11. R ELIGIOUS B ELIEF ’ S & P RACTICES C ONT ’ D Since gods/goddesses could bring good or ill fortune, people were constantly on the lookout for ________ of the future Many consulted oracles or ______ to interpret signs of the gods (modern day psychics) _______ divination was popular because the liver was considered the seat of emotion and true knowledge Priests sacrificed ________, and examined the lines, valleys, spots, and wrinkles on the liver to uncover the future Any other religious similarities/differences?

12. R ELIGIOUS F ESTIVALS In Mesopotamia, religious festivals were ________ events The new year’s festival (which could last as long as ____ days) was the most popular and ________ Festivals were also held when a city _____ a war to celebrate the capture of the conquered city’s __________ Competitions, _______, and short plays telling stories of the gods were often part of the festivities