1. RELIGION IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA

2. RELIGION IN ANCIENT MESOPOTAMIA
1. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
2. HISTORICAL REFERENCES
3. COSMOGONIA
4. THE PANTHEON
5. CUNEIFORM WRITING
6. TEMPLES - ZIGGURAT

3. 1. GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
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

4. 2. Historical References
Empires and Civilisations which succeeded in the area

5. Sumerian Civilisation

6. Sumero-Akkadian Empire
                                                                                                                  

7. BABYLONIAN EMPIRE

8. Hammurabi’s Code BC

9. Assyrian Empire

10. 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.

11. Today’s territory of Iraq and Syria

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

13.                                                             
Each god and goddess had a specific task that had to do. Some digging and cultivating land, others brought water for watering crops.

14.                                                             
The work was hard and they were not happy. Therefore, they met to discuss how to reduce work

15.                                                             
They went for advice to Enki, who was wise. Enki was asleep in his under water house.

16.                                                             
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.

17.                                                             
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.

18.                                                             
He breathed life into his figurines but made them mortal. Only gods and goddesses are immortal.

19.                                                             
People were put to work in the fields. As servants of the gods and goddesses, they had to provide them food and drink

20.                                                             
People were taking water from rivers and wet areas that were dry. They dug the earth and planted different crops.

21.                                                             
Working hard, people gave life to the earth and the gods who gave life to humans were happy.

22. 4. THE PANTHEON
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.

23. The Creation Triad: Anu, Ea, Elil Anu (An)
         
     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.

24. 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.

25. 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.

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

27.          
                                                        
                                                            
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.
                                                 

28. cosmic triad: Shamash (Utu) Shamash, Sin, Ishtar
         
                                                        
                                                            
            
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

29.          
                                                        
                                                            
                   
Sin (Nanna)
                        
Sin is the Moon God, the master of destiny. As a month is usually 30 days, its sacred number is 30.

30. Istar (Inanna) Sacred number: 15
         
                                                        
                                                            
                 
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.

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

32. Gods protectors of the cities 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.   
      

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

34.             
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   
      
                                                            

35. 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.

36. Ninurta is the god of war.
         
                                                        
                                                            
                   
Ninurta
                                                  Ninurta is the god of war.

37. Apkallu
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

38.                                       
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 .

39. 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.

40. The Bulls with human heads                                           Bulls with human heads are protective creatures decorating objects dating around BC

41. Lamashtu is a demon who prey unborn or newborn.
         
                                                        
                                                            
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.

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

43. It is used mainly for protection against evil goddess Lamashtu.
         
                                                        
                                                            
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.

44.          
                                                        
                                                            
           
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.

45. 5. The evolution of cuneiform writing
Head
                    
                 
                
                         
                       
                           
                      
                     
                  
            
                   
                              
palmier
              
c. 3100
c. 2800
c. 2400
c. 600
           
                   
                      
5. The evolution of cuneiform writing
icons
bird
bull
tree

46. Archaelogical excavations – Eridu
6. TEMPLES- ZIGGURAT
5200 i.Hr.
5000 i.Hr.
4900 i.Hr.
Archaelogical excavations – Eridu
Temples built on the platform of older temples: civilisations that succeeded

47. 4000 BC
3600 BC

48. Eridu BC
Temple – God’s House

49. Archaelogical excavations in Uruk – 3.200 BC

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

51. In 1922 english archaelogist C. Leonard Woolley begins the excavations

52. Ur ziggurat – at the end of the excavations

53. Sumerian period: Ur Ziggurat – built by king Ur-Nammu (2.100 BC.)
In honor of the Moon God Sin (Nanna)

54. Ur Ziggurat
Between BC. babylonian king Nabonidus reconstructed the ziggurat adding new improvements.

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

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

57. 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

58. Babel Tower - Geneza 11, 1-5
                                                   

59. Ancient History Sourcebook: Mesopotamia
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ancient History Sourcebook: Mesopotamia