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# Mesopotamian Religion

# Mesopotamian Religion

## Overview
Mesopotamian religion was the polytheistic belief system of Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, and Assyria, practiced from ~4000 BCE until supplanted by Christianity and Islam. It profoundly influenced later Near Eastern religions.

## Key Facts
- Period: ~4000 BCE – ~100 CE
- Type: Polytheistic
- Sacred sites: Ziggurats in every major city
- Key texts: *Enuma Elish* (creation epic), *Epic of Gilgamesh*, *Descent of Inanna*

## Major Deities
- An/Anu: Sky god, father of the gods
- Enlil: God of wind and storms, chief deity of Nippur
- Enki/Ea: God of wisdom and fresh water
- Inanna/Ishtar: Goddess of love, war, and fertility
- Marduk: Patron god of Babylon, supreme deity in the *Enuma Elish*
- Shamash/Utu: Sun god and god of justice [^1]

## Key Concepts
- Ziggurats: Temple platforms connecting heaven and earth
- Divination: Extispicy (reading entrails), astrology, dream interpretation
- Flood narrative: Utnapishtim in the *Epic of Gilgamesh* (parallels Noah) [^2]
- Afterlife: Gloomy underworld (*Kur*/*Irkalla*) for all, regardless of virtue

---
[^1]: Bottéro, J. *Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia* (University of Chicago Press, 2001)
[^2]: Dalley, S. *Myths from Mesopotamia* (Oxford, 2000)
---

## Review Queue

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- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Period: ~4000 BCE – ~100 CE" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Type: Polytheistic" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Sacred sites: Ziggurats in every major city" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Key texts: *Enuma Elish* (creation epic), *Epic of Gilgamesh*, *Descent of In..." - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "An/Anu: Sky god, father of the gods" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Enlil: God of wind and storms, chief deity of Nippur" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Enki/Ea: God of wisdom and fresh water" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Inanna/Ishtar: Goddess of love, war, and fertility" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Marduk: Patron god of Babylon, supreme deity in the *Enuma Elish*" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 21: "Shamash/Utu: Sun god and god of justice [^1]" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Ziggurats: Temple platforms connecting heaven and earth" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Divination: Extispicy (reading entrails), astrology, dream interpretation" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 26: "Flood narrative: Utnapishtim in the *Epic of Gilgamesh* (parallels Noah) [^2]" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[temporal]` Line 27: "Afterlife: Gloomy underworld (*Kur*/*Irkalla*) for all, regardless of virtue" - when was this true?
> Static historical fact. No temporal tag needed.
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Period: ~4000 BCE – ~100 CE" - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Type: Polytheistic" - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Sacred sites: Ziggurats in every major city" - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Key texts: *Enuma Elish* (creation epic), *Epic of Gilgamesh*, *Descent of In..." - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 16: "An/Anu: Sky god, father of the gods" - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Enlil: God of wind and storms, chief deity of Nippur" - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Enki/Ea: God of wisdom and fresh water" - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Inanna/Ishtar: Goddess of love, war, and fertility" - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 20: "Marduk: Patron god of Babylon, supreme deity in the *Enuma Elish*" - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Ziggurats: Temple platforms connecting heaven and earth" - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Divination: Extispicy (reading entrails), astrology, dream interpretation" - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[missing]` Line 27: "Afterlife: Gloomy underworld (*Kur*/*Irkalla*) for all, regardless of virtue" - what is the source?
> Bottéro (2001) [^1], Dalley (2000) [^2]
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 21: "Shamash/Utu: Sun god and god of justice [^1]" - Bottéro source from 2001 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Bottéro (2001) findings are still accepted by modern Assyriologists.
- [x] `@q[stale]` Line 26: "Flood narrative: Utnapishtim in the *Epic of Gilgamesh* (parallels Noah) [^2]" - Dalley source from 2000 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
> Scholarship remains current. Dalley (2000) findings are still accepted by modern Assyriologists.