01866caf6a
- Updated perspective.md: require source citations in temporal answers - Filed feature request #75 for BCE temporal tag support (tested 7 formats, all rejected) - Built batch script to replace all 'Static historical fact' answers with proper source attribution (ancient text date + modern publication year) - Fixed source date detection bug (modern books about ancient figures) - Answers now cite attesting source and its date per document footnotes
6.1 KiB
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
Review Queue
@q[temporal]Line 10: "Period: ~4000 BCE – ~100 CE" - when was this true?
4000 BCE event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 . BCE temporal tags not yet supported by factbase.
@q[temporal]Line 11: "Type: Polytheistic" - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 12: "Sacred sites: Ziggurats in every major city" - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 13: "Key texts: Enuma Elish (creation epic), Epic of Gilgamesh, *Descent of In..." - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 16: "An/Anu: Sky god, father of the gods" - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 17: "Enlil: God of wind and storms, chief deity of Nippur" - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 18: "Enki/Ea: God of wisdom and fresh water" - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 19: "Inanna/Ishtar: Goddess of love, war, and fertility" - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 20: "Marduk: Patron god of Babylon, supreme deity in the Enuma Elish" - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 21: "Shamash/Utu: Sun god and god of justice 1 " - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 24: "Ziggurats: Temple platforms connecting heaven and earth" - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 25: "Divination: Extispicy (reading entrails), astrology, dream interpretation" - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 26: "Flood narrative: Utnapishtim in the Epic of Gilgamesh (parallels Noah) 2 " - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[temporal]Line 27: "Afterlife: Gloomy underworld (Kur/Irkalla) for all, regardless of virtue" - when was this true?
Historical event. Attested by Bottéro (2001) 1 ; Dalley (2000) 2 .
@q[missing]Line 10: "Period: ~4000 BCE – ~100 CE" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 11: "Type: Polytheistic" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 12: "Sacred sites: Ziggurats in every major city" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 13: "Key texts: Enuma Elish (creation epic), Epic of Gilgamesh, *Descent of In..." - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 16: "An/Anu: Sky god, father of the gods" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 17: "Enlil: God of wind and storms, chief deity of Nippur" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 18: "Enki/Ea: God of wisdom and fresh water" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 19: "Inanna/Ishtar: Goddess of love, war, and fertility" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 20: "Marduk: Patron god of Babylon, supreme deity in the Enuma Elish" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 24: "Ziggurats: Temple platforms connecting heaven and earth" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 25: "Divination: Extispicy (reading entrails), astrology, dream interpretation" - what is the source?
@q[missing]Line 27: "Afterlife: Gloomy underworld (Kur/Irkalla) for all, regardless of virtue" - what is the source?
@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.
@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.