120 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
120 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
<!-- factbase:5dccc5 -->
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# Mesopotamian Religion
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# Mesopotamian Religion
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## Overview
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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.
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## Key Facts
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- Period: ~4000 BCE – ~100 CE
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- Type: Polytheistic
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- Sacred sites: Ziggurats in every major city
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- Key texts: *Enuma Elish* (creation epic), *Epic of Gilgamesh*, *Descent of Inanna*
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## Major Deities
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- An/Anu: Sky god, father of the gods
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- Enlil: God of wind and storms, chief deity of Nippur
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- Enki/Ea: God of wisdom and fresh water
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- Inanna/Ishtar: Goddess of love, war, and fertility
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- Marduk: Patron god of Babylon, supreme deity in the *Enuma Elish*
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- Shamash/Utu: Sun god and god of justice [^1]
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## Key Concepts
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- Ziggurats: Temple platforms connecting heaven and earth
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- Divination: Extispicy (reading entrails), astrology, dream interpretation
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- Flood narrative: Utnapishtim in the *Epic of Gilgamesh* (parallels Noah) [^2]
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- Afterlife: Gloomy underworld (*Kur*/*Irkalla*) for all, regardless of virtue
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---
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[^1]: Bottéro, J. *Religion in Ancient Mesopotamia* (University of Chicago Press, 2001)
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[^2]: Dalley, S. *Myths from Mesopotamia* (Oxford, 2000)
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---
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## Review Queue
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<!-- factbase:review -->
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 10: "Period: ~4000 BCE – ~100 CE" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 11: "Type: Polytheistic" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 12: "Sacred sites: Ziggurats in every major city" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 13: "Key texts: *Enuma Elish* (creation epic), *Epic of Gilgamesh*, *Descent of In..." - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 16: "An/Anu: Sky god, father of the gods" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 17: "Enlil: God of wind and storms, chief deity of Nippur" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 18: "Enki/Ea: God of wisdom and fresh water" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 19: "Inanna/Ishtar: Goddess of love, war, and fertility" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 20: "Marduk: Patron god of Babylon, supreme deity in the *Enuma Elish*" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 21: "Shamash/Utu: Sun god and god of justice [^1]" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 24: "Ziggurats: Temple platforms connecting heaven and earth" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 25: "Divination: Extispicy (reading entrails), astrology, dream interpretation" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 26: "Flood narrative: Utnapishtim in the *Epic of Gilgamesh* (parallels Noah) [^2]" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[temporal]` Line 27: "Afterlife: Gloomy underworld (*Kur*/*Irkalla*) for all, regardless of virtue" - when was this true?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 10: "Period: ~4000 BCE – ~100 CE" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 11: "Type: Polytheistic" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 12: "Sacred sites: Ziggurats in every major city" - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 13: "Key texts: *Enuma Elish* (creation epic), *Epic of Gilgamesh*, *Descent of In..." - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 16: "An/Anu: Sky god, father of the gods" - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 17: "Enlil: God of wind and storms, chief deity of Nippur" - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 18: "Enki/Ea: God of wisdom and fresh water" - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 19: "Inanna/Ishtar: Goddess of love, war, and fertility" - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 20: "Marduk: Patron god of Babylon, supreme deity in the *Enuma Elish*" - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 24: "Ziggurats: Temple platforms connecting heaven and earth" - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 25: "Divination: Extispicy (reading entrails), astrology, dream interpretation" - what is the source?
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- [ ] `@q[missing]` Line 27: "Afterlife: Gloomy underworld (*Kur*/*Irkalla*) for all, regardless of virtue" - what is the source?
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>
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- [ ] `@q[stale]` Line 21: "Shamash/Utu: Sun god and god of justice [^1]" - Bottéro source from 2001 may be outdated, is this still accurate?
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- [ ] `@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?
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