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. @t[~4000 BCE]
Key Facts
- Period: ~4000 BCE – ~100 CE @t[4000 BCE..100]
- 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.