CHW3MMesopotamia: Society and Culture

Religion

February 18th, 2015

‘DOCUMENT ANALYSIS’ HANDOUT & KEY TERMS

Take up ‘Document Analysis’ handout Key Terms

Anthropomorphic Ziggurats Mythology Oracles Polytheistic Legends Theocracy Cuneiform City-state

GODS & GODDESSES

The Mesopotamian people thought that their gods had the ______ and ___________ of human beings

In other words, anthropomorphic Even though gods were considered _________,

they ate, drank, developed ___________, got married, and had children

The gods experienced and expressed emotions Anger Hate Jealousy Love (A flood would signify that a god was ‘angry’)

GODS & GODDESSES CONT’D Religion in Mesopotamia was also polytheistic (many

gods/goddesses) The Sumerians believed in over ______ different deities Each city-state selected one of the gods as its _________

patron – therefore the city belonged to that god The main deities in _______ were associated with

aspects of ___________ Four gods were considered superior to others:

Enlil – god of _____ (city was Nippur) An – the god of _________ (city was Uruk) Enki – god of earth and ________ (city was Eridu) Ninhursag – mother goddess of all _______ things (city was

Lagash)

Other important gods/goddesses: Utu (sun god); Nannar (moon god); Innana (goddess of love)

SUMERIAN RELIGION: GODS/GODDESSES Gods lived in the ______ or ________ and ruled over the

earth Below the earth was a gloomy __________ where the dead

were entombed The god Enlil provided the universal ______ that governed

everything in the universe, but he ________ one of the laws and was banished for a time to the underworld

Enki provided all that made the earth ______ (water in rivers to stalls for livestock)

Humans were created from ______ to serve the gods on earth and save them from the ______ work of providing their own food and ________

What are some similarities and differences when comparing the Sumerian religion to the Roman Catholic religon?

BABYLONIAN RELIGION: GODS/GODDESSES

Babylonians ________ many of the Sumerian gods with gods of their own (functions remained the same)

Goddess Ishtar replaced Innana Marduck replaced Enlil Anu replaced An The Babylonian pantheon also contained

several _______ deities such as Apsu (god of fresh ______); Ti’amat (goddess of the _____); and Ea (the god of __________)

ASSYRIAN RELIGION: GODS/GODDESSES

Also recognized many of the same gods as the Sumerians, but worshiped a ______ god, Ashur

Ashur was lord of ______ and _____, and creator of the world

All of the Assyrian kings were closely _______ with Ashur

Also popular: Ishtar, mother goddess, goddess of love and fertility, and the mistress of battle

Any similarities/differences to the Roman Catholic religion?

MESOPOTAMIAN RELIGION CONT’D

Mesopotamians believe that the gods ________ in the heavens and in high places such as _________, however they also believed that the deities came down to ________

To ‘house’ them, the Mesopotamian’s built high _______ (ziggurats) and dedicated these buildings to the gods’ ________

_______ was placed in the shrine _______ for the gods to eat while they were in the temple

Any similarities and/or differences from Roman Catholic religion?

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES

The Mesopotamian gods __________ all aspects of the human and natural world Controlled the rains/_______ The changing _______ The fruitfulness of the ________ All other forces of _________

They could influence major human _______, such as ______, ______, and they could affect events in individual lives, such as success or failure of a business venture

They could bring ill or _______ fortune at will

RELIGIOUS BELIEF’S & PRACTICES CONT’D

The people were _______ to the mysterious whims of the gods, but their religion also provided them with a sense of universal ______, and explained some of the mysteries of life and the natural world

Sumerians, Babylonians and the Assyrians all created a strong __________ Told stories of the gods and their relationship to

the world. The mythology also includes tales of _______ who lived in the fearsome underworld

RELIGIOUS BELIEF’S & PRACTICES CONT’D

Since gods/goddesses could bring good or ill fortune, people were constantly on the lookout for ________ of the future

Many consulted oracles or ______ to interpret signs of the gods (modern day psychics) _______ divination was popular because the liver

was considered the seat of emotion and true knowledge

Priests sacrificed ________, and examined the lines, valleys, spots, and wrinkles on the liver to uncover the future

Any other religious similarities/differences?

RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS

In Mesopotamia, religious festivals were ________ events

The new year’s festival (which could last as long as ____ days) was the most popular and ________

Festivals were also held when a city _____ a war to celebrate the capture of the conquered city’s __________

Competitions, _______, and short plays telling stories of the gods were often part of the festivities