Ancient Mesopotamian Religion and Gods The ancient Mesopotamians worshipped hundreds of gods which they worshipped every day. Each god had a job to do. Each city had its own special god to watch over the city. Each profession had a god to watch over the people who worked in that profession like builders and fishermen.
At the center of the city was a large ziggurat built to that god. This was where the priests would live and make sacrifices. Some of the ziggurats were huge and reached great heights. They looked like step pyramids with a flat top.
Ancient Sumer: The ancient Sumerians were very religious people where they worshipped many different gods and goddesses. To the Sumerians, each person had a god of their own, who looked after them. They believed that they had their own special god talked to other gods on their behalf. Their personal god received a great deal of their worship time and attention. But no one god was more important than another. They believed that everything that happened good or bad was a result of their gods. They worked hard to make their gods happy. This was quite difficult since they had hundreds of gods, and they were not a happy bunch. In fact they were downright grumpy. So the Sumerians spent a lot of their time and effort seeking new ways to please their gods.
The Babylonians and Assyrians believed in nearly all the Sumerian gods, plus more gods that each added. Unlike the ancient Sumerians, they believed some gods were more powerful than others, gods like the god of the sky, the sun, the air, and the crops. To the Babylonians, Marduk was the most powerful god. To the Assyrians, Ashur was the most powerful god.
The Sumerians, and later on, the Babylonians (southern Mesopotamia) and the Assyrians (northern Mesopotamia) all believed that everything good and bad that happened to them was the result of their gods pleasure or displeasure. They spent a great deal of time trying to make their gods happy. Their gods were not often happy. That's why Mesopotamian gods are sometimes referred to as the gloomy gods of ancient Mesopotamia.
Ancient Babylon: The ancient Babylonians were a lot like the Sumerians. The Babylonians were the invaders who overthrew the Sumerian city-states in the south and took over the region. They adopted the Sumerian culture, government, economy, urban living, writing (cuneiform), law, and religion. They had the same bunch of gods, with some more added to them. The Babylonians differed from the Sumerians in that their gods had a hierarchy. Marduk, who to the Sumerians was just another god, was the leader of the gods to the Babylonians. The other gods worked for Marduk with some being much more important than others. Like the Sumerians, the Babylonians spent time and effort in trying to make their gods happy. The city of Babylon was built to honor Marduk.
Ancient Assyria: The Assyrians worshiped most of the same gods as Sumerians. Like the Babylonians, they added more gods. They recognized Marduk as an important god, but he was not the most important. To the Assyrians, the most important god was the god Ashur. They built buildings in their towns and decorated them with dragons and demons to protect themselves from the gods.
Some of the Sumerian gods and goddesses included: ● Anu - Sometimes called An, Anu was the god of the heavens and king of the gods. ● Enlil - The god of air, wind, and storms, Enlil held the Tablets of Destiny. These tablets gave him control over the fate of man and made him very powerful. He wore a crown with horns. ● Enki - Enki was the shaper of the world as well as god of wisdom, intellect, and magic. He invented the plow and was responsible for making plants grow. He is drawn holding Zu, the storm bird ● Utu - The god of the sun as well as justice and the law, Utu is drawn holding a saw like instrument. ● Inanna - Inanna was the goddess of love and war. Her symbol is a star with eight points. ● Nanna - Nanna was also called Sin. He was god of the moon. His home was the city of Ur. Babylonian Gods ● Marduk - Marduk was the primary god of the Babylonians and had Babylon as his main city. He was considered the supreme deity over all the other gods. He had as many as 50 different titles. He was sometimes pictured with his pet dragon. ● Nergal - God of the underworld, Nergal was an evil god who brought war and famine on the people. His city was Kuthu. ● Tiamat - Goddess of the sea, Tiamat is drawn as a huge dragon. Marduk defeated her in battle. Shamash - The Babylonian version of Utu Ea - Same as Enki Assyrian Gods ● Ashur (Assur) - The primary god of the Assyrians. He was also the god of war and married to the goddess Ishtar. His symbols are a winged disc and the bow and arrow. ● Ishtar - Similar to Inanna, she was goddess of love and war.
Pretend that you are an ancient Sumerians,draw and color a picture of your own special god. What is his or her name, and what are their special powers.