Religion and Gods of Mesopotamia

The Ancient Mesopotamians worshipped many different gods and

goddesses. They thought that the gods influenced much of what happened
to them in their lives. Babylonian and Assyrian religion was heavily
influenced by the Sumerians. 
Religion was central to Mesopotamians as they believed the divine affected
every aspect of human life. Mesopotamians were polytheistic; they
worshipped several major gods and thousands of minor gods. Each
Mesopotamian city, whether Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian or Assyrian,
had its own patron god or goddess. Each Mesopotamian era or culture had
different expressions and interpretations of the gods. Marduk, Babylon’s
god, for example, was known as Enki or Ea in Sumer.
Clay tablets found in archeological excavations describe the cosmology,
mythology and religious practices and observations of the time.
Mesopotamian beliefs influenced the monotheistic religions that came after,
Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

There were over 1,000 deities in the pantheon of the gods of the
Mesopotamian cultures and many stories concerning the gods (among
them, the creation myth, the Enuma Elish). It is generally accepted that
biblical tales such as the Fall of Man and the Flood of Noah (among many
others) originated in Mesopotamian lore, as they first appear in
Mesopotamian works such as The Myth of Adapa and the Epic
of Gilgamesh, the oldest written story in the world. The Mesopotamians
believed that they were co-workers with the gods and that the land was
infused with spirits and demons (though `demons’ should not be
understood in the modern, Christian, sense).

The beginning of the world, they believed, was a victory by the gods over
the forces of chaos but, even though the gods had won, this did not mean
chaos could not come again. Through daily rituals, attention to the deities,
proper funeral practices, and simple civic duty, the people of Mesopotamia
felt they helped maintain balance in the world and kept the forces of chaos
and destruction at bay. Along with expectations that one would honor one’s
elders and treat people with respect, the citizens of the land were also to
honor the gods through the jobs they performed every day.
Pantheon: (all the gods of a people or religion collectively.)
Mesopotamia’s gods were humans writ large; they were human in form and
characteristics. Although all powerful, the gods behaved much like humans—they
fought, ate, drank, married and had children. Although they were immortal, they could
be hurt and paradoxically, killed. Each god had charge of some aspect of existence
according to a set of rules that ensured the continued functioning of the cosmos.
The four primary deities were An, Ki or Ninhursag, Enlil and Enki, who ruled heaven,
earth, air and sea, respectively. Enlil gradually takes on all of An’s powers and becomes
the most powerful god. The four gods are the progenitors of the rest of the pantheon.
Three other gods were also important: Nanna, another name for the moon god, Sin;
Utu, the god of the sun and judgment; and Inanna, the goddess of love and war.
Mesopotamia’s pantheon of gods and their deeds make up the region’s rich, dense
mythology

Development of Religion:
Mesopotamian religion, beliefs and practices of the Sumerians and Akkadians, and
their successors, the Babylonians and Assyrians, who inhabited
ancient Mesopotamia (now in Iraq) in the millennia before the Christian era. These
religious beliefs and practices form a single stream of tradition. Sumerian in origin,
Mesopotamian religion was added to and subtly modified by the Akkadians (Semites
who emigrated into Mesopotamia from the west at the end of the 4th millennium BCE),
whose own beliefs were in large measure assimilated to, and integrated with, those of
their new environment. As the only available intellectual framework that could provide
a comprehensive understanding of the forces governing existence and also guidance
for right conduct in life, religion ineluctably conditioned all aspects of ancient
Mesopotamian civilization. It yielded the forms in which that civilization’s social,
economic, legal, political, and military institutions were, and are, to be understood, and it
provided the significant symbols for poetry and art. In many ways it even influenced
peoples and cultures outside Mesopotamia, such as the Elamites to the east,
the Hurrians and Hittites to the north, and the Aramaeans and Israelites to the west.

Role of Priests:
In early Mesopotamia, priests were the initial rulers as all authority came from the god.
Priests then were both representative of the god and mediator between the god and the
people. Later, the secular power was established in a king, although kings also had
specific religious duties. Kings ruled by the god’s favor and so were imbued with a semi-
divine authority. Kings, priests and priestesses were the most important people in
Mesopotamian society.

Beliefs of afterlife:
Nergal and Ereshkigal ruled the underworld, where people went when they died. People
entered the underworld from their graves. First, they had to cross a river via a ferry.
Once there, a soul was judged by Utu, another god. A positive judgment meant an
afterlife of happiness; however, most Mesopotamians thought the afterlife would be
dreary.

Ziggurat:
Each city had its own god. At the center of the city was a large temple or 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. 

Persian Religion: 
The main religion of the Persians was called Zoroastrianism. It was based on the teachings of
the prophet Zoroaster. In this religion there was only one god named Ahura Mazda. Ahura
Mazda created the world. He was all good and constantly fought against evil. The Persians
believed that good thoughts and actions would help to fight the evil.

Sumerian 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. The city associated with Anu was Uruk.
 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. He was associated with the city of Nippur.
 Enki - Enki was the shaper of the world as well as god of wisdom, intellect, and
magic. He invented the plough and was responsible for making plants grow. He
is drawn holding Zu, the storm bird. He was god of the city of Eridu.
  Utu - The god of the sun as well as justice and the law, Utu is drawn holding a
saw like instrument. Mythology says that Utu travels across the world each day in
a chariot.
 Inanna - Inanna was the goddess of love and war. Her symbol is a star with eight
points. Her primary city was Uruk, but she was also prominent in the city of
Babylon.
 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.
 Shamash - The Assyrian version of Utu
 Elil - The Assyrian version of Enlil.
 Ea - Same as Enki