Santamaria 1

Sofia Santamaria

Ms. Gillam

World History

12-14-2023

Religion in History: How do Religious Artifacts help ancient people find a sense of belonging

and lead a better life?

Ancient religious artifacts help people find a sense of belonging and lead a better life

through ideas of the afterlife, guidance, and authority. In Mesopotamia, there is the Great

Ziggurat of Ur. Ancient Egypt, the Great Pyramid of Giza. In Jerusalem, there were the Ten

Commandments. In Ancient India, there were the Upanishads. In Ancient Greece, they had the

Statue of Zeus at Olympia. One might think “What do these silly artifacts have to do with

helping find belonging and purpose?” Well, these artifacts helped shape ancient civilizations,

religions, and millions of people to come.

Belief in the afterlife is a common characteristic in many ancient civilizations it gave

people an answer to life’s biggest question. The Great Pyramid of Giza was made for the burial

of Pharaoh Khufu and for him to rule in the afterlife. The pyramids were the result of the belief

in ka, an eternal life force. Even if the pyramids were only for the pharaohs, it still solidified for

the rest of the Egyptians that there was some sort of life after death, otherwise, they wouldn’t be

making huge constructions. Implementing a belief in the afterlife in a civilization can give

people a purpose to do things as they are working toward something. Another example is the

Ziggurat of Ur, a slightly similar structure to a pyramid. The Ziggurat of Ur was built for the

Moon goddess Nanna. The ziggurats were places of worship and served as a passageway
 Santamaria 2

between the afterlife and earth. The sacrifices imply that there were gods to serve and to make

them happy as they determined life now and the afterlife.

Many artifacts served as a guide to leading a more ethical lifestyle and understanding the

world. One of the most famous artifacts from Ancient Jerusalem, which came from Mose’s

expedition to Mount Sinai is the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were “rules”

that encouraged people to act more righteous as it was derived from God himself. To please God,

they followed his guidance to help them be at peace in this world. The Upanishads were made by

Hindi teachers interpreting the Vedic Hymns. It instructed individuals on how to achieve

moksha, the state of perfect understanding of all things. It helped them to understand not only

themselves but the world around them. The guidance from the Ten Commandments and

Upanishads helped the ancient people lead a better life and have a better understanding of life.

The Ten Commandments and Upanishads continue to guide people today.

The third way that these religious artifacts help people find a sense of belonging and lead

a better life is through authority. The Statue of Zeus of Olympia depicts an enlarged god taking

up the entire temple. In Ancient Greece, everything that happened was because of the gods, they

were to be treated with respect. Since the gods were trusted and respected, the Greeks believed

every natural thing that happened was because of the gods. If you were nice to the gods, good

things would happen and vice versa. These gods had authority and would help the Greeks

understand why everything happened and how to maintain it.

While life in ancient times was not an easy task, religious artifacts were able to help

ancient people understand their purpose and lead a better life using the concept of the afterlife,

guidance, and authority. Even today what came from these artifacts led to multiple religions and

beliefs that are around today and still help people understand life and live better.
Santamaria 3