Complex religion
The Mesopotamians worshipped many different gods and goddesses. Mesopotamians were polytheistic. The people considered that the happenings in their life were influenced by the gods. Each city had its own god. At the center of the city was a large temple or a ziggurat built for the god. This would be where the priests live and make sacrifices. Some of the ziggurats were huge and gigantic and was very high. The ziggurats looked like step pyramids with a flat top.
Some of the Sumerian gods are: Anu - Sometimes called An, Anu is the god of the heaven and king of the gods. The city who worshipped Anu was Uruk. Enlil - The god of air, wind, and storms, Enlil had the control of 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 worshipped in 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. Some of the Babylonian gods are: Marduk - Marduk was the primary god of the Babylonians and had Babylon as his main city. He was considered the supreme leader of all the other gods. He had approximately 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 |
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The ziggurats and the temples, which is a big part of the Mesopotamian architecture were used for represent their god and honor them. Many of the written records or artworks about the religion is also a big part of the Mesopotamian art and architecture.
Art and architecture
Sumerians worked in gold as well as clay and wood. They mad jewelry and tiny statues out of gold, lapis. They made chairs out of woods and reeds. They made musical instruments. They made incredible potteries and they also made mosaics. Archaeologists found some of the mosaics which contained portraits of animals and people, as well as geometric patterns.
The Babylonians built on top of the remains of some of the cities of Sumer. They worked in gold, lapis, wood and clay. They made jewelry, musical instruments, small statues, chairs, weapons, and mosaics. The Babylonians were a little bit different than Sumerians, because added massive sculptures to represent and honor their gods. The Babylonians are also known for making the first colored egg shells.
The Mesopotamian architectue was constructed of brick, and they used arches and domes and vaults. The huge Eanna temple at Uruk (Erech in the Old Testament), the biggest of the Sumerian cities, had two sections of temples connected by a portico.
The Mesopotamian architectue was constructed of brick, and they used arches and domes and vaults. The huge Eanna temple at Uruk (Erech in the Old Testament), the biggest of the Sumerian cities, had two sections of temples connected by a portico.