Mesopotamian Religion

Gods

The Ancient Mesopotamians had many gods and ways to worship them. They thought that the gods influenced much of what happened to them in their lives, and made humans work for them. They also worshipped spirits, and demons. The ancient Mesopotamians were Polytheistic, which means they believed in many gods. In fact, each city had its own god, or called the patron god of the city. At the center of the city was a large temple or ziggurat built to the city's patron god. Some of the ziggurats were huge and reached great heights. This was where the priests would live (thought to have a special connection to the gods) and make sacrifices to the gods. The Ancient Mesopotamians would also communicate to the gods through priests or pray themselves. For instance, if there was a drought, the Ancient Mesopotamians would pray to Ishkur, the god of rain. In the ancient world, the gods sure were thought to be all powerful! (AT)

Religious Practices

As the Ancient Mesopotamian culture and religion evolved, the festivals, ceremonies and traditions became an important part in Ancient Mesopotamia. The many rituals and festivals of Ancient Mesopotamian culture were based around rites of passage, such as birth or marriage. Mesopotamians also worshiped gods as religious practice. They would usually do this if they were in trouble. For instance, If there was a huge drought in Ancient Mesopotamia, they would pray to the rain god of Mesopotamia. These are just some things about Ancient Mesopotamian religion, but there are still many things for us, and even professional archaeologists to learn about Ancient Mesopotamia. (AT)

Page updated

Report abuse