Gods

Mesopotamians were polytheistic, meaning they have many deities in their religion. Some people were also henotheistic meaning gods were superior to them. These are the gods of Mesopotamia: Inanna, Enlil, Ninhursag, Marduk, Anu, Ninurta, Enki, Sin, and Tiamat. Marduk is the king of the gods, like Zeus was to the Greeks. Ancient Babylon, Mesopotamia, and Sumer mostly have the same gods, but they have a few gods that are different.The gods for Babylon are not that different; the only ones that are different are Utu, Nergal, Shamash, Nabu, and Abzu. The only gods that Sumer has that are different from Mesopotamia and Babylon are Erishkigal, Gula, and Nammu. The patron god for Babylon is Marduk. The patron god for Sumer is Enlil.  Usually the Mesopotamian gods were presented in human form. 

All the gods had different powers and abilities. These powers and abilities helped the gods stay in control and helped our planet grow. These were Enlil’s powers: wind, air, and storms. Enki was the god of wisdom, intelligence, magic, crafts, and fresh water. The god Ninhursag is the fertility goddess of the mountains. Nanna is the god of the moon and wisdom. Inanna is the goddess of love, fertility, procreation, and war. (GH)

Religious Practices

The gods in Mesopotamia were worshiped by going to a temple and praying or sacrificing things to honor their gods. The Sumerians worshiped their gods by having festivals and making sacrifices. The Sumerians also made ziggurats. The Babylonians had festivals too. The reason we have big floats in parades is because the Babylonians had them. Official worshiping was done in sanctuaries and temples. Most of the temples were especially made for Marduk, who was their patron god.

Mesopotamians had festivals, but the festivals all had different names. One of the festivals was called the Akitu Festival. It was how the Babylonians worshiped Marduk in the third millennium BCE. The Sumerians celebrated the Akitu Segurku Festival. This festival was the festival of sowing and barley. In Mesopotamia there were reasons for different festivals like New Year, gods' birthdays, important days in their lives, ceremonial mourning, memorable events, sowing, reaping, monarch’s coronation, and the birth of royal children. (GH)