"Poly" want a religion?

Religion was very important in ancient civilizations. In fact, it played a role in nearly every aspect of public and private life. In many ways, religion was the basis for all ancient societies.

The earliest religions practiced polytheism, or the worship in many gods.

For early cultures and civilizations, the connection to polytheism relates back to early human experiences with nature.  As humans tried to make sense of their world, they determined that things that exercised their own will and independence were representative of spirits, or gods, and thus found multiple gods in their everyday life.

Different gods and goddesses represented forces of nature or the principles of one's ancestors and could be seen throughout the world around people.  As humans existed in - and because of - their surroundings, it stands to reason that connecting to those elements was essential to understanding the unpredictable and unknown.  In this way, early religions relied on a multitude of gods, as each responsibility was so important that it required a separate deity.

All civilizations have some kind of religious system. A religious system includes both a set of beliefs, usually in a god or gods, and forms of worship.

In Sumer, religious beliefs influenced every part of daily life. The Sumerians tried to please their gods in all things, from growing crops to settling disputes. Religion bound the people together in a common way of life.

The ancient Sumerians expressed their religious beliefs by constructing temples and religious towers called ziggurats. It was the king's duty to build and maintain these ziggurats. The towers were platforms made of mud bricks, with shrines on the highest tier. Ziggurats were so large that they could be seen from 20 miles away. Some were as high as 8 stories and as wide as 200 feet.

The Sumerians believed that their gods lived in the ziggurats, most likely in the special shrines at the top. Attached to the outside walls of each ziggurat was a long staircase that the gods could use to climb down to Earth. Kings and priests stood inside the towers to ask for the gods' blessings.

Sumerian statues also expressed religious beliefs. Many of these statues were detailed and lifelike. They showed people worshipping the gods, often with eyes gazing upward. The Sumerians believed that the gods were pleased when people showed these signs of devotion, or love and obedience.

The Sumerians had many kinds of religious ceremonies. Often, musicians played at these ceremonies. Some ceremonies may have involved human sacrifice, the ritual killing of a person as an offering to the gods.

Like most other religions of their time, the ancient Mesopotamians worshipped hundreds of gods each and every day.  Each god had a job to do.  Each city had its own special god to watch over the city.  Each profession had a god to watch over the people who worked in that profession (i.e. builders, fishermen, soldiers, etc.).

These individual gods would protect and look after the people.  Their own, special god, talked to other gods on their behalf.  Even though personal gods received a large amount of attention and worship, no one god was more important than another.

Review the Sumerian creation myth (below) and compare/contrast it with the creation myths you previously read about.

The ancient Egyptians had strong religious beliefs.  Worshiping the gods was a part of their everyday lives.  Many Egyptian religious customs focused on what happened after people died.

The Egyptians built temples to the gods all over the kingdom.

The temples collected payments from both the government and worshippers.  This allowed the temples to grow larger and have a bigger influence on people and Egyptian society.

Emphasis on the Afterlife

Much of the Egyptian religion focused on the afterlife, or life after death. The Egyptians believed that the afterlife was a happy place. Paintings from Egyptian tombs show the afterlife as an ideal world where all the people are young and healthy.

When a person died, his or her "life force" left the body and became a spirit. This spirit remained linked to the body and could not leave its burial site. In this belief, the spirit had all the same needs that a person had when he or she was living. This explains why the dead were buried with food, furniture, and the comforts of the real world.

People filled tombs with objects for the afterlife. Furniture, clothing, tools, jewelry, and weapons were left behind for the deceased. Relatives of the dead were expected to bring food and beverages to their loved ones' tombs so the spirit would not be hungry or thirsty.

Egyptians believed that a body had to be prepared for the afterlife before it could be buried. This meant the body had to be preserved. If the body decayed, its spirit could not recognize it. That would break the link between the body and spirit. The spirit then would be unable to receive the food and drink it needed to have a good afterlife.

To prevent the spirit from suffering, the Egyptians developed a method called "embalming." Embalming allowed bodies to be preserved for many, many years as mummies. Bodies that were not properly embalmed would decay rather quickly.

Directions:

1. Spin the wheel to select your god/goddess from ancient Egypt.

2. Use the information posted below to check out the social media profile of your god/goddess.

3. Complete the "Egyptian Gods sheet" with all the information about your god/goddess.

4. After learning all there is to know about your god/goddess, teach your group about your specific god/goddess.

Let the game begin!!!