Transcript
Sumerian ReligionSumerian Sun God receives a tribute
Notice that the god is pictured bigger than regular people.
Purpose of ReligionReligious beliefs emerge as a way
to explain the unexplainable…– Weather– Creation of Man– Natural Disasters– Plague
RememberGobekli Tepewas areligiouscenter.
Sumerian Creation of Man• Sumerian Gods are look like men• Man was created by the Gods to act as
their slaves.• The Gods used the mud from the Tigris
and the Euphrates to mold the first meninto shape.
Remember that theGods created people towork for them.
Polytheism• The belief in many Gods.• Sumerian’s believed that there were
more than 3000 Gods.• Each City state had a primary God who
was their protector.• The ziggurat in the center of the city
was dedicated to the primary God andthe temple on top was considered thegod’s house.
• Sumerian Gods looked and acted likepeople but had supernatural powers
Power of the Gods• Sumerians believed that
everything thathappened to them - beit good or bad - was theresult of a god'spleasure or displeasure.
• This meant Sumerianslived in fear of makingthe Gods unhappy.
• This is what is meant bymalevolent gods – thatthey could hurt as muchas they helped
Happiness of Gods…
To keep the godshappy one must:– pray often– Give them gifts of food
and drink– Honor them with holy
days
• Happy Gods
• Unhappy Gods
Praying Statues• Praying statues were
created to representpeople praying to theGods.
• They were left in thetemple to offer prayerswhen the people werenot there.
• These statues helpedkeep the gods happy.
Sumerian Priests• Upper Class Citizens• Only people allowed inside the
Ziggurat• Their job was to care for the
gods and attend to theirneeds
• Early priests were also kingsgiven their power to conversewith the Gods.
• Later priests read omens andadvised the kings
• Priests could trap evil spiritsand transfer them to animals
• Priests also performed ritualsand told fortunes
Gilgamesh• Priest-king in Uruk around
3100-2700 BCE• Half-man / half god• Fought great beasts• Sought immortality• Story written on 12
tablets• Earliest story every
recorded
Ziggurat• Located in Ur and dedicated to Goddess Nanna• Built in 2100 BCE
Stairs
Ziggurat• Constructed from sun baked mud / reed
bricks.• The outside bricks were kiln fired and had a
colorful glaze.• Largest building in the City State• Ziggurats ranged in size from 2 to 7 tiers• Not places of worship or ceremony – they
were the homes of the gods• There are 32 known ziggurats (28 in Iraq, 4 in
Iran)
Ziggurat Architecture
• Early Ziggurats were solid – like a sandcastle as they did not know how to builda hollow building of that size.
• Later Ziggurats were store houses forwealth, knowledge, extra food
Creation of Sun Baked MudBricks
• Bricks made from a combination of mudand reeds. Straw is added to keep thebricks from cracking as they dried.
• Mud bricks needed to dry in the sun forseveral weeks before used.
Mud Bricks
Temple Complexes Included:• Homes for priests• Schools for scribes• Workshops for
craftspeople• Storehouses for
goods• Courtyard for trade
Ziggurat Courtyard• Central place of
Trade– Slave trade– Animal trade– Market place for
skilled laborers– Central gathering
place for city
Modern Architecture
• Ziggurat Tower – West Sacramento, CA
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