Sumerian Religion - Quia

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