Mesopotamian Gods and Ziggurats

Mesopotamian Gods and Ziggurats

1. Mesopotamian Gods & Ziggurats 1˚ ESO Social Studies Fall 2014

2. Ziggurat What do you think a ziggurat is? Describe what you see in the pictures.

3. ZIGGURAT

4. ZIGGURAT

5. Ziggurats Ziggurats were built by the Sumerians,  Babylonians,  Akkadians, and Assyrians for local religions. Each Z iggurat was part of a temple complex which included other buildings.  Built in receding tiers upon a rectangular, oval, or square platform, the ziggurat was a pyramidal structure with a flat top . Sun-baked bricks made up the core of the ziggurat with facings of fired bricks on the outside. The facings were often glazed in different colors and may have had astrological significance. Kings sometimes had their names engraved on these glazed bricks. The number of tiers ranged from two to seven . It is assumed they had shrines at the top.

6. Ziggurats  Access to the shrine would have been by a series of ramps on one side of the ziggurat or by a spiral ramp from base to summit. The Mesopotamian ziggurats were not places for public worship or ceremonies. They were believed to be dwelling places for the gods and each city had its own patron god. Only priests were permitted on the ziggurat or in the rooms at its base, and it was their responsibility to care for the gods and attend to their needs. Ziggurats are not Egyptian Pyramids. According to Herodotus, at the top of each ziggurat was a shrine, although none of these shrines have survived.

7. Ziggurats   One practical function of the Ziggurats was a high place on which the priests could escape rising water that annually flooded the lowlands. Another practical function of the ziggurat was for security. Since the shrine was accessible only by way of three stairways, a small number of guards could prevent non-priests from spying on the rituals at the shrine on top of the ziggurat, such as cooking of sacrificial food and burning of carcasses of sacrificial animals. Each ziggurat was part of a temple complex that included a courtyard, storage rooms, bathrooms, and living quarters, around which a city was built

8. Ziggurat Review Who can tell me something about ziggurats?

9. Ziggurat Review What is unusual about this building ?

10. Ziggurat Review What might it have been like to see a Ziggurat without knowing what they were or who the Mesopotamians were?

11. Mesopotamian Religion Why do you think gods and goddesses are important? How do you think religion influences humans and history? Have you heard of any Mesopotamian gods and goddesses?

12. Mesopotamian Religion Mesopotamian’s had several gods and goddesses. Each had a different purpose.

13. Mesopotamian Religion https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_0N7E7nScc

14. Adad or Ishkur God of weather, hurricanes, storms, thunder, and rain. The supreme power.

15. Enlil or Ashur God of the wind.

16. Ninlil Goddess of the air. Consort of Enlil.

17. Anu or An God of heaven and the sky. Lord of constellations. Father of gods.

18. Enki or Ea God of the Abzu (the holy water that all water came from). God of crafts, water, intelligence, mischief, and creation. Divine ruler of the Earth and all of it’s inhabitants.

19. Ereshkigal Goddess of Irkalla (the Underworld/Hell).

20. Inanna or Ishtar Goddess of fertility, love, war, and lust.

21. Marduk Patron deity of Babylon. Became head of the Babylonian pantheon.

22. Nabu God of wisdom and writing.

23. Nanshe Goddess of social justice, prophecy, fertility, and fishing.

24. Nergal God of plague, war, and the sun and it’s destructive capacity.

25. Ninhursag or Mami Also known as Belet -Ili, Ki, Ninmah , Nintu , and Aruru . Goddess of the earth. Mother goddess.

26. Ninurta Champion of the gods. The epitome of youthful vigor. God of Agriculture.

27. Shamash or Utu God of the sun. Arbiter of justice. Patron of travelers.

28. Sin or Nanna God of the moon.

29. Tammuz or Dumuzi God of food and vegetation.

30. Mesopotamian Religion What are they wearing? What are they doing? How can you (or can you?) tell they are a god or goddess ?

31. Mesopotamian Religion Take into consideration that there was a god for many different aspects of life. Imagine that you are an inhabitant of Mesopotamia. What kind of holiday do you imagine you may have created around the time of current-day Halloween? Write about a ritual or holiday and specify a god or gods that you would be worshipping.