Religious History:
a) The god of freshwater (Apsu) and the goddess of salt water (Tiamat) formed 2 generations of gods: the elder and the younger.
b) The younger generation rose up to kill Apsu both Tiamet.
c) The earth and humans that inhabit it were then created.
Theology:
a) Gods helped humans in every aspect of their life (polytheism).
b) A god’s home on earth was a human-made temple.
c) Patron gods and goddesses literally inhabited their temples in the center of the city; these deities could not leave their “homes”. Thus, their statues were carried from one city to another in order for gods to “visit” each other.
d) People connected to god through prayer and animal/human sacrifices.
Afterlife:
a) Mesopotamian paradise (“Dilmun”) was considered a place for Immortal gods only. Thus, all humans were taken to the underworld after death, an inescapable dark and dreary place.
b) Proper burial was performed to ensure that the souls of the dead would not come back to haunt the living.
c) If one lived a good life, yet met an unfortunate end, a necromancer would be called upon to discover if any spirits had been angered.
d) In every home, shrines were built for the purpose of making food and drink sacrifices to their deceased loved ones.
The Art of Divination:
a) Mesopotamians believed that the gods sent them messages embedded in everyday life, and that these signs could be interpreted by a “Diviner”.
Diviners would interpret signs by performing rituals such as opening the liver of a sheep. Procedures such as these were considered “scientific”.
a) The god of freshwater (Apsu) and the goddess of salt water (Tiamat) formed 2 generations of gods: the elder and the younger.
b) The younger generation rose up to kill Apsu both Tiamet.
c) The earth and humans that inhabit it were then created.
Theology:
a) Gods helped humans in every aspect of their life (polytheism).
b) A god’s home on earth was a human-made temple.
c) Patron gods and goddesses literally inhabited their temples in the center of the city; these deities could not leave their “homes”. Thus, their statues were carried from one city to another in order for gods to “visit” each other.
d) People connected to god through prayer and animal/human sacrifices.
Afterlife:
a) Mesopotamian paradise (“Dilmun”) was considered a place for Immortal gods only. Thus, all humans were taken to the underworld after death, an inescapable dark and dreary place.
b) Proper burial was performed to ensure that the souls of the dead would not come back to haunt the living.
c) If one lived a good life, yet met an unfortunate end, a necromancer would be called upon to discover if any spirits had been angered.
d) In every home, shrines were built for the purpose of making food and drink sacrifices to their deceased loved ones.
The Art of Divination:
a) Mesopotamians believed that the gods sent them messages embedded in everyday life, and that these signs could be interpreted by a “Diviner”.
Diviners would interpret signs by performing rituals such as opening the liver of a sheep. Procedures such as these were considered “scientific”.