Sumerian religion - wikipedia Sumerian religion Statuette of a `` praying Sumerian '', Gudea, Early Dynastic Period III ( c. 2500 BC ) Part of a series on Ancient Mesopotamian religion Primordial beings Abzu and Tiamat Lahmu and Lahamu Anshar and Kishar Mummu Seven gods who decree Four primary Anu Enlil Enki Ninhursag Three sky gods Inanna / Ishtar Nanna / Sin Utu / Shamash Other major deities Adad Dumuzid / Tammuz Enkimdu Ereshkigal Kingu Geshtinanna Lahar Marduk Nergal Ninurta Minor deities Agasaya Anunnaki Asaruludu Ashnan Bel Enbilulu Isimud Lahar Mami / Nintu Mamitu Nabu Namtar Nanshe Nidaba Ningal Ninkasi Ninlil Ninshubur Ninsun Nusku Sarpanit Uttu Demigods and heroes Adapa Enkidu Enmerkar Gilgamesh Lugalbanda Shamhat Siduri Atra - Hasis Spirits and monsters Utukku Lamassu / Shedu Asakku Edimmu Siris Anzû Humbaba Asag Hanbi Kur Lamashtu Pazuzu Rabisu Tales Atra - Hasis Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta Enûma Eliš Epic of Gilgamesh Related topics Ancient Near Eastern religions Sumerian religion Babylonian religion Sumerian religion was the religion practiced and adhered to by the people of Sumer, the first literate civilization of ancient Mesopotamia. The Sumerians regarded their divinities as responsible for all matters pertaining to the natural and social orders. Before the beginning of kingship in Sumer, the city - states were effectively ruled by theocratic priests and religious officials. Later, this role was supplanted by kings, but priests continued to exert great influence on Sumerian society. In early times, Sumerian temples were simple, one - room structures, sometimes built on elevated platforms. Towards the end of Sumerian civilization, these temples developed into ziggurats -- tall, pyramidal structures with sanctuaries at the tops. The Sumerians believed that the universe had come into being through a series of cosmic births. First, Nammu, the primeval waters, gave birth to An ( the sky ) and Ki ( the earth ), who mated together and produced a son named Enlil. Enlil separated heaven from earth and claimed the earth as his domain. Humans were believed to have been created by Enki, the son of An and Nammu. The major deities in the Sumerian pantheon included An, the god of the heavens, Enlil, the god of wind and storm, Enki, the god of water and human culture, Ninhursag, the goddess of the earth and of fertility, Inanna, the goddess of sex, beauty, and warfare, Utu, the god of the sun, and Ereshkigal, the queen of the Underworld. Sumerian religion heavily influenced the religious beliefs of later Mesopotamian peoples ; elements of it are retained in the mythologies and religions of the Hurrians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and other Middle Eastern culture groups. Scholars of comparative mythology have noticed many parallels between the stories of the ancient Sumerians and those recorded in the early parts of the Hebrew Bible. Contents 1 Worship 1.1 Written cuneiform 1.2 Architecture 1.3 Priesthood 1.4 Ceremony 2 Cosmology 2.1 Creation story 3 Pantheon 3.1 Development 3.2 Major deities 3.2. 1 Primeval deities 3.2. 2 Enlil, Ninlil, and Ninurta 3.2. 3 Enki and Ninhursag 3.2. 4 Inanna 3.2. 5 Netherworld deities 3.2. 6 Celestial deities 4 Legacy 4.1 Akkadians 4.2 Babylonians 4.3 Hurrians 4.4 Parallels 5 Genealogy of the Sumerian deities 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Worship Cuneiform temple hymn from the nineteenth century BC ; the hymn is addressed to the Lugal Iddin - Dagan of Larsa Written cuneiform Sumerian myths were passed down through the oral tradition until the invention of writing. Early Sumerian cuneiform was used primarily as a record - keeping tool ; it was not until the late early dynastic period that religious writings first became prevalent as temple praise hymns and as a form of `` incantation '' called the nam - šub ( prefix + `` to cast '' ). Architecture Main article : Sumerian architecture In the Sumerian city - states, temple complexes originally were small, elevated one - room structures. In the early dynastic period, temples developed raised terraces and multiple rooms. Toward the end of the Sumerian civilization, ziggurats became the preferred temple structure for Mesopotamian religious centers. Temples served as cultural, religious, and political headquarters until approximately 2500 BC, with the rise of military kings known as Lu - gals ( `` man '' + `` big '' ) after which time the political and military leadership was often housed in separate `` palace '' complexes. Priesthood Statuette of a Sumerian worshiper from the Early Dynastic Period, ca. 2800 - 2300 BC Until the advent of the lugals, Sumerian city states were under a virtually theocratic government controlled by various En or Ensí, who served as the high priests of the cults of the city gods. ( Their female equivalents were known as Nin. ) Priests were responsible for continuing the cultural and religious traditions of their city - state, and were viewed as mediators between humans and the cosmic and terrestrial forces. The priesthood resided full - time in temple complexes, and administered matters of state including the large irrigation processes necessary for the civilization 's survival. Ceremony During the Third Dynasty of Ur, the Sumerian city - state of Lagash was said to have had sixty - two `` lamentation priests '' who were accompanied by 180 vocalists and instrumentalists. Cosmology The Sumerians envisioned the universe as a closed dome surrounded by a primordial saltwater sea. Underneath the terrestrial earth, which formed the base of the dome, existed an underworld and a freshwater ocean called the Apsû. The deity of the dome - shaped firmament was named An ; the earth was named Ki. First the underground world was believed to be an extension of the goddess Ki, but later developed into the concept of Kur. The primordial saltwater sea was named Nammu, who became known as Tiamat during and after the Sumerian Renaissance. Creation story Main article : Sumerian creation myth The primordial union of An and Ki produced Enlil, who became leader of the Sumerian pantheon. After the other deities banished Enlil from Dilmun ( the `` home of the deities '' ) for raping the air goddess Ninlil ; she had a child, Nanna, god of the moon. Nanna and Ningal gave birth to Inanna, the goddess of war and fertility, and to Utu, god of the sun. Pantheon Cuneiform list of the names of major deities in the Sumerian pantheon, in order of seniority : Enlil, Ninlil, Enki, Nergal, Hendursanga, Inanna - Zabalam, Ninebgal, Inanna, Utu, and Nanna Development It is generally agreed that Sumerian civilization began at some point between c. 4500 and 4000 BC, but the earliest historical records only date to around 2900 BC. The Sumerians originally practiced a polytheistic religion, with anthropomorphic deities representing cosmic and terrestrial forces in their world. The earliest Sumerian literature of the third millennium BC identifies four primary deities : An, Enlil, Ninhursag, and Enki. These early deities were believed to occasionally behave mischievously towards each other, but were generally viewed as being involved in co-operative creative ordering. During the middle of the third millennium BC, Sumerian society became more urbanized. As a result of this, Sumerian deities began to lose their original associations with nature and became the patrons of various cities. Each Sumerian city - state had its own specific patron deity, who was believed to protect the city and defend its interests. Lists of large numbers of Sumerian deities have been found. Their order of importance and the relationships between the deities has been examined during the study of cuneiform tablets. During the late 2000s BC, the Sumerians were conquered by the Akkadians. The Akkadians syncretized their own gods with the Sumerian ones, causing Sumerian religion to take on a Semitic coloration. Male deities became dominant and the gods completely lost their original associations with natural phenomena. People began to view the gods as living in a feudal society with class structure. Powerful deities such as Enki and Inanna became seen as receiving their power from the chief god Enlil. Major deities Akkadian cylinder seal from sometime around 2300 BC or thereabouts depicting the deities Inanna, Utu, Enki, and Isimud The majority of Sumerian deities belonged to a classification called the Anunna ( `` ( offspring ) of An '' ), whereas seven deities, including Enlil and Inanna, belonged to a group of `` underworld judges '' known as the Anunnaki ( `` ( offspring ) of An '' + Ki ). During the Third Dynasty of Ur, the Sumerian pantheon was said to include sixty times sixty ( 3600 ) deities. Primeval deities Nammu was the primeval sea ( Engur ), who gave birth to An ( heaven ) and Ki ( earth ) and the first deities ; she eventually became known as the goddess Tiamat. An was the ancient Sumerian god of the heavens. He was the ancestor of all the other major deities and the original patron deity of Uruk. Enlil, Ninlil, and Ninurta Enlil was the god of air, wind, and storm. He was also the chief god of the Sumerian pantheon and the patron deity of the city of Nippur. His primary consort was Ninlil, the goddess of the south wind, who was one of the matron deities of Nippur and was believed to reside in the same temple as Enlil. Ninurta was the son of Enlil and Ninlil. He was worshipped as the god of war, agriculture, and one of the Sumerian wind gods. He was the patron deity of Girsu and one of the patron deities of Lagash. Enki and Ninhursag Enki was god of freshwater, male fertility, and knowledge. His most important cult center was the E-abzu temple in the city of Eridu. He was the patron and creator of humanity and the sponsor of human culture. His primary consort was Ninhursag, the Sumerian goddess of the earth. Ninhursag was worshipped in the cities of Kesh and Adab. Inanna Ancient Akkadian cylinder seal depicting Inanna resting her foot on the back of a lion while Ninshubur stands in front of her paying obeisance, c. 2334 - 2154 BC. Main article : Inanna Inanna was the Sumerian goddess of love, sexuality, prostitution, and war. She was the divine personification of the planet Venus, the morning and evening star. Her main cult center was the Eanna temple in Uruk, which had been originally dedicated to An. Deified kings may have re-enacted the marriage of Inanna and Dumuzid with priestesses. Accounts of her parentage vary ; in most myths, she is usually presented as the daughter of Nanna and Ningal, but, in other stories, she is the daughter of Enki or An along with an unknown mother. The Sumerians had more myths about her than any other deity. Many of the myths involving her revolve around her attempts to usurp control of the other deities ' domains. Netherworld deities Ereshkigal was the goddess of the Sumerian Underworld, which was known as Kur. She was Inanna 's older sister. In later myth, her husband was the god Nergal. The gatekeeper of the underworld was the god Neti. Celestial deities Utu was god of the sun, whose primary center of worship was the E-babbar temple in Sippar. Utu was principally regarded as a dispenser of justice ; he was believed to protect the righteous and punish the wicked. Nanna was god of the moon and of wisdom. He was the father of Utu and one of the patron deities of Ur. He may have also been the father of Inanna and Ereshkigal. Ningal was the wife of Nanna, as well as the mother of Utu, Inanna, and Ereshkigal. Legacy Ninurta portrayed with an eagle head, c. 860 BC, Temple of Ninurta, Nimrud Akkadians The Sumerians had an ongoing linguistic and cultural exchange with the Semitic Akkadian peoples in northern Mesopotamia for generations prior to the usurpation of their territories by Sargon of Akkad in 2340 BC. Sumerian mythology and religious practices were rapidly integrated into Akkadian culture, presumably blending with the original Akkadian belief systems that have been mostly lost to history. Sumerian deities developed Akkadian counterparts. Some remained virtually the same until later Babylonian and Assyrian rule. The Sumerian god An, for example, developed the Akkadian counterpart Anu ; the Sumerian god Enki became Ea. The gods Ninurta and Enlil kept their original Sumerian names. Babylonians The Amorite Babylonians gained dominance over southern Mesopotamia by the mid-17th century BC. During the Old Babylonian Period, the Sumerian and Akkadian languages were retained for religious purposes ; the majority of Sumerian mythological literature known to historians today comes from the Old Babylonian Period, either in the form of transcribed Sumerian texts ( most notably the Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh ) or in the form of Sumerian and Akkadian influences within Babylonian mythological literature ( most notably the Enûma Eliš ). The Sumerian - Akkadian pantheon was altered, most notably with the introduction of a new supreme deity, Marduk. The Sumerian goddess Inanna also developed the counterpart Ishtar during the Old Babylonian Period. Hurrians Main article : Hurrians The Hurrians adopted the Akkadian god Anu into their pantheon sometime no later than 1200 BC. Other Sumerian and Akkadian deities adapted into the Hurrian pantheon include Ayas, the Hurrian counterpart to Ea ; Shaushka, the Hurrian counterpart to Ishtar ; and the goddess Ninlil, whose mythos had been drastically expanded by the Babylonians. Parallels Some stories in Sumerian mythology bear strong similarities to the stories recorded in the older parts of the Hebrew Bible. For example, the biblical account of Noah and the Great Flood bears a striking resemblance to the Sumerian deluge myth, recorded in a Sumerian tablet discovered at Nippur. The Judaic underworld Sheol is very similar in description with the Sumerian Kur, ruled by the goddess Ereshkigal, as well as the Babylonian underworld Irkalla. Sumerian scholar Samuel Noah Kramer has also noted similarities between many Sumerian and Akkadian `` proverbs '' and the later Hebrew proverbs, many of which are featured in the Book of Proverbs. Sumerian myths suggest a prohibition against premarital sex. Marriages were often arranged by the parents of the bride and groom ; engagements were usually completed through the approval of contracts recorded on clay tablets. These marriages became legal as soon as the groom delivered a bridal gift to his bride 's father. Nonetheless, evidence suggests that premarital sex was a common, but surreptitious, occurrence. Genealogy of the Sumerian deities An Ninḫursaĝ Enki born to Namma Ninkikurga born to Namma Nidaba born to Uraš Ḫaya Ninsar Ninlil Enlil Ninkurra Ningal maybe daughter of Enlil Nanna Nergal maybe son of Enki Ninurta maybe born to Ninḫursaĝ Baba born to Uraš Uttu Inanna possibly also the daughter of Enki or the daughter of An Dumuzid maybe son of Enki Utu Ninkigal married Nergal Meškiaĝĝašer Lugalbanda Ninsumun Enmerkar Gilgāmeš Urnungal See also Ancient Near East portal Religions of the ancient Near East Ancient Semitic religion Babylonian religion Mes Mesopotamian mythology Sumerian literature References ^ Jump up to : Kramer, Samuel Noah ( 1963 ). The Sumerians : Their History, Culture, and Character ( PDF ). The Univ. of Chicago Press. ISBN 0 - 226 - 45238 - 7. ^ Jump up to : `` Sumerian Literature ''. Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Retrieved 2009 - 06 - 22. ^ Jump up to : `` The Sumerian Lexicon '' ( PDF ). John A. Halloran. Retrieved 2009 - 06 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Inside a Sumerian Temple ''. The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University. Retrieved 2009 - 06 - 22. Jump up ^ `` The Firmament and the Water Above '' ( PDF ). Westminster Theological Journal 53 ( 1991 ), 232 - 233. Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Enlil and Ninlil ''. Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Retrieved 2009 - 06 - 22. Jump up ^ `` Lexical List of Gods ' Names ''. The Schoyen Collection. The Schoyen Collection. Retrieved 10 September 2017. Jump up ^ Bertman, Stephen ( 2003 ). Handbook to life in ancient Mesopotamia. Facts on File. p. 143. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8160 - 4346 - 0. ^ Jump up to : Nemet - Nejat, Karen Rhea ( 1998 ), Daily Life in Ancient Mesopotamia, Daily Life, Greenwood, ISBN 978 - 0313294976 Jump up ^ The Sources of the Old Testament : A Guide to the Religious Thought of the Old Testament in Context. Continuum International Publishing Group. 18 May 2004. pp. 29 --. ISBN 978 - 0 - 567 - 08463 - 7. Retrieved 7 May 2013. Jump up ^ God in Translation : Deities in Cross-cultural Discourse in the Biblical World. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. 2010. pp. 42 --. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8028 - 6433 - 8. Retrieved 7 May 2013. ^ Jump up to : Kramer, Samuel Noah ( 1961 ), Sumerian Mythology : A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C. : Revised Edition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : University of Pennsylvania Press, ISBN 0 - 8122 - 1047 - 6 Jump up ^ Brisch, Nicole. `` Anunna ( Anunnaku, Anunnaki ) ( a group of gods ) ''. Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses. University of Pennsylvania Museum. Retrieved 17 June 2017. ^ Jump up to : Coleman, J.A. ; Davidson, George ( 2015 ), The Dictionary of Mythology : An A-Z of Themes, Legends, and Heroes, London, England : Arcturus Publishing Limited, p. 108, ISBN 978 - 1 - 78404 - 478 - 7 Jump up ^ Kramer, Samuel Noah ( 1983 ), `` The Sumerian Deluge Myth : Reviewed and Revised '', Anatolian Studies, British Institute at Ankara, 33, doi : 10.2307 / 3642699 Jump up ^ Schneider, Tammi J. ( 2011 ), An Introduction to Ancient Mesopotamian Religion, Grand Rapids, Michigan : William B. Eerdman 's Publishing Company, ISBN 978 - 0 - 8028 - 2959 - 7 Jump up ^ Hallo, William W. ( 1996 ), `` Review : Enki and the Theology of Eridu '', Journal of the American Oriental Society, 116 ( 2 ) Jump up ^ Black, Jeremy A. ; Cunningham, Graham ; Robson, Eleanor ( 2006 ), The Literature of Ancient Sumer, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 929633 - 0 Jump up ^ `` An adab to Ninlil ( Ninlil A ) ''. Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 20. ^ Jump up to : Black, Jeremy ; Green, Anthony ( 1992 ), Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia : An Illustrated Dictionary, The British Museum Press, ISBN 0 - 7141 - 1705 - 6 ^ Jump up to : Wolkstein, Diane ; Kramer, Samuel Noah ( 1983 ), Inanna : Queen of Heaven and Earth : Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer, New York City, New York : Harper&Row Publishers, ISBN 0 - 06 - 090854 - 8 Jump up ^ Vanstiphout, H.L. ( 1984 ). `` Inanna / Ishtar as a Figure of Controversy. ''. Struggles of Gods : Papers of the Groningen Work Group for the Study of the History of Religions. Berlin : Mouton Publishers. 31 : 225 -- 228. ISBN 90 - 279 - 3460 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Inana 's descent to the nether world ''. The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Oxford University. Retrieved 17 June 2017. Jump up ^ `` A hymn to Utu ( Utu B ) ''. Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 20. Jump up ^ `` A balbale to Suen ( Nanna A ) ''. Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 20. Jump up ^ `` A balbale to Nanna ( Nanna B ) ''. Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature. Retrieved 2010 - 02 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Mesopotamia : the Sumerians ''. Washington State University. Retrieved 2009 - 06 - 22. Jump up ^ `` Hurrian Mythology REF 1.2 ''. Christopher B. Siren. Retrieved 2009 - 06 - 23. Jump up ^ Kramer, Samuel Noah ( 1972 ). Sumerian Mythology : A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millenium B.C. ( Originally published 1944 by American Philosophical Society. Revised 1961 by Harper & Row. Revised edition reprinted 1972 by U. Penn. ) format = requires url = ( help ) ( Rev. ed. ed. ). Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812210476. CS1 maint : Extra text ( link ) Jump up ^ Kramer, Samuel Noah ( 1956 ). From the Tablets of Sumer. The Falcon 's Wing Press. ASIN B000S97EZ2. Jump up ^ Launderville, Dale ( 2010 ). Celibacy in the Ancient World : Its Ideal and Practice in Pre-Hellenistic Israel, Mesopotamia, and Greece. Collegeville Minnesota : Liturgical Press. ISBN 978 - 0814656976. External links Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses, on Oracc Sumerian Hymns from Cuneiform Texts in the British Museum at Project Gutenberg ( Transcription of book from 1908 ) Sumerian mythology Primordial beings Abzu An Ki Nammu Primary deities Enki Enlil Inanna Nanna Ninhursag Utu Other major deities Anunnaki Dumuzid the Shepherd Ereshkigal Geshtinanna Gugalanna Nergal Nidaba Ningal Ninlil Ninurta Minor deities Hushbishag Isimud Namtar Neti Ninkasi Ninshubur Uttu Demons, spirits, and monsters Asag Anzû Gallu Huwawa Utukku Mortal heroes Enkidu Enmerkar Etana Gilgamesh Lugalbanda Ziusudra Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sumerian_religion&oldid=802716894 '' Categories : Mesopotamian mythology 3rd millennium BC in religion Archaeology of Iraq Polytheism Hidden categories : Pages using citations with format and no URL CS1 maint : Extra text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from May 2009 Articles with Project Gutenberg links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Чӑвашла Dansk Deutsch Eesti Español Esperanto Galego 한국어 Íslenska Italiano Latina Lietuvių 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Türkçe Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 28 September 2017, at 00 : 44. 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Question: what were the names of the religious structures built by the sumerians
Answer: ziggurats