With the exception of the religions Yahwism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism and Atenism that were monotheistic the majority of religions worshipped in the ancient Near East by the Sumerians, Egyptians, Hittities, Hurriasn, Assyrians, Babylonians, Canaanites, Greeks, Romans and Arabian Pantheons were polytheistic. Most of these cultures practiced similar purification and cleansing rituals, animal and human sacrifices, sacred prostitution, life after death and divination. Historical records discovered at the Ras Sharma excavations confirmed that the Canaanites used the Babylonian Pantheon as an example when forming their religion and it is now evident that the Israelites used both the Canaanite Pantheon and Zoroastrianism as the foundation of Judaism,
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These gods and goddesses are divided into six different groups such as Major Deities, Minor Deities, Primordial Beings, Demigods and Heroes, Spirits and Demons and Legendary Beasts. The most important of these deities were Anu, Ea, Enki, Enlil, Ishtar, Assur, Shamash, Shulmanu, Tammuz, Adad, Sin, Kur, Dagan, Ninurta, Nergal, Tiamat, Ninlil, Bel and Marduk. All of these deities were given a specific purpose and worshipped with a specific intention in mind such as starting a family, good weather and rain for agriculture, winning a battle or war and etc. Even though each deity possessed its own specific purpose several of these deities shared the same function and were worshipped at a different location or at a different time. As an example, Iskur, a storm and rain god, was worshipped by the Sumerians and later his name was changed to Adad, also a storm and rain god, by the Akkadians and Babylonians. As the leader of the deities, Enlil was worshipped by the Sumerians, Marduk by the Babylonians and Assur by the Assyrians. The worshipping of these many deities by the civilizations of the Mesopotamian Valley ended as the different religions dominated the region. First the Achaemenid Empire used their influence to promote Zoroastrianism followed Christianity and then
These gods and goddesses are divided into six different groups such as Major Deities, Minor Deities, Primordial Beings, Demigods and Heroes, Spirits and Demons and Legendary Beasts. The most important of these deities were Anu, Ea, Enki, Enlil, Ishtar, Assur, Shamash, Shulmanu, Tammuz, Adad, Sin, Kur, Dagan, Ninurta, Nergal, Tiamat, Ninlil, Bel and Marduk. All of these deities were given a specific purpose and worshipped with a specific intention in mind such as starting a family, good weather and rain for agriculture, winning a battle or war and etc. Even though each deity possessed its own specific purpose several of these deities shared the same function and were worshipped at a different location or at a different time. As an example, Iskur, a storm and rain god, was worshipped by the Sumerians and later his name was changed to Adad, also a storm and rain god, by the Akkadians and Babylonians. As the leader of the deities, Enlil was worshipped by the Sumerians, Marduk by the Babylonians and Assur by the Assyrians. The worshipping of these many deities by the civilizations of the Mesopotamian Valley ended as the different religions dominated the region. First the Achaemenid Empire used their influence to promote Zoroastrianism followed Christianity and then