Religion In Ancient Mesopotamia

Ancient Mesopotamia was located at modern day Iraq and Syria between the Tigris and Euphrates river. Mesopotamia is where a lot of new places and idea were derived from. For example, some of the Mesopotamian artistic expressions include being the firsts to introduce writing, the arch, the wheel, and cities. The Mesopotamians believed that religion controlled most of the things in their life. This caused them to believe in multiple gods such as a sun god, moon gods, river gods, fire gods and many more. They also believed in demons that caused disaster and sickness. The way the Mesopotamians think is that humans were made to solely serve god and that they did not have any power over their own lives. Some people who the Mesopotamians are compared to often are the Hebrews. Unlike the Mesopotamians, the Hebrews …show more content…
Their view on immortality was not sought after because according to The Epic of Gilgamesh “the search was futile”. The belief for the afterlife was that it was a dark and scary place and the land of the dead is beneath the ground of the earth. Therefore, graves were constructed in the ground for them. Etemmu is the belief that the dead continue living their life as a ghost as known to the Sumerians of Mesopotamia. The etemmu or ghost does not go straight to the Netherworld, but instead the ghost must go through a rigorous journey to reach there. The ghost “was required to cross a demon-infested steppe, pass over the Khuber River with the assistance of an individual named Silushi/Silulim or Khumut-tabal and be admitted through the seven gates of the netherworld city with the permission of the gatekeeper, Bidu” (Choksi). In the underworld, the etemmu can recognize and interact with the people who died before them, however it is not guaranteed that they carry the same characteristics and qualities they had while they were living. The artistic expressions of the Mesopotamians