Sumerian Gods In Ancient Mesopotamia

Having considered how Sumerians in Mesopotamia and ancient Egyptians related themselves to their gods, it is also reasonable to look at how rulers fit into each society. Both Sumerian and Egyptian rulers were believed to be divine, however, in Mesopotamian society kings were regarded as spokespersons of the gods, as exemplified in a petition to a king where a citizen stated, “You in your judgment, you are the son of Anu; your commands, like the word of a god, cannot be reversed…” (Duiker and Spielvogel 10). In other words, Sumerian kings were not gods, yet were viewed as divine and agents of gods, which lead to unquestioned authority and power. The key difference between kings in Mesopotamia and pharaohs in ancient Egypt is pharaohs themselves were viewed as gods, especially in the Old Kingdom. …show more content…
He is a god by whose dealings one lives, the father and mother of all men alone by himself, without an equal,” referring to Menes, who united Upper and Lower Egypt (Duiker and Spielvogel 18). Furthermore, Egyptian pharaohs were responsible for maintaining ma’at, in order to appease the gods. In both societies, however, priests were also highly regarded as they aided rulers in understanding the wishes of the gods and had the ability to perform important rituals and sacrifices to appease the gods. Given these points, although rulers in Mesopotamia and Egypt shared some similarities there were some qualities, such as being viewed as a god, that separates