Tag: Sumerian

The God Utu

Utu, also known as Shamash in Akkadian, is the ancient Mesopotamian sun god. He was revered as the god of justice, truth, and protection for travellers. Utu was believed to see everything that happened during the day, making him a divine judge.

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The God Ninurta

Ninurta is an ancient Mesopotamian god associated with agriculture, healing, hunting, law, scribes, and war. Initially worshipped in early Sumer, he was known as a god of farming and healing, who protected people from sickness and demons.

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The Igigi lesser gods

The term “Igigi” refers to a group of mythological figures in Mesopotamian mythology. They are often considered the younger gods who served the Anunnaki, the major deities. According to the Atrahasis myth, the Igigi were tasked with laborious work for the Anunnaki until they eventually rebelled due to the harsh conditions.

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The Goddess Ninhursag

Ninhursag, also known as Ninmah, Damgalnuna, Nintu, Belet-Ili, Shassuru, and Damkina or Ninursag, was an ancient Sumerian mother goddess associated with fertility, mountains, and the creation of life. She was one of the seven great deities of Sumer and was often depicted as a nurturing figure, symbolizing the earth and its ability to produce life.

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The God Enlil

Enlil was one of the most significant deities in Sumerian mythology, revered as the god of wind, air, earth, and storms. He was considered the chief deity of the Sumerian pantheon and played a crucial role in the creation and maintenance of the world.

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The Epic of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh, the legendary king of Uruk, is a towering figure in ancient Mesopotamian mythology and is best known as the protagonist of the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest surviving works of literature. According to the Sumerian King List, Gilgamesh was the fifth king of Uruk and reigned in the early part of the Early Dynastic II period (circa 2700 BCE).

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The Goddess Ishtar

Ishtar, known as Inanna in Sumerian, is a deity of profound complexity and significance in Mesopotamian mythology, embodying the dualities of existence such as love and war, fertility and desolation. Her worship spanned across the ancient Near East, marking her as one of the most venerated figures in early human civilization

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The Goddess Nammu

Nammu is a primordial goddess in Sumerian mythology, often associated with the creation of the universe and humanity. She embodies the primeval waters, an elemental force from which life and the pantheon of gods emerged. As a creator deity, Nammu’s role is pivotal in the cosmogony of Mesopotamian belief systems, where she is revered as the mother who gave birth to the major deities, including Enki, the god of wisdom, water, and creation.

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The God Enki

Enki, known as the Sumerian god of water, wisdom, and creation, holds a pivotal place in Mesopotamian mythology for his role in the creation of humanity.

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The God Anu

Anu, the supreme deity of the ancient Mesopotamian pantheon, was revered as the god of the sky and the embodiment of heavenly power. His dominion was the highest celestial realm, a symbol of overarching authority and order in the cosmos.

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The Citadel of Erbil

The Citadel of Erbil, a fortified settlement atop an ovoid-shaped tell in the heart of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, is a testament to the longevity of urban human settlements. Its history of continuous habitation stretches back over 7,000 years

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The Geography of Sumeria

The geography of the Sumerians, a civilization that emerged in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia, now south-central Iraq, played a crucial role in their development as one of the world’s earliest urban societies.

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The Sumerian reverence for rivers

The Sumerians, deeply connected to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that cradled their civilization, had a profound reverence for these waterways, which was reflected in their religious rituals. One such ritual was the ‘mîs-pî’, an intricate ceremony that involved the ‘washing of the mouth’ of divine statues, symbolizing purification and the induction of life into the idols.

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The Sumerian Cities

The cradle of civilization, Sumer, was home to the world’s first urban centres, where the wheel of history began to turn. Among the most prominent cities that rose from the fertile Mesopotamian plains were Uruk, Ur, Eridu, Nippur, Lagash, and Kish.

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