Download Ancient World Civ

Ancient World Civ
Name:
7.8 Identify polytheism (the
belief that there are many
gods) as the religious belief of
the people in Mesopotamian
civilizations.
Big Ideas
Essential Question: Who were the ancient
Sumerians? What did they believe in?
Sumer
3500 BC -3000 BC
A region of city-_states_ that formed
the_first_civilization of human existence located in
Mesopotamia.
 City States
Each Sumerian city-state was _independent_ (they
_shared a common _culture_)
 Beliefs (religion)
Practiced _polytheism_: the belief in many_ gods
-God’s represented different aspects of _nature
Example ( Sun, Water, River, Sky)
_deities : supernatural _beings with powers_over
nature. (often represented by _statues_)
mythology
-stories of the Gods influence that explained
people’s beliefs and answered questions about
creation and existence.
 Architecture
Ziggurat: giant _temple/_pyramid shines to
worship gods (terraced)
-_politcal_, _cultural_ and _religious_
headquarters.
(God’s descended_ to earth through Ziggurats as a
_stairway_)
 High Priests
(_Ensi_)
-Ensi ( _mediators between _Gods and _people)
-Controlled all functions of the city (including
irrigation_methods) and surplus control
Write a Summary Paragraph: What did the Sumerians believe in? What are some
examples of their religious worship and mythology?
Sumerian Gods
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An: god of heaven, the firmament
Enlil: god of the air (from Lil = Air); patron deity of Nippur
Enki: god of freshwater, male fertility, and knowledge; patron deity of Eridu
Ereshkigal: goddess of the underworld, Kigal or Irkalla
Inanna: goddess of warfare, female fertility, and sexual love; matron deity of Uruk
Nammu was the primeval sea (Engur), who gave birth to An (heaven) and Ki (earth)
and the first deities; eventually became known as the goddess Tiamat
Ninhursag: goddess of the earth
Nanna: god of the moon; one of the patron deities of Ur
Ningal: wife of Nanna [13]
Ninlil: an air goddess and wife of Enlil; one of the matron deities of Nippur; she was
believed to reside in the same temple as Enlil
Ninurta: god of war, agriculture, one of the Sumerian wind gods; patron deity
of Girsu, and one of the patron deities of Lagash
Utu: god of the sun at the E-babbar temple of Sippar
This picture shows Enlil as the
Supreme God