1. Ancient Religions of Iraq and Iran
Chapter 7

2. Ancient Mesopotamia

3. Ancient Mesopotamia Evidence of life in Mesopotamia from 10,000 BCE
The Fertile Crescent
Cradle of Civilization
Agriculture and domestication of animals
Cultivation of wild grains and cereals 9000 BCE
Irrigation of agricultural crops 5000 BCE
Cultivation of wool bearing sheep 4500 BCE
Food distribution and surplus for trade 3400 BCE

4. Empires of Mesopotamia
City-states consolidated by Multiple Empires
Sumerian
Akkadian
Assyrian
Babylonian
Persian
Empires of Mesopotamia
Sumerian – irrigation, first cities BCE
Akkadian – building, art, literature 2300 BCE
Assyrian – 600 BCE
Babylonian – law, science, math 580 BCE
Law of Hammurabi – justice for oppressed people
Persian – Cyrus the Great 539 BCE
Greek – Alexander the Great 334 BCE
Rome – 116 CE

5. Ancient Mesopotamia Cuneiform Tablets Library of Ashurbanipal
Sumerians
Pictograms
Multiple languages
Record of culture
Non alphabetic
Library of Ashurbanipal
Found mid 19th Century
Story of Gilgamesh

6. Myth of Enuma Elish Tiamat (salt water) marries Apsu (fresh water)
Tiamat births many descendants
Apsu kills them because they are noisy
Enki kills Apsu and Tiamat rages
Marduk splits Tiamat in half
Top half is heaven/Bottom half is earth
Only god strong enough to subdue Tiamat
Creates cosmos from Kingsu (Tiamat’s husband)
Gets help from Enlil

7. Dumuzi and Inanna Dumuzi (fertility god) and Inanna (queen of heaven)
Married and increased the vital forces of the world
Ereshkigal (Inanna’s sister) is ruler of the underworld
Inanna went to visit and arrived a naked hostage
While Inanna held hostage and all vegetation dies
Enki saves Inanna and Dumuzi and family sub for her

8. Epic of Gilgamesh Mesopotamian King of Uruk who sought immortality
Enkidu a wilderness creature who befriended him
Kills monster Huwara on a campaign with Gilgamesh
Gets killed by Enlil to revenge Huwara’s death

9. Epic of Gilgamesh Utnapishtim warned by the gods of a great flood
Survives the flood with wife and animals (2 of each)
Enlil gives Utnapishtim immortality plant

10. Gilgamesh and the Search for Immortality
Gilgamesh wants to bring Enkidu back to life
Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh the immortality plant is in the sea
Gilgamesh searches for the plant which is eaten by a serpent who becomes immortal

11. Mesopotamian Deities Anu (An) – god of the sky Sin – good of the moon
Enlil – god of the weather for good agriculture
Ninhursaga – goddess over birth
Enki – god of fresh water
Shamash – god of the sun
Ishtar – goddess of the planet Venus (Inanna)

12. Ziggurat of Uruk

13. The Absolute for Mesopotamia
Gods changed with the fortunes of worshipers
Earlier gods accounted for the forces of nature
Later gods perceived as rulers of governments
Gods of city-states merged into families
Political unions led to unity of gods
Explains multiple names for the same god
Gods acted in parental roles

14. Ancient Mesopotamia King was god and also subservient to god
Humans performed personal devotions
No rights of passage recorded
Religion not sustainable
No immortality
Code of Hammurabi
Astronomy and Astrology

15. Religions from Ancient Iran
Aryans brought deities to India and the Vedas
Zoroastriansim
Founder was Zarathustra (Zoroaster) 600’s BCE
Noble family initiated into the Rig Veda
Left home at 20 and had spiritual crisis at age 30
Vision of Vohu Manah (Angel of Good Thought)
Ahura Mazda revealed immortality in heaven

16. Zoroastrianism Angra Mainyu – god of cattle rustlers
Followers should live good lives for Ahura Mazda
Immortality given as reward in pleasant courts
Alternative was the pits of Angra Mainyu
Zarathustra unsuccessful until converting a king
Vishtaspa - father of Cyrus the Great
Lived out his life in the king’s courts as a priest

17. Zoroastrianism Monotheistic – Ahura Mazda
Served by Amesha Spenta – 6 angels
Dualism – Inspired later dualistic religion
Manichaeism 3rd Century CE
Augustine 4th Century CE
Avesta – Book of the Law

18. Later Zoroastriansim Added deities Anahita – fertility
Haoma – animal sacrifices
Mithra – god of light, protector of truth, guardian of cattle

19. The Magi

20. Rituals of Zoroastrianism
Sacred Flame
Burned for 1500 years in Yazd, Iran
New Year’s priests burning of sacrifices in masks
No Roz ritual cleansing
Festival of New Day giving gifts to the poor
Naozot rite of passage
at 6 receive sudreh (shirt) and kusti (thread)

21. Sky Burial Bodies are prepared Avesta prayers through night
Carried to Tower of Silence
Left for vultures to strip bones
Bones crumble in a central pit

22. Chinvat Bridge

23. Absolute and World View
Ahura Mazda is either more powerful or struggles against the equal evil force of Angra Mainyu
Ahura Mazda relies on Amesha Spenta
Humans are soul and body
Humans are responsible for moral decisions
Humans are born and die only once