... as the sun or the seas (McKay, 14). In the document "A Mesopotamian Creation Myth", the writer proves this by explaining how Marduk, the sun-god and ruler of Babylon, and Tiamat, the sea-goddess, get into a fight that results in a battle. The Babylonians came to take over other cities of ... there be light" and light took over the darkness and he distinguished night and day. He also made the separation between sky, land, and sea. God created the plants, trees, and fruits on the land by saying the words "Let the land produce vegetation." He said certain words that created ... of life ove...

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• Grade Level: High School

... obedience to gods. The story of Noah's Ark, found in the Old Testament, seems to do the same thing; teach the importance of being obedient to God. Both sagas start with the earth being extremely populated, with no foreseen break in the continuation of a booming culture. The earth was too full. People were ... filled with violence, (Genesis, 6). The only way to destroy this violence was to drown everyone but the chosen few. These chosen few were hand-picked by God as good people to start a new, more wholesome and obedient civilization. Gilgamesh's story says the reason for the flood was t...

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... obedience to gods. The story of Noah's Ark, found in the Old Testament, seems to do the same thing; teach the importance of being obedient to God. Both sagas start with the earth being extremely populated, with no foreseen break in the continuation of a booming culture. The earth was too full. People were ... filled with violence, (Genesis, 6). The only way to destroy this violence was to drown everyone but the chosen few. These chosen few were hand-picked by God as good people to start a new, more wholesome and obedient civilization. Gilgamesh's story says the reason for the flood was t...

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• Grade Level: High School

... religion, and writing. Some religious differences was that in Egypt, the Pharoah (the leader) was considered a God, while in Sumer, the king was considered a religious leader, the highest to the God of their city-state. The Pharoah was prayed to as a God. There was more than one God in Egypt, in fact there were many of them.This is called Polytheism. In Sumer, there ... was one god. The king lead the religious ceromonies because he was believed to be the closest to ... God. He was the closest, not a God like in Egypt. When you believe in one ... ...

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... 7) Although the two stories have some differences, in general the plot lines are similar. Gilgamesh and Genesis have many similarities. Both tell of mass destruction. God of Genesis and the Gods of Gilgamesh killed all humans on the world except one religious man and his family.(Human, pg. 7) In both stories the ... of both stories sends out three birds.(Discussion Jan, 09 2003) The third bird is the indicator of finding land. Both heroes sacrifice something to their god or gods. Also, both deities seem sorry for the destruction. During this period of time many cities laid on rivers. As a...

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... with either. Beneath the royalty were the religious leaders who ran the city temple. Temples were run as a literal "home" for a city's patron god or goddess. Literate individuals who were not religious or royalty formed the upper class. The majority of people were commoners of the lower class, and ... many gods and goddesses. They believed that these deities were human-like, and had created the human race to serve them. Each city had a certain god or goddess as a patron. The Mesopotamian view of the afterlife was extremely gloomy; everyone suffered in equal misery. Religion mainly focuse...

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... the gods because on was afraid that the gods powers would cause harm. The gods were deemed crucial to the community's success, and professional priestly classes, as stewards of the god" property regulated relations with the gods. Religion has been a human need since the beginning of civilization. For example the Egyptians had a very distinct religion they were polytheistic. They believed in ... multiple gods associated with heavenly bodies and natural forces. One god was the sun god that had little to do with the power of the sun. The sun was the source of life. The Egyptians hence the ...

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... Egypt, the Hebrews "spent some time wandering in the desert" (15). Moses led his people to Mount Sinai where Moses spoke to God, known to some as Yahweh. Moses then ascended the mountain and received the Ten Commandments from God. When Moses came down from the mountain, he showed the commandments to the people, explaining that the commandments were moral laws of ... God. Believing that the commandments were of divine origin, the people willingly accepted the laws. In similar fashion, Hammurabi claimed to receive the code ... from Shamash, the Babylonian sun god. Shamash also acted as t...

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... the faith were not to keen on this idea. In about of the year 605 B.C. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendnego refused to bow to a false God. Well Nebuchadnezzar wouldn't have any one rebelling against his orders, how does that make him look? So he does what any great he makes an ... lead the convicts to their deaths were said to have been burned in the process. Upon witnessing this marvel Nebuchadnezzar immediately turns his faith to the God of the Jews begins praising him. Afterward he becomes a loyal follower of the faith. Nebuchadnezzar was born in 630 B.C. and died in early October ... orig...

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... send the Bull of the Heavens to kill Gilgamesh for insulting her. Also, when Gilgamesh finally reaches his destination in the underworld and discovers the story of the flood. The god Enlil, annoyed with humanity because they were too numerous and noisy, decides to destroy all humanity with a great flood. In addition to portraying an angry ... god, this shows us that the Mesopotamian people might have felt helpless concerning nature, for "Even the gods took flight at the Deluge". A religious hierarchy is clear from the way Ishtar ... requests that the Bull of the Heavens be released. Th...

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It is important in modern society to realize the intelligence, labor, and ultimately their dedication to God in our ancient history. In the thousands of years before Christ there were still civilizations that stood strong, loved God, and built creations out of their own ingenuity. Early civilizations that existed in that era were the Ancient Egyptians and Sumerians from historical Mesopotamia. Both were ... is necessary to realize the importance they meant to their civilizations. The pyramids were constructed with tombs inside. When a pharaoh, the ruler of the civilization and the only perso...

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... ; a tooth for a tooth." This code is still used by some places around the world today. Unlike the tablet of Moses given to him by God, the Code of Hammurabi given to him by the sun god Shamash was found in an archaeological expedition. Laws are one of the most important aspects in human society, in order to protect the weak and ... world was also in Babylon, the "Hanging Gardens." From a religious standpoint one can say this city was the cornerstone of Christianity as it meant the "Gate of God" in Babylonian language. As religion was such a strong concept back then, it can be seen as equ...

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... in size by taking control over territories outside their boundaries. This practice was known as imperialism. One of the strongest contributions that I believe was made. Was the strong belief in God. I love they bond they had between god. I loved they phrase they had "I will be your God; you will be my people. In closing, this was a great time in society!...

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... example a commoner taking another commoners eye, could be punished by losing his eye. However, if a noble took a commoners eye he could pay a fine as restitution. The Egyptians were ruled by a god-king that they called "pharaoh". During different times and different reigns pharaohs had a different range of powers, but basically they were the same. During the Old Kingdom the pharaoh was ... the focal point of religious and political life. The pharaoh controlled wealth, resources, and all the people of Egypt. The pharaoh was also a god to his people, he symbolized the assimilation between...

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... culture, on of them being medicine. Illnesses were often blamed on gods and spirits, and they also though that your recovery was down to the decision of the spirit or god that possessed you. The herbal remedy wasn't as such a medicine, more an offering. There were two types of medical practitioner, the ashipu, and the asu. The job of the ashipu ... was to determine which god or spirit had caused the illness, he also determined why the person had become ill, whether it was through some misdeed by the patient that had made the spirit or ... god angry. He tried to bring the spirit out of ...

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... the government the Egyptians followed which was mainly the edicts of a royalty or Pharoah. Since the Pharoah was also considered to be a deity, his word was actually the word of "God". The most famous piece of literature derived from Mesopotamia is The Epic of Gilgamesh. This is the oldest written story in the world in dedication to Gilgamesh, the "most heroic ... and religion, and classic literature that is still studied today. Egyptian writing,called hieroglyphics, is similar to Mesopotamian writing. The Egyptians called their form of art/writing "the words of God". The priests were t...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... has rarely been seen. During his reign Hammurabi remarkably adapted religion to incorporate the two cultures. He allowed the regions current gods to be worshiped but placed his god, "Marduk", as the superior god. Hammurabi was intelligent in the way he ordered this. Because he knew that a large change would cause problems among the people, Hammurabi had to keep the religion similar ... and persuasive leader to please his people even when adapting their main spiritual issue. The people also believed in the divine right, so when convincing the people to include his god as superior he also...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... therefore they confide in him (Ferry 15). It is Gilgamesh who must discuss life and ultimately define what things are worth. Gilgamesh, however, is only two thirds a god. Despite the fact that the sun god Shamash is on his side, he is still subject to higher powers in this polytheistic universe. His first journey is directly impacted by his companionship with Enkidu ... , but his knowledge of the flood allows him to uncover something even greater than the gods themselves. Through his journey he discovers his role within the hierarchies of man and god. The splendid hero Gilgamesh will liv...

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... must take his adventures outside the walls of the city. Each of Gilgamesh's journeys plays an important role in progressively humanizing him. On Gilgamesh and Enkidu's journeys, Enkidu enrages the god Enlil, by commanding Gilgamesh to kill Humbaba; he also threatens the goddess Ishtar. Due to Enkidu's behavior, he dies. Gilgamesh's grief for Enkidu is his first step towards humanization. After ... bitterly weeping for his companion, Gilgamesh goes on a quest to find the god Utnapishtim, still in search of immortality. Along his journey he meets other gods who encourage him to turn back ...

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... for immortality with their belief in the after death experience. Their lives had to be led properly by being kind, good and respectful to their Pharaoh, who was actually their God. A smart plan for power by their leaders. The pharaohs connected themselves with something larger than life. People would die with their pharaoh to stay with them in the afterlife. The ... ancient Egyptians used past pharaohs as gods, but rather than put them in nature positions; they put them before birth and after death. The pharaoh Isis was god of fertility and creation. Her supposed husband was pharaoh Osi...

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... , king of Uruk, very near of the Eufrates river (just after the universal flood), was a man of extraordinary beauty and magnetism. Unfortunately, his tyrannical attitude provoked the rage of the god Anu that, to limit his power, sent Enkidu, a man that was created by the goddess Araru from the mud, to fight against him. The beautiful hero and the savage encountered ... king and hero who could actually connect with his people's need. Moreover, Enkidu does not have the divine aspect that Gilgamesh does, the king is very often described as a "2/3 god and 1/3 human" while Enkidu, living with...

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... to protect his people above everything else. The most interesting fact about all of Hammurabi's codes is the lack of religious laws. None of the codes force a specific religion or god. "If any one bring an accusation against a man, and the accused go to the river and leap into the river, if he sink in the river his accuser shall take ... he escape unhurt then he who had brought the accusation shall be put to death"" (Code 2), this law proves that Babylonians believed in a higher being. According to Hammurabi, Marduk a Mesopotamian god gave him the codes that needed to be followed. This ...

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... and gods. The Sumerians were the first culture to invent writing, they are the culture credited with inventing cuneiform. The Sumerians were also polytheistic, meaning they worshiped more than one god.2 This object is a votive figure. The Sumerians believed offerings needed to be placed to each of their gods everyday. For many people this was not possible because there were so ... out of limestone. It was common for votive figures to have writing on them, either to signify who the figure belongs to or to describe something that person did in god's honor.4 figure 1 appears to not have an...

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... , political and social culture was established in Mesopotamia which fueled the growth of trade and industry. The acceptance of Muhammad as a prophet and the Qur"an as the word of God lead to the unification of a vast nation. The religious following paved the way for a new government which in turn paved the way for new industry and trade. Trade grew to ... script and found out that all of the script are sayings from the Qur"an. At the time of Islamic pottery the Qur"an was introduced as the word of god and most people believed this to be true. So art took on a new meaning and expressing f...

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... soil for agriculture. Therefore, food was abundant and travel was easy. Ancient Mesopotamia had a theocracy. A theocracy is a form of civil government in which God himself is recognized as the head. Since the priest was deemed as closet to god, he was given complete authority over records, food distribution/production and projects like building irrigation systems. Even though the priest was important, the ... ...

• Word Count: 445
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• Grade Level: High School