Religion

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

In the available information it appears that the various religions shared many beliefs and concepts. It was from these roots that three of the world’s major religions could have taken birth.

Gods

It was in Mesopotamia that the Sumerians implanted reverence for the sky and for high places. When they came into contact with the Semites, new gods were put into the pantheon. The result was a belief that a tree, a stone, a fish, a bird, a person, or even an abstract idea had a particular significance in the universe.

The highest authority was the trio of gods (the sky god Anu, the storm god Enlil, and the water god Ea). Later a second trio arose (the moon god Sin, the sun god Shamash, and the goddess Ishtar.)

Role of humans

People believed that they were created for the benefit of the gods. They were to serve and obey, provide the gods with food, clothing, and shelter, and offer them respect. Essentially the ancient Mesopotamian peoples were at the mercy of gods whose behavior was about person instincts and often abusive. In response to the gods, various city-states enacted public laws or codes of ethics that seemed out to promote justice and truth and to destroy wickedness. The most famous law was the code of Hammurapi.