Abstract
The study of ancient Mesopotamian religion is important first and foremost for its own sake. However, it is also important for comparative studies regarding other ancient Near Eastern religions most notably biblical religions. Since ancient Mesopotamia was the dominant political and cultural power in the ancient world until the rise of the Achaemenid and later the Hellenistic empires, it of course also exerted an influence, whether positive or negative, on other ancient societies.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
References
Annus, A. 2001. The standard Babylonian Epic of Anzu, State archives of Assyria texts, vol. 3. Helsinki: Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project, University of Helsinki.
Berlejung, A. 1997. Washing the mouth: The consecration of divine images in Mesopotamia. In The image and the book: Iconic cults, aniconism, and the rise of book religion in Israel and the ancient near east, Contributions to biblical exegesis and theology, vol. 21, ed. K. van der Toorn, 45–72. Leuven: Peeters.
Berlejung, A. 1998. Die Theologie der Bilder: Herstellung und Einweihung von Kultbildern in Mesopotamien und die alttestamentliche Bilderpolemik, Orbis Biblicus et Orientalis, vol. 162. Freiburg/Göttingen: Universitätsverlag/Vandenhoeck-Ruprecht.
Dick, M.B. 1999. Prophetic Parodies of making the cult image. In Born in Heaven, made on Earth: The making of the cult image in the ancient near east, ed. M.B. Dick, 1–53. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
Finkel, I. 2014. The Ark before Noah: Decoding the story of the flood. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
Frahm, E. 2011. Babylonian and Assyrian text commentaries: Origins of interpretation, Guides to the Mesopotamian textual record, vol. 5. Münster: Ugarit-Verlag.
George, A.R. 1986. Sennacherib and the tablet of destinies. Iraq 48: 133–146.
George, A.R. 2003. The Babylonian Gilgamesh epic: Introduction, critical edition and cuneiform texts. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jacobsen, Th. 1970. Mesopotamian gods and pantheons. In Toward the image of Tammuz and other essays on Mesopotamian history and culture, Harvard Semitic series, vol. 21, ed. Th. Jacobsen and W.L. Moran, 16–38. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Lambert, W.G. 1962. A catalogue of texts and authors. Journal of Cuneiform Studies 16: 59–77.
Lambert, W.G. 1975. The historical development of the Mesopotamian Pantheon: A study in sophisticated polytheism. In Unity and diversity: Essays in the history, religion, and literature of the ancient near east, ed. H. Goedicke and J.J.M. Roberts, 191–200. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Lambert, W.G. 2013. Babylonian creation myths, Mesopotamian civilizations, vol. 16. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
Lambert, W.G., and A.R. Millard. 1969. Atra-Ḫasīs: The Babylonian story of the flood. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Maul, S.M. 2008. Dem Gott ernähern. Überlegungen zum regelmässigen Opfer in altorientalischen Tempeln. In Transformations in Sacrificial Practices from Antiquity to Modern Times: Proceedings of the International Colloquium, Heidelberg, 12–14, Juy 2006, ed. E. Stavrianopoulou, A. Michaels, and C. Ambos, 75–86. Berlin: Lit Verlag.
Oppenheim, A.L. 1977. Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a dead civilization (revised edition). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Sallaberger, W. 2004. Pantheon. A.I. In Mesopotamien. Reallexikon der Assyriologie 10: 294–308.
Walker, Ch., and M.B. Dick. 1999. The induction of the cult image in ancient Mesopotamia: The Mesopotamian mīs pî ritual. In: Born in Heaven, Made on Earth: The making of the cult image in the ancient near east, ed. M.B. Dick, 55–121. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
Walker, Ch, and M.B. Dick. 2001. The induction of the cult image in ancient Mesopotamia: The Mesopotamian Mīs Pî ritual, State archives of Assyria literary texts, vol. 1. Helsinki: The Neo-Assyrian Text Corpus Project. University of Helsinki.
Watanabe, K. 2014. Esarhaddon’s succession oath documents reconsidered in light of the Tayinat version. Orient 19: 145–170.
Further Reading
Mesopotamian gods and religion: Jacobsen 1970; Th. Jacobsen, The treasure of darkness: a history of Mesopotamian religion, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1976; J. Black and A. Green, Gods, demons and symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: an illustrated dictionary, Austin: University of Texas Press, 1992. The Babylonian flood myth: Finkel 2014. English translations of Mesopotamian myths and legends: B. Foster, Before the Muses: an anthology of Akkadian literature, 3rd ed., Bethesda: CDL Press, 2005. The induction of the ancient Mesopotamian cult image: Walker and Dick 1999.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gabbay, U. (2017). Ancient Mesopotamian Gods: Mythology, Cult, and Scripture. In: Tsuneki, A., Yamada, S., Hisada, Ki. (eds) Ancient West Asian Civilization. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0554-1_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0554-1_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-0553-4
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-0554-1
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)