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Mesopotamia: Sumerian and Babylonian Mythology

What do you think life was like 6000 years ago at the beginning of human civilization? How do you think these early humans viewed their surroundings and their reality?. Mesopotamia: Sumerian and Babylonian Mythology.

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Mesopotamia: Sumerian and Babylonian Mythology

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  1. What do you think life was like 6000 years ago at the beginning of human civilization? How do you think these early humans viewed their surroundings and their reality?

  2. Mesopotamia: Sumerian and Babylonian Mythology Religion lay a the center of Mesopotamian life. It was their frame of reference for understanding nature, society, and themselves. Life was harsh and cruel, and filled with uncertainty and danger, so these ancient people viewed their deities as unpredictable and malicious. They did not look forward to death: They believed they would either be confined to a dreary underworld whose rulers would inflict pain on them or be transformed into mean spirits, flying about and tormenting the living.

  3. Ziggurat Mesopotamians built ziggurats—huge multi-level structures—on which temples were constructed a the top. They were the religious and economic heart of the city.

  4. The Epic of Gilgamesh Theme: Human Protest Against Death Written: 2750-2500 BCE in cuneiform Found on numerous fragmented clay tablets World’s First Tragic Hero in oldest narrative poem in literary and human history.

  5. Ancient Egypt Complete opposite in Worldview and Outlook on Life compared to Sumerians Longest Lasting Civilization in Human History! Why?! How Long?

  6. Over 3000 years! Because . . . . Over 4000 miles long! Civilization flourished in Nile Valley. Flows from South to North Learned how to control the river: Gave them food, fertile soil, means of transportation, and barrier. More than half their civilization was lived in peace: Protected by Mediterranean, the Nile, mountains, and desert.

  7. Egyptian Pantheon Over 2000 deities! Egyptians expressed compassion for the poor, widows, and handicapped. Religion was omnipresent in Egyptian life. Believed gods manifested themselves in animal shapes. In the heavens, Egyptians found answers to the great problems of human existence. To Egyptians, the other world contained the same pleasures as those on Earth. Divine Kingship: Through the pharaoh, the gods made known their wishes.

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