Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Their Places of Worship

One of the major components of city life in ancient Mesopotamia was religion and ritual. Ancient Mesopotamians were polytheistic. Their Gods numbered in the hundreds. Gods and Goddesses were seen as very human like entities. They ate food, had sex, and experienced emotion just like the people who worshiped them. The only difference between the gods and the people of ancient Mesopotamia is that the gods possessed supernatural powers. These powers could benefit or destroy entire cities. Because of this, elaborate temples were built to honor and appease them.

The Gods had a family structure, much like humans do, and the most important and influential Gods were placed in the ancient triad of the Gods. The ancient triad consisted of Anu, Enlil, and Ea. Anu was seen as the father of the gods, “Anu ranked highest among the gods. His name, borrowed by the Akkadians as Anum, is the Sumerian word for sky.”1 In Ancient Mesopotamia the stars were used as a way to tell the time of year. Since the stars are in the sky, Anu was in charge of the calendar. “Duties linked to his own cosmic functions, responsibility for the calendar and for carrying out his calendric rites. For Example, the new moon festival, celebrated in all temples.”1

“Next to Anu in rank, but embodying energy and force rather than the calm authority of Anu is Enlil. The name Enlil means “Lord Wind”.”1 Enlil was extremely important to the farmers of ancient Mesopotamia. He created the hoe, a very important tool for farming, and his power over the wind determined the quality of the weather. Weather, especially the “moist winds of spring”,1 was a very important factor in the health of the crops. With crops being one of the main sources of food, the people of Ancient Mesopotamia held Enlil in high regards. Enlil was not always kind and his worshipers had to make sure that they did not anger him. Enlil was thought to be “behind miscarriages of cows and ewe. This aspect of Enlil as potentially hostile corresponds with the two-sided nature of the wind.”1

The last god in the ancient triad is Ea. “Ea was worshipped as the god of wisdom, of helpful magic, and medicine.”2 Ea was the god most respected and worshiped by the people of Eridu. “Now, at Eridu the offering-table and the floor of the shrine were at one stage found to be covered with a thick layer of fishbones. This suggests that even in the Al Ubaid Period the god was revered of whom it was said: