The Religions Book

56

T H E R E I S A

HIERARCHY OF

GODS AND MEN

BELIEFS FOR NEW SOCIETIES

M

esopotamia, the area

of modern Iraq between

the Tigris and Euphrates

rivers, is often referred to in the

West as the cradle of civilization.

It was there that—in the Bronze

Age—small communities first

evolved into towns and cities.

As these larger settlements grew,

so did the need for new social

structures, a common culture, and

shared beliefs in order to unify

the population and reinforce the

political system. Religion not only

explained natural phenomena but

also provided a coherent mythology.

IN CONTEXT

KEY BELIEVERS

Ancient Babylonians

WHEN AND WHERE

c.2270 BCE, Mesopotamia

(present-day Iraq)

BEFORE

5th millennium BCE The

Ubaidians settle in the fertile

valleys between the Tigris and

the Euphrates (Mesopotamia).

c.3300 BCE The Sumerian

people supplant the Ubaidians.

AFTER

c.1770 BCE Babylonian King

Hammurabi introduces laws

for governing Babylon.

c.1750 BCE The Babylonians

become the dominant people

of Mesopotamia, adapting

Sumerian religion to reflect

the power and authority of

Babylon’s chief god, Marduk.

691 BCE Babylon falls to

the Assyrians; the myths

of Marduk are reassigned

to the Assyrian god Assur.

Both Marduk and Hammurabi assert their

supremacy over others by establishing...

...a hierarchy of gods and men.

The Babylonians

succeed the Sumerians

and establish the city

of Babylon.

King Hammurabi then

claims divine authority for

his rule and introduces

a code of laws.

The god Marduk kills

the goddess Tiamat and

makes all the other gods

accept him as king.

He then brings order to

the universe and creates

mankind to serve the gods.