Babylonian religion

Babylonian religion was the way people in Babylonia believed in and worshiped gods and goddesses a long time ago. The stories and ideas about their gods came mostly from the nearby land of Sumerian people. These stories were written on special clay tablets using a writing style called the cuneiform script, which was also created by the Sumerians.

The myths and religious texts were often written in two languages: Sumerian and Akkadian. Sometimes, Babylonian writers would take old Sumerian stories and change them into Akkadian, but they might also give the gods new names in these stories. This mix of languages and traditions shows how Babylonian religion grew from the beliefs of earlier cultures around it.

Mythology and cosmology

Main articles: Mesopotamian myths and Ancient near eastern cosmology

Further information: Enûma Eliš

Babylonian myths were heavily influenced by the Sumerian religion. They were often written on clay tablets using a special writing style called cuneiform, which came from the Sumerian cuneiform. These stories were usually written in either the Sumerian or Akkadian language. Some Babylonian books were translations from Sumerian, though they sometimes changed the names of gods.

One important Babylonian god was Marduk, who became the leader of the gods. A famous Babylonian story, the Enûma Eliš, tells how the world was made. In this tale, two powerful water beings, Apsu and Tiamat, created the world but had a big disagreement. Marduk fought and defeated them, using Tiamat’s body to create the earth and sky, and then started the city of Babylon.

Religious festivals

Further information: Akitu

Tablet pieces from the Neo-Babylonian time tell us about special days for a big party to welcome the New Year. This party started on the very first day of the first month in Babylon, called Nisannu. This is about the same time as April or May in the calendar we use today. The festival was about celebrating how the Earth was made, based on a story about Marduk creating everything.

Importance of idols

In Babylonian religion, people cared for statues of gods in special ways because they believed the gods lived inside these statues in temples and also in nature. They thought it was very important to look after these statues.

If someone destroyed a statue, people believed the god would no longer protect them. Once, a prince named Marduk-apla-iddina II took the statues of Babylon’s gods to a safe place to protect them from soldiers from Assyria.

Babylonian gods

Babylonia centered around the god Marduk, who was the national god of the Babylonian empire. Besides Marduk, people also worshipped other gods and goddesses. Some important ones included Enlil, Enki, Inanna, Nabu, Nanna-Suen, Ninhursag, and Utu.

In different cities, one god would have a special role, like being in charge of the earth, the air, or the sky. That god would be seen as the most important in that city.