Mon., 12/9

Do Now—Exercise 23D—Model answer: Tukulti-Ninurta might have wanted to barricade himself in Kar-Tukulti-Ninurta, the little city he built, away from the people of Assur, because he had committed grave sacrilege in their view. The Assyrians and Babylonians had a common culture, pantheon, and cuneiform script. Therefore, the Assyrian people were not happy with Tukulti-Ninurta’s sacking of Babylon, nor did they approve of the removal of Babylonian sacred images and their transport to Assur. Tukulti-Ninurta could not hide in his mini-city from his enemies. He was cast from the throne, imprisoned, and then killed with a sword. Annotate: BABYLONIAN AND ASSYRIAN RELIGION from Myths & Legends of Babylonia & Assyria, by Lewis Spence in ***Field Notes No. 24***

(see text, below) HW—Exercise 24B Your answer: In five or more complete sentences, compare and contrast Babylonian and Assyrian religion. This will be your entry ticket to class tomorrow.

BABYLONIAN AND ASSYRIAN RELIGION

from Myths & Legends of Babylonia & Assyria, by Lewis Spence

Merodach (Marduk)

The entire religious system of Babylonia is overshadowed by Merodach, its great patron deity... [Merodach eventually] came to be regarded as not only the national god of Babylonia but the creator of the world and of mankind. He it was who, at the pleading of the other gods, confronted the grisly Tiawath, and having defeated and slain her, formed the earth out of her body and its inhabitants out of his own blood. It is almost certain that this cosmological myth was at one time recounted of Ea... The transfer of power from Ea to Merodach, however, was skilfully arranged by the priesthood, for they made Merodach the son of Ea, so that he would naturally inherit his father's attributes. In this transfer we observe the passing of the supremacy of the city of Eridu to that of Babylon. Ea, or Oannes, the fish-tailed god of Eridu, stood for the older and more southerly civilization of the Babylonian race, whilst Merodach, patron god of Babylon, a very different type of deity, represented the newer political power.

Assyrian Religion

The Pantheon of Assyria, as befitted the religious system of a nation of soldiers, was more highly organized than that of the kindred people of Babylonia, the ranks and relationships of the gods who comprised it were more definitely fixed, it was considerably more compact than that of the southern kingdom... Ethnological differences..., climatic conditions, a different political environment—all these as well as other considerations... must have effected almost radical changes in the ideas of the gods as conceived by the Assyrians.

The great gods in Assyria were even more omnipotent than in Babylonia. One cause contributing to this was the absorption of the minor local cults by deities associated with the great centres of Assyrian life. Early religion is extremely sensitive to political change, and as a race evolves from the tribal or local state and bands itself into a nation, so the local gods become national and centralized, probably in the great deity of the most politically active city in the state. Nor is it essential to this process that the deities absorbed should be of a like nature with the absorbing god. Quite often a divinity assumes the name and attributes of one with whom he had little in common.

Assur

Wherever the Kings of Assyria took up their official residence there Asshur was adored, and there he was supposed to dwell. He was not symbolized by an idol or any man-like statue which would serve to give the populace an idea of his physical likeness, but was represented by a standard consisting of a pole surrounded by a disc enclosed with two wings. Above the disc was the figure of a warrior with bent bow and arrow on string. This well symbolized the military nature of the Assyrian nation and of its tutelar deity. At the same time indications are not wanting that this pole and its accompanying symbols are the remains of a totem-standard upon which has been superimposed the anthropomorphic figure of a lightning- or tempest-god. The pole is a favourite vehicle for carrying the totem symbols into battle, and it looks here as if the sun had at one time been regarded as a tribal totem. The figure of the archer at the top seems representative of a lightning- or storm-god—a mythic character frequently associated with the sun, that ‘strong warrior.’ By virtue of his possession of the lightning arrow the storm-god is often accepted as a god of war.

The state religion of Assyria centres in Asshur [the god], nor was any deity ever so closely identified with an empire as he. On the fall of the Assyrian state, Asshur fell with it. Moreover all the gods of Assyria may be said to have been combined in his person. In Babylonia, Merodach was a leader of hosts. In Assyria, Asshur personified these hosts, that is, the other Assyrian gods had become attributes of Asshur, and we can only understand the remaining Assyrian gods if we regard them as lesser Asshurs, so to speak, as broken lights of the great god of battle and conquest... The enemies of Assyria are 'the enemies of Asshur,' her soldiers are 'the warriors of Asshur,' and their weapons are 'the weapons of Asshur.' Before his face the enemies of Assyria tremble and are routed, he is consulted oracularly as to the making and conduct of war, and he is present on the battle-field.