Babylonian religion facts for kids
Babylonian religion was the way people in ancient Babylonia understood the world and worshipped their gods. Their amazing stories, called myths, were written on clay tablets. These tablets used a special writing system called cuneiform script, which came from the Sumerians. The myths were usually written in either the Sumerian or Akkadian languages. Sometimes, older Sumerian stories were translated into Akkadian, and the names of the gods might change a little.
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Exploring Ancient Babylonian Beliefs
Babylonian myths were greatly shaped by the Sumerian religion. Many of their gods and stories were unique to Babylonia. For example, the god Marduk became the most important god, taking the place of an earlier god named Enlil.
Stories of Creation: The Enûma Eliš
One very special Babylonian story is the Enûma Eliš. This is an epic poem about how the world was created. In this story, two ancient beings, Apsu and Tiamat, first brought forth the elements of the world. They later had disagreements. Marduk bravely stepped forward to protect the other gods. He overcame Tiamat and her forces. From Tiamat's body, Marduk created the earth and the sky. He then established the city of Babylon as a special place.
Celebrating the New Year: The Akitu Festival
Ancient tablets from the Neo-Babylonian Empire tell us about a big New Year festival. This celebration started on the first day of the Babylonian month Nisannu, which is around April or May today. The festival was a time to celebrate the re-creation of the Earth. It connected directly to the story of Marduk creating the world, as told in the Enûma Eliš.
Gods in Statues: The Importance of Idols
In Babylonian religion, the statues of their gods were very important and considered sacred. People believed that the gods lived both in these statues inside their temples and in the natural world around them.
Taking or destroying these statues was seen as a terrible loss. It was like losing the gods' protection. For instance, during the Neo-Babylonian period, a prince named Marduk-apla-iddina II took the statues of Babylon's gods and hid them. He did this to keep them safe from the armies of Sennacherib from Assyria.
Meet the Gods of Babylonia
The most important god in Babylonia was Marduk. He was considered the national god of the Babylonian empire. However, people also worshipped many other gods. Here are some of the other important deities:
- Enlil
- Enki
- Inanna
- Nabu
- Nanna-Suen
- Ninhursag
- Utu
In different Babylonian cities, one god might have a special main role. For example, a god might be known as "the god of earth and air" or "the god of the sky." This god would be seen as having the most influence in that particular city.
Related Pages
See also
In Spanish: Religión babilónica para niños
- Abba b. Martha, Babylonian scholar (third to fourth century)
- Ancient Mesopotamian religion
- Assyrian religion
- Religions of the ancient Near East
- Sumerian religion
- Tower of Babel
- Zoroastrianism
