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paleolithic and neolithic cultures
paleolithic and neolithic cultures
emergence of religion
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The Evolution of Religion
As long as humans have walked the Earth, we have sought out answers. Answers for questions like: "Why are we here? Where do we go when we die? Where did we come from? and What's that?" How different people answered these questions is important to study because it shows us the spiritual side of human nature. Especially now, a time of conflict between Islam and Western Civilization, it is important to look back and trace the evolution of religion. To see where we started and perhaps, gain some perspective into what is happening now and what may happen in the future.
Early Man
As far as archeologists have been able to research, they have found evidence of religious faith and practice. In Paleolithic Hunter-Gatherer societies fear and awe of the natural world, as well as gratitude and empathy of it, is well represented in the cave art found around the globe. Archeologists have also found evidence of burial rituals, which points to the idea that Paleolithic and Neolithic humans knew that they were going somewhere after they died. There are no cave paintings illustrating this place, so it is impossible to say what their image of the afterlife really was. Likewise no images of divine figures have ever been found. As to whether or not the early humans believed in gods is uncertain, but they clearly showed signs of the first steps of religion -- awe, fear, questioning, belief, and practice of rituals.
The Mesopotamians and Babylonians
As primitive culture and society evolved, so did its religion. The Sumerians, unlike the early humans before them, had an organized religion, with gods and goddesses, scheduled public festivals, and specific practices. The Sumerians visualized their ...
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...festivals, and beliefs. In fact, although they claimed to be far superior to the Greeks in all ways. Their religion was exactly the same.
I recognize that I have not touched on one major religion from human history - Judaism. I have not done so because we have not studied it. Judaism was the first monotheistic religion and the predecessor of Christianity and Islam. It's role can not be forgotten when we think about the conflict we are experiencing now.
However, it is interesting to see the patterns of religion throughout history. The way the Mesopotamians, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Romans looked at the world. One can start to see patterns echoes in modern society. Our death rituals, the festivals, and rites of passage all came from these ancient peoples'. Though they are not exactly the same, they are more similar that they are different.
These civilizations present many resemblances that were once part of the foundations of their society. Although both of these civilizations were at one point enemies of one another, they had similar correlations that shaped and formed their cultures and societies. The main difference between these two civilizations is religion. Without its differences, each civilization had governed its people in manners that it could not be differentiated among each other. Overall, these civilizations presented different methods of leading a civilization and still had similarities among one another.
As farming procedures improved and therefore allowed for surplus, the Sumerian civilization began to grow not only in numbers, but also in the complexity of how it functioned on every level; its religious leaders became more powerful, its degree of specialization more complex and inventions and discoveries came fast...
Religious beliefs and practices differed greatly from country to country; however each religion inquired of the purpose of life through gods or deities. The Egyptian’s religion revolved around the rite of passage. The Egyptians would receive favorable conditions after death only if they pleased the Gods, and their descendant Pharaoh. The purpose of the Egyptians life was solely to keep Pharaoh and the Gods happy something that could only be accomplished through strict worship and unrelenting obedience. In contrast, the Sumerians beliefs were an entangled webs of stories about the gods they worshipped that related back to a single principle “people...were the servants of gods in the most literal sense.” (Backman 16) Their belief provided very little rewards as it was thought that the outcome of all dead was to be “cosigned equally to spending eternity wandering naked and exposed through an endless expanse of darkness, dust, and heat.” (Backman
The Archaic Greeks and Hebrews, two nations of people with very distinct worldviews, were driven to make sense of their vast ever-changing world while trying to survive it. The earlier ancient Hebrews lived nomadically, facing turmoil and enslavement. The Archaic Greeks, coming out of an isolated dark age, began to civilize and grow. Despite having over a millennia difference between their emergences, the need for social and political structure stood paramount. The key differences between the cultures are the way they interpreted and used their separate religions, governed themselves, and created a standard by which to live by.
There were many ways that the Ancient Egyptian society and the Mesopotamian society were similar yet at the same time they were very different. Egyptians and Sumerians agreed on religion in a sense that both cultures were polytheistic. However, the relationships between the gods and goddesses were different between the Sumerians and Egyptians. This essay will discuss those differences in culture, religion and the viewpoints on death and afterlife.
Religion was a major part of Ancient Egyptians’ lives. Their faith was so engrained in them that it was more of a lifestyle than a set of beliefs. The Egyptians practiced polytheism, or the worship of many gods, and they believed that their pharaoh was a god on Earth (Doc 3). The people worshipped the pharaoh and gave him all respect and power. They believed that their two main goals in life were to keep the pharaoh and the other gods happy and to live a good life so that they may enjoy a happy life after death. Their shared faith strengthened their society because everyone was working toward the same goal. Groups were not divided based on what god they worshipped. Instead, the fact that every person lived to please the same gods and wished to go to the same afterlife gave them something in common and brought them together as a community. Sumerians also practiced polytheism and believed that their priests were connected to the gods. The people thought it was their responsibility to keep the gods happy, and believed that if the gods were pleased, they would allow their people to be content as well (Doc 6). Because of their desire to please the gods, Sumerians performed every task to the best of their ability. For example, they invested lots of time and money into their ziggurats, or temples, because they only wanted to give their best to the gods. The Sumerians’ devotion to every task ensured that everything was done well and helped their civilization
Religion plays a lot of roles in many different cultures. Most things are religion based like in the United States. We are based off Christianity in many different things. In East and Southeast Asia, religion had a big role in shaping the modern history.
People of the ancient world often had questions about their existence and how life and people came to be on earth. Most ancient people answered these questions through religion. The Sumerians were the first important group of people to inhabit Mesopotamia and they were known to practice a form of worship called polytheism, which is the worship of several gods. Mesopotamians associated different gods with natural events, emotions, and other occurrences. Their main deities included An (the god of the heavens), Enlil (Lord Storm), Enki (god of wisdom), and Nihursaga (the mother of all living things)(p.22). The Mesopotamians believed that the gods controlled all of the events and occurrences in life. An ancient text called “Creation of Man by the Mother Goddess” (p.34) helps us understand how the M...
One way of examining the values and traditions of a people is to look at their explanations for how the world came to be. These stories make such wonderful tools for analysis because all cultures have some sort of ‘creation’ story. Thus to compare groups of people we may start by looking at their creation mythology. It is important to note that the downfall of comparing mythologies is that in a way it is like comparing apples to oranges. This is because not every myth portrays and explains the same elements.
The ancient world had many things to study and learn from. Some of the most noted ancient civilizations were Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece. One thing which these civilizations all had in common was their almighty, immortal gods. Each civilization had their own set of gods. All of which are still very well known to this day. Geography, climate, and the distinctive features of natural environment were all present to shape the world-views, and religious beliefs of all ancient people.
The people thought of all the gods to be wise and would seek their guidance in certain situations. Their religious beliefs brought this respect, and in some ways fear, to honor the gods so they would be gracious in return. “Religious beliefs instilled fear of the gods, who could alter the landscape, and desire to appease them” (Bulliet, 19). The Mesopotamians believed that the gods were human like in form, but that if they were to be unhappy by something the people did, they could alter anything in their lives, and in some cases even kill
Throughout the ancient world, religions and ideologies have developed into forms and practices that influence the very essence of civilizations. Religions could pose as a form of foundation for the beliefs, ideas, social organizations, and economic structures of a certain group of people. They provided a means of justification and form of unity between people and they helped establish and infuse new ideas into a culture. Religions were used as source to explain the misconcepted beliefs in nature and science as well as natural phenomina and it was also used to provide a source of motivation, control, and stability in a civilization.
To Conclude, The Sumerians terrible answer to the terrible question is the belief the human race had been created to serve the gods. They held this belief to every aspect of their culture. The Sumerians showed this belief in their creation stories of their literature as seen in the “Atrahasis Poem”, and the “Enuma Elish” poem, the massive ziggurats of their Architecture, and their remaining artwork. The Sumerians were true believers of their gods and would have done anything for their gods. In their culture their religion was held to the highest of standards.
Throughout examples in history, current events, and religious teachings, religion severely impacted history and world. Its power to partition groups of people is demonstrated through various events, such as the Crusades and the September 11 attacks. Whether from the past or current events, the dividing force of religion plays a vital role in shaping society today.
Religion has been an essential component in every culture throughout the history of mankind and has been extremely important in the development of art work from ancient periods. Evidence of beliefs in supernatural aspects of the reality has been found since the Paleolithic period; composite creatures, sacred animals, gods and goddesses are part of the many figures that have been worshipped around the world. Religions have evolved along with society during the time, and were becoming more complex; new figures were appearing and pantheons were changing within civilizations. Most of the art work that remains today from previous periods has religious connotation, from wall painting to beautiful statues. There are similarities in all cultures to associate female deities with fertility, love, devotion and beauty; but there are also differences in how the goddesses are depicted and worshipped from one culture to another as in the case of the Goddess Parvati in India, and the Goddess Chicomecoalt in Aztec culture.