Gods and Beliefs of Ancient Civilizations

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.

One of the first intelligent ancient civilizations was ancient Mesopotamia-which was cultivated nearly 5,000 years ago. “Mesopotamia’s god and goddesses were associated with the forces of nature (Fiero 19).” Mesopotamians believed that their world was controlled

by gods, goddesses, demons and monsters. Each city possessed their own special god or goddesses to protect their family and well being. These gods and goddesses were known to be responsible for everything the world created; from long, complicated rivers to something simple, like berries. They lived in large temples, which were built in the middle of the cities. Certain priests looked after these gods with special rituals to keep the gods content. A major god of Mesopotamia was Adad or Ishkur, the god of storms, who venerated as a supreme power. He is usually seen carrying a lightning fork, symbolizing his power over the storm forces of nature. Adad was a Babylonian and Assyrian god, and known to the Sumerians as Ishkur. He’s often shown with a lion-dragon or bull aswell. Another well known Mesopotamian god was Ashur or Enlil. He was the god of wind and head of the Assyrian Pantheon. The most important god in many of the Mesopotamian people eyes was Anu or An. He was the father of all gods, the god of heaven, and lord of constellations. Though Mesopotamia had hundreds of gods, there were a certain few who held more power in respect to their authority over the others. The story of The Babylonian Creation, explains how the gods were created. It says`, “When there was no heaven, no earth, no height, no depth, no name, when Apsu was alone, the sweet water, the first begetter; and Tiamat the bitter water, and that return to the womb, her Mummu, when there were no gods—.” The story continues to explain the specialty of certain gods and how they became as powerful as they were.
The culture of ancient Egypt was based upon the belief in an array of strange looking creatures who were worshiped in temples throughout Egypt with an aim to gain their favor. Each one had a role to play to maintain peace and harmony across the land. The ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses represented aspects of the Egyptians’ natural and “supernatural” surroundings and helped them understand its many aspects. (Eyelid Pro. Discovering Egypt) The Egyptians believed gods came about from the Nile’s primordial water which brought forth a mount of silt, out of which emerged the self-generating sun god Amon or Ra; and from that god, the rest of Egypt’s gods were born. The Egyptians believed that in order to continue living on smoothly they must continue to recognize and worship the gods and goddesses. “Some gods and goddesses took part in the creation of things, some brought the flood, some offered protection, and some looked after people when they died. The other gods were either local gods who represented towns, or minor gods who represented plants or animals.” (The British Museum, Gods) The most honored and important god of Egypt was the sun god, Amon, who because of the hot, arid climate, made it possible to grow crops. He was considered greater than any other deity in the Egyptian Pantheon. The ancient Egyptians believed that Amon was swallowed every night by the sky goddess Nut, and was reborn every morning. His cult dominated the polytheistic belief system of Ancient Egypt for three millennia. Egyptians viewed the sun’s daily ascent in the East as symbolic of the gods rebirth, his daily resurrection signified the victory of the forces of day, light, purity, goodness, and life. The physical form taken on by the various Egyptian gods was usually a combination of human and animal, and many were associated with one or more animal species- a certain animal could express a deity’s mood. A hymn that was likely used in the worshipping of Ra was thought to be accompanied by rituals of renewal honoring to the pharaoh, and the divinely appointed representative of the sun:
“Praise to thee, o Re, when thou settest, Atum…
Divine divinity that came into being of himself,
Primeval god, that existed at the beginning.”
It was a transfer of power from the sun god to the pharaoh and was seen in temples and tombs frequently.
The most known and loved civilization is the Greeks.

They are widely known for their gods and goddesses. The Olympian gods were the main gods of Ancient Greece. After overthrowing their ancestors, the Titans, the Olympian gods became the rulers of the World (Cosmos), representing the civilization of the world. To the common Greeks, they envisioned their gods as a family of immortals who intervened in the lives of human beings. Unlike Mesopotamia and Egypt, Greece made their gods out to be more human like than animal like. These gods were immortal, but took on many characteristics of the humans who worshipped them. The gods lived atop a mountain in Northern Greece called Mount Olympus. Mount Olympus was home to many of the gods, each had there own palace atop the mountain. Zeus sat upon the summit of the mountain while the other gods were surrounding him in their own palaces. Gods would take sides in human combat, seduce mortal woman, and meddle in the lives of those they felt were worthy of their attention. One of the most known gods, Zeus, was the supreme god in Ancient Greece, the father of the Olympian gods and the ruler of all mankind. He and his wife Hera were exalted by the Greek Pantheon as the ruling deities of Greece. In a epic poem called Theogony or The Birth of the Gods, it recounts the history, genealogy of the god, how they came to be and how they established permanent control over the Cosmos. In the poem it says that, “Verily at the first Chaos came to be, but next wide-bosomed Earth, the ever-sure foundations of all the deathless ones who hold the peaks of snowy Olympus, and dim Tartarus in the depth of the wide-pathed Earth, and Eros (Love), fairest among the deathless gods, who unnerves the limbs and overcomes the mind and wise counsels of all gods and all men within

them.”
Though each of the ancient civilizations are in different areas of the map and have very different cultures, they weren't that much different from each other. Each civilization had their own depictions of gods. All seemed to be around the fact of nature and the unknown. When people in antiquity didn't know what something was or how it happened they tried to find a way to make sense of the unknown. What they all came up with was gods and myths. An explanation for anything and everything they didn't know. Like why the sun would rise in the east and set in the west, they made a god that would explain just that.