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Definition
Nanshe
Nanshe (also known as Nanse, Nazi) is the Sumerian goddess of social justice and divination, whose popularity eventually transcended her original boundaries of southern Mesopotamia toward all points throughout the region in the 3rd millennium...
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The Home of the Fish
The Home of the Fish is a Sumerian poetic monologue, most likely from the Ur III Period (2047-1750 BCE), in which the speaker tries to coax various fish into a newly built home. The meaning of the poem depends on whether the speaker is sincere...
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Obelisk of Ur-Nanshe from Lagash
This large white limestone obelisk was found in Lagash, southern Mesopotamia, in modern-day Iraq. All of the 4 aspects of the obelisk were carved, in reliefs, with different scenes. The frontal surface depicts the Sumerian goddess Nisaba...
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A Foundation Peg from the Temple of Nanshe
This copper alloy foundation deposit records the rebuilding of the temple of the god Nanshe in the city of Sirara (modern Zerghul, southern Iraq) by Gudea, ruler of Lagash. It features a bull in a reed marsh. C. 2130 BCE, probably from Sirara...
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The Mesopotamian Pantheon
The gods of the Mesopotamian region were not uniform in name, power, provenance or status in the hierarchy. Mesopotamian culture varied from region to region and, because of this, Marduk should not be regarded as King of the Gods in the same...
Article
The Hymn to Ninkasi, Goddess of Beer
The Hymn to Ninkasi is at once a song of praise to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer, and an ancient recipe for brewing. Written down in c. 1800 BCE, the hymn is no doubt much older as evidenced by the techniques it details which scholars...
Definition
Ninhursag
Ninhursag (also Ninhursaga) is the Sumerian Mother Goddess and one of the oldest and most important in the Mesopotamian Pantheon. She is known as the Mother of the Gods and Mother of Men for her part in creating both divine and mortal entities...
Definition
Inanna
Inanna is the ancient Sumerian goddess of love, sensuality, fertility, procreation, and also of war. She later became identified by the Akkadians and Assyrians as the goddess Ishtar, and further with the Hittite Sauska, the Phoenician Astarte...
Definition
Mesopotamian Religion
Mesopotamian religion was central to the people's lives. Humans were created as co-laborers with their gods to hold off the forces of chaos and to keep the world running smoothly. As in ancient Egypt, the gods were honored daily for providing...
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Mesopotamian Goddesses
Mesopotamian goddesses are among the oldest in the world. Inanna is commonly referenced as the most ancient goddess, first worshipped during the Uruk Period (4100-2900 BCE). Veneration of Inanna and the others developed throughout the Early...