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Guide to the Mesopotamian Pantheon of Gods

© Ian Lawton 2000

The gods played a crucial role in the Sumerians' lives, both as a nation and as individuals - most Sumerians appear to have had a personal god or gods with whom they forged a special relationship. Their texts and stelae indicate that they looked to them for protection and assistance in all things, while also blaming them or looking upon it as a punishment - just or otherwise - when things went wrong. As with the endurance of their literature these gods, with some amendments, continued to be worshipped right through to the late Assyro-Babylonian period. Since they play a crucial role in the literary texts which we will consider in subsequent papers, it is appropriate that we take time out to consider the key figures.

The collective name most often given to the Sumerian pantheon is the Anunnaki, although another name, the Igigi, is also encountered. These two names appear to be interchangeable in some texts,......

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Approximate Word Count: 1936
Approximate Pages: 8 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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