BY: DATTATREYA MANDAL



Introduction – Ancient Mesopotamia and its Gods


When it comes to the early historical scope of Mesopotamia, there were no singular factions or political entities that ruled the extensive lands between and around the rivers of Tigris and Euphrates (at least until the brief Akkadian Empire and the later rise of the Babylonian and Neo-Assyrian Empires).


However, the Mesopotamian city-states from after the 3rd millennium BC did share their cultural traits and even languages. For example, ancient Sumerian heavily influenced Akkadian (of which Babylonian was a variant), the lingua franca of much of the Ancient Near East. The pantheon of the region was a religious extension of this ancient cultural overlap. As such many of the Mesopotamian gods were commonly worshiped by Sumerians, Babylonians, and even Assyrians alike.



But the progression of history and mythology is not linear. Consequently, many of the Mesopotamian mythological characters evolved (and devolved) into variant entities (based on the faction’s preference – like Sumerian sun god Utu ‘morphed’ into Akkadian Shamash). Furthermore, some of these Mesopotamian gods were honored more as patron deities of individual cities. Taking these various factors into consideration, let us look at the major ancient Mesopotamian gods and goddesses you should know about.


Tiamat – The Primordial Goddess of Oceans


Tiamat, the primordial goddess of the oceans, is possibly one of the earliest known Babylonian entities used for Chaoskampf – a myth that portrays the momentous battle between a hero and a chthonic monster. To that end, the very portrayal of Tiamat as one of the Mesopotamian gods in the ancient motifs takes a rather paradoxical route. One ‘side’ shows how she epitomized the beauty of the feminine, while the other showcases how she represented the chaotic nature of primordial origins.



In essence, the first part of her mythos projects the goddess as the creator, who in sacred bond with freshwater sources (represented by god Apsû), gives birth to the cosmos and its successive generations. However, the second part of the Chaoskampf makes Tiamat the antagonist, with her taking the form of a giant dragon to wreak havoc on the younger generation of gods (as an act of revenge, instigated by the murder of her husband Apsû).


She is also said to have created the first batch of monsters and ‘poison-filled’ dragons, and ultimately ends up being slain by god Marduk. Marduk, in turn, then proceeds to construct both heaven and earth from her remnant body. As for the historical side of affairs, there are theories that suggest that Tiamat as a Mesopotamian goddess was worshiped as a part of the cult of Nammu (a primeval goddess, being the Sumerian equivalent to Tiamat).


Interestingly enough, Dr. Harriet Crawford has observed how the middle Persian Gulf region exhibits the ‘mixture’ of waters with the mingling of fresh water from the Arabian aquifers and the sea saltwater. Dilmun, the origin place of many Mesopotamian myths, is also thought to have been located in the country of Bahrain (which in Arabic translates to ‘two seas’).