The successors of Sargon, the Akkadian, the energetic and resourceful Semitic leader who unified Mesopotamia for the first time in an empire, ruled over the land for little more than a century. However, it must be stressed that although there was political unity, cultural diversity empired all over the land, with each city possessing a pantheon, a chief deity or deities, customs and festivals.
The Sargonids, nevertheless, introduced considerable changes into the land. People acquired the taste and need for unification on a large scale, for huge political constructions. The image of the prince and king as the head of state, superior to the masses and responsible for the welfare of the land in quasi-supernatural majesty became clear. The king was the good shepherd, a metaphor that was created to stay.
The final century of the 3rd millennium saw the appearance on the ruins of the empire of Sargon of a kingdom that was much smaller, but solidly built, centered on the rulers of the Southern city of Ur. These rulers still kept Sumerian as their official and literary language, a final homage to those old and unforgetable ancestors. This period is called in history the Third Dynasty of Ur.
Hope you have liked the glowing review of Professor Bottéro´s book by one of the finest modern Assyriologists I am proud to call a friend as well.
Bright blessings,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
The New Semites, the rise of Babylon and Assyria
Semitic predominance was a constant in Mesopotamian history. Either as families/clans or in bands, they arrived in waves of immigrants, the Amorites or Martu from the Northwest. They spoke a language related to Akkadian, known as Canaanite, and from this language that later idioms such as Ugaritic and Hebrew evolved. These clans or bands though were conquered by the civilized urban ways of Mesopotamia and soon were part of the culture.
Not all of these bands and clans got absorbed though. The Elamites in the Southeast brought the downfall of the Third Dynasty of Ur, and thus for one or two centuries, Mesopotamia came back to its earlier fragmented state.
Nevertheless, around 1800 Before Common Era, an intelligent, capable and vigorous ruler of Babylon, called Hammurabi, of Amorite descent, reorganized the land into a kingdom, whose capital was Babylon itself, the Gate of the Gods. Hammurabi therefore put all his energy into regrouping and coalescing around his capital not only Lower Mesopotamia (the ancient lands of Sumer and Akkad), as well as several areas in the periphery, beginning with the northern area called Assyria. But the heart of the empire was Babylon, the cultural center of the land, and in a way, the capital of the ancient world too.
Unfortunately, less than a century after the establishment of this grandiose political construction, internal dissent and enemy assaults destroyed the prevailing unity. The invading Kassites, rough mountain dwellers from the Zagros mountains and of whom we know very little, took hold of the region and controlled it for a long time. We do not know, however, aside from that control, what precise political role they might have played there. But it seems that the Kassites in no way halted or slowed down economic activity or prevented literaru and cultural activities to progress during their rule.
It was in this context of immobility, when Babylon seemed to be involved in centuries of sleep and lethargy, that we witness the rise of Assyria in the north.
More later.
Bright blessings,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: The New Semites, the rise of Babylon and Assyria
Summing up, while Babylon under the Kassite rule seemed to be involved by lethargy, Assyria rose to her feet, rediscovered independence and became a rival kingdom, with Ashur as the capital, followed by Nimrud/Kalhu and then around 700 BCE by Nineveh. Babylon and Assyria were to maintain an ambiguous relationship, if not openly hostile. Often, Assyria was the stronger, but Babylon still held the glory of past centuries.
On the other hand, a thousand years after the arrival of the Amorites, other Semites descended from the Northwest. This new wave of immigrants spoke Aramaic, and some of them, the Chaldeans, brought a treasure with them, the alphabet, which was invented in Syria-Palestine probably around 1,500 Before Common Era. The interesting thing is that the Arameans did not impose their alphabet, nor did they got absorbed by the prevailing culture. Their integration was longer than their Amorite predecessors, but their presence and influence would underlie the evolution of the land during part of the next millennium.
The first centuries of that final millennium were above all filled with the glory of Assyria, which was endowed with a few energetic, strong and lucky monarchs. The Sargonids, between 720 and 609, whose exploits are coverd in more detail in the Introduction section of Gateways with the essay taken from Roux´s The House of Sargon II. However, the sad story goes along well known lines. Assyria had conquered all territories around itself, but was deeply divided inside. Twenty years only after the death of Assurbanipal, the most important of the Sargonid monarchs, the capital Nineveh fell to invaders, and the empire collapsed.
Babylon, on the other hand, despite the success of rulers such as Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562), the brief Chaldean dynasty (as it is called) did not last a century in Babylon. In Persia, as the power of the Achaemenid dynasty rose, Babylon´s hegemony diminished considerably. When Cyrus, the Great (550-530) conquered Mesopotamia, the land was no more independent, and even lost the traditional language spoken by its people. Cyrus preferred Aramaic even over his own language, Old Persian, and made it the linguistic link in his empire. In Msopotamia, Aramaic began steadily and patiently to encroach on Akkadian. Thus, not only did the Akkadian speakers started borrowing cultural terms, which they hten Akkadiznized, from the Arameans, but in economic documents and other business papers, personal names began to be written in alphabetic Aramaic in the margins, next to names written in cuneiform scrpt.
Breaking up now to the last part of Chapter 2!!!
Finally...
best,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
The final years of Mesopotamian civilization
Having lost the cultural identity of a common language, Mesopotamia started a slow but sure process that led to the end of what was perhaps the liveliest, technology-oriented and mystical society of Antiquity. Or, as I myself put it, before the muses and angels, the land of Sumer and Akkad, Babylon and Assyria became buried, a real treasure hidden in the darkness for us to find.
After Cyrus, the Achaemenid monarch, in 33o Alexander the Great conquered Babylon from the Persians and brings the entire Near East into the Hellenistic cultural orbit. Babylon was not any longer the capital of the land.
In 130, Mesopotamia passes into th ehands of the Parthians, under the Arsacid dynasty. The land lost not only all autonomy but all contemporary political and cultural significance. Another era begins...
More later... but I am so delighted we can move on to chapter 3!
regards,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: The final years of Mesopotamian civilization
Maybe it was Mercury retrograde, but we took a little too long to finish chapter 2 after a record Chapter 1.
But I am delighted we can move on now to more mystical chapter 3!
I am flying to London tomorrow.
Pic Lishtar trying on winter clothes yesterday when the temperature outside was 37-39 Celsius... Yeah, air conditioning was on...
And today the sky is dark and menacing. I like it!!!
Will pack up Bottéro´s book.
did you ever doubt I would??? *chuckles
hmm... I am quite familiar with cyberplaces too.
Ok, back to spreadsheets...
love light and laughter,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
On religious sentiment and reverence and love for the gods
Last post before I fly to Europe. I am at work now... yeah, I had to go to work... Am leaving lots of spreadsheets for brother to analyse and muse upon!!!
Starting from Monday and keeping the emotions very present until Wednesday morning, I had some remarkable experiences by attunement from a magickal working I was sharing with a lovely magickal friend. High Magick is very difficult to put into words, but let me try and give you a glimpse on this side.
My attunement to Inanna/Ishtar is more Sargonid, of the First Dynasty of Akkad type. Thus, I am quite sober, bookish, the scribal type. The very powerful vibrations I got were different and yet were of the same intensity of my own. But the insights were of the Assertive Young Warrior Goddess type, amazing in depth and delightful in flair and style. I kept on getting physical signs, i.e. talked with girls who are warrioresses themselves (but who are not magickal - just resonate with it), was invited for a meal out, came back home for great news from my sister, etc it was no ordinary magickal experience.
I don´t know how many times this year I have fallen in love with Frank as well. Gods, I am crazy about our WebMaster and ListDad, considering inclusive that I was the reluctant ... ListMom What I mean is that I never ceased to love Frank, but at least three times this year I found out another facet of him... and bowed to his mystery.
Monday and Tuesday I bowed again to another face of Ishtar, a bit different from my formal Sargonid Scribe and Warrioress Lady of Battle and Empowerer of Kings.
I shared a great Mystery.
And now am passing a bit of this joy to you.
Professor Bottéro compared religion to falling in love.... yes, his comparison is most right.
To surrender to the gods is to surrender to Love and thus be filled by the Universe in return.
Let´s keep the board moving and ... Happy Imbolc/Lammas to you all, in all worlds you thread upon!
Love light and laughter,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Chapter Three - Sources
Blessed Imbolc/Lammas to everyone!
I hope yours went well. Our Iseum was going to have our Imbolc ritual last night, but we were at the end of a strong winter storm that had dumped snow, sleet and freezing rain on the roads - not the kind of stuff you want to go driving 55 miles through (our Iseum meets in a town 55 miles away).
Now, as we endeavor to create our own meso wheel of the year, my mind is thinking about which of the gods would be best to represent for this day? Nisaba? Ninlil? I think it would be too early for Dumuzi, as I consider the vernal equinox as the time when he returns from the underworld. From my experience of living in the middle east I know that February is truly the beginning of spring in that part of the world. Everything literally explodes into hundreds of shades of green all over the place! My primary location was in Cyprus at that time and my absolutely most favorite time of year was Feb - April, especially March and April as that is when brilliant red poppies were in bloom all over the hillsides. They are my most favorite flower!
So, in view of that, I'm wondering which of the gods would best represent this time of year. Any ideas or suggestions??
Now as we begin chapter three, The Sources: What We Can Expect of Them, Bottero reflects on the fact that cuneiform tablets are the chief means by which we can deduce the religious life of our beloved ancestors. This, in turn, leads me to consider what of us will remain 4,000 to 5,000 years from now? So many of our books in the past century were printed on highly acidic paper and are literally crumbling to pieces at this moment! Currently we are an incredibly information driven culture - yet, so much of it seems trivial and ephemeral. Will technology have moved so far forward that our computers and databases of today will seem like (as it was often said oin Star Trek) "stone knives and bear skins"?
I like the way Bottero describes the difficulty we have in ferreting out meaningful bits of information from what does remain, "But exactly what these unearthed objects have to tell us is never obvious, and by the nature of things, they are always reticent, hazy, ambiguous, if not misleading, never giving a clear overview of the facts."
Another tangential thought - I've heard it said that hundreds of years from now people digging through our refuse and trash may decide that we were a goddess worshipping culture from the proliferation of Barbie dolls present. After all, they were made of a nearly indestructible material: plastic.
More to say, but it's time for bed at the moment! I do look forward to having more interaction from everyone else!
Melissa / Shamhat
In a taunt is its taunt; in a curse is its curse, (such is) the constant renewal of destiny. Sumerian Proverb
Re: The Sources but not quite :)
Hello hello hello
Promise to give you my bit on Chapter 3 tomorrow!
Was pretty jetlagged today. It is the abrupt change in temperature... it was about 40 Celsius back home and here in London it is 12 Celsius!!!
Anyway, Happy Imbolc/Lammas to everyone...
Ok, my two bits on the sources: I feel we have to study the available sources and tune in to them... and see what kind of synchronicities we get. This is the part that is High Magick, kind of tricky to explain but .... when we can make sense of the sources and add our mystical input... and confront them, something interesting may happen!
In my last post, I said that my hunch was that the first Sargonids were soberer and probably scholarly because it is my gut feeling that they had to, as empire builders and inheritors of the Sumerians via an indirect line. This is not written in books. But it makes sense... I guess Emerson put this in another way when he compared the US to Europe, i.e. the US was a pigmee in comparison to old Europe, but it would be great if Americans tried to become the best pigmees in all worlds...
So Enheduanna and Sargon knew they had to play by the ancient rules... to acquire respectability for their empire...
The same way we read all the luminaries of ANE and then... use High Magick techniques to contact the Source, the collective unconscious of the memories of the land of our heart's choice for more insights.
Knowledge and knowing once again walking hand in hand...
cyberkisses from a cyberpoint along Oxford Street and all my love to you all,
Lish
PS: Great kickstart into Chapter 3 Melissa!!!! *all smiles
Factual sources vs Mystical insights and experiences
I can't help smiling lots in various parts of this chapter. Perhaps the best mystical counterpart on the same topic, but from the mystical and scholarly perspective is Adapa's brilliant essay which I never cease to recommend "A Call for Pagan Scholarship" (Religion and Magic here in Gateways).
Which brings me to Melissa's question on which festival we should celebrate at this time of the year as Modern Mesopotamians here and now.
I am very far from my private library, but we could have a look at Mark Cohen's excellent Cultic Calendars of the Ancient Near East. Then we would find out some of the rituals our soul ancestors practiced and would confront their practices with our 21st experiences and needs.
As Adapa said, we should go to the closer local library and do some research first, and second, then open our hearts to the Spirit who has already been singing to us or sending signs our ways
I also find it hard to believe that Professor Bott'ero cannot find love for the gods underlying the acts of worship and reverence of our soul ancestors...
Metaphor and grandiloquent images are signs of love beyond measure.
At least they seem to be very much so for me...
Feet are steaming but... did visit the Gods, i.e. went to the British Museum. It was raining so much that sister and mom stayed at the Selfridge's, the huuuuuuuuuuge deparment store next door to the hotel we are staying at...
oh, I trace my sigil very discreetly in front of my fave statues
Yes, it was most special!!!
More about the books I got tomorrow...
love, light and laughter,
Lishtar
Well, we seem to be a bit quiet here while our beloved listmistress is away in Europe. Hopefully, she'll drop by a cybercafe soon and drop us a line. Of course, if she's in Germany by now... all bets are off right Lish??
I am excited to hear about your meeting with the Matthews and what great books you picked up in London. I know that the bookstore is one of your major destinations when in the UK!! Love of the gods seems to go hand in hand with a love of books! You should come to my house ... they're everywhere. Of course, my sweetie is a librarian, too, so that helps!
Ok... on to Bottero, chapter 3. Is anyone else joining us?? Please??? We don't bite, you know Kiri, how are you doing?
Blessings of Darkness and Light,
Melissa/Shamhat
In a taunt is its taunt; in a curse is its curse, (such is) the constant renewal of destiny. Sumerian Proverb
Bottero, Chapter 3 - The Sources
One thing I continue to notice is how the French academic rhetorical style is such that one is constantly qualifying, re-qualifying and/or hedging on statements. As a student of culture I find it interesting, in contrast to the American bravado of " this is how it is!" statements which, actually, is something I don't like.
However, we all know that behind the unknown always lies ... the mystery. Reaching for the intangibles, the numinous hints that lie about here and there waiting ... finding connections, making discoveries - this is the heart of the mystic! And Bottero comes close to saying this very thing, in not so many words (which is important because academics tend to be very wary of the non-theoretical).
"... we must attempt ... to rediscover and to understand [meso religion] by using what is left of it and by trying to reduce (distill) as much as possible, through sympathy and certain affinity, the vast difference that separates us from those very old deceased members of our family."
Sounds like the words of a Meso mystic to me!!
Bottero also highlights four major concepts one needs to take into consideration when researching Meso history and religion. (and, I note, these are important when studying ANY historical period) What we have to go by is limited by:
1. What was recorded (what they chose to record... the everyday banal things everyone knew weren't worth recording because it was common knowledge)
2. Preservation - What has survived
3. Discovery - What have we found... what still lies waiting for us underground?
4. Time - the final hindrance. We are removed by three to five thousand years from the time period. We may be able to translate the cuneiform to English, but we are not of the same mindset as our Meso forbearers. Meanings change depending on the context and often, it is impossible to truly translate a concept from one language to another. What we read is understood through the filter of our own cultural mindset. Anyone who has traveled to and or has lived in another country for any length of time will understand this well.
Bottero sums this up well when he states that, "Religion ... is deeply connected viscerally to the entire culture, to the mentality, the vision, the sentiments created by them, collective memory, the imagination, the system of values, and the infinite details of daily life."
We also need to keep in mind that in general very few people were literate and could read cuneiform. Thus, myths and rituals were primarily tranmitted orally from one generation to the next and had developed for centuries before the development of writing. What was written down was likely only an outline of what actually transpired.
Finally, Bottero reminds us that a study of "Mesopotamian Religion" is such a vast topic. What will be the focus of our study: the "official" religion, the "private" religion of the individual, the religion of the "educated" (who would have been the ones to write the cuneiform texts we have to go by), or the religion of the common people? Which location will be the focus, and which time period? The best we can hope for in our study is a massive survey course of Meso religion... hitting all the highlights and salient features, but not really plumbing the depths.
Your thoughts???
Melissa / Shamhat
In a taunt is its taunt; in a curse is its curse, (such is) the constant renewal of destiny. Sumerian Proverb
From Germany... with all my love to our cybercircle!!!!
Yes, meeting with Caitlin and John was amazing and even more fantastic to see both of them in London!!!
Sorry for being so silent but there are fireworks in the offing
Webmaster's treat and the most incredible News is the coming Art Gallery of Gateways2Bab website... Let's face it: we can't go to the New Age shop next door and get Meso stuff. So we are announcing our future gallery!!! Thus, artists in the board, heads up! I guess only Daryl can have a rest for a while because I got his drawings both on file and properly scanned
What Frank and I talked about is that you all can send him your drawings, pics, everything pictorial to the Webmaster's email address (Webmaster@GatewaysToBabylon.com ) and he will do his best (as always ) to frame your material with all the flair and style the Webmaster excels at!!!! I guess you can all write to him in time and he will let you know the best course of action.
More on the Art Gallery in the next Gateways2Bab newsletter.
Melissa, the best book buy was for you as well!!! Three essays on Desire, Discord and Death: approaches to Ancient Near Eastern Myth, by Neal Walls, and published by the American Schools of Oriental Research. The first essay is on Enkidu and the last one is on Nergal and Ereshkigal. Great stuff! Have not read any in full, but the bits and pieces I browsed show that both research, style and scholarship are brilliant.
More on books tomorrow..
And full comments on Chapter 3 too!
Great posts, Melissa!!!
Best regards,
Lish
Re: Bottero, Chapter 3 - The Sources
Red faced Lish... and previous posts on Chapter 3
Gods, I must have been truly jetlagged with some of my posts here on Chapter 3! A trillium apologies for this! We are lucky that Melissa is doing such a brilliant job on reviewing the Chapters for us! I did rush into some parts of Chapter 4 instead… sighs
Anyway, what is fantastic in Chapter 3 on the use of the available sources for our present understanding of ancient Meso religion is exactly the series of cautious warnings issued by our fave French Assyriologist on using these primary sources wisely here and now. The observations that the information we have is still incomplete and partial, that a huge gap in time separates us from the ancient ones and that we certainly lack contextual and vital data are so important.
However, some additional thoughts should be taken into account as well. First, we all know that in High Magick, when we tune in to the ancients documents, we can surely get very valuable insights to fill up some of the present gaps in the historical and archaeological evidence available to us.
Second, there is a whole body of multidisciplinary methodologies and approaches which have become standard by modern science that can be used to interpret ancient texts, such as Jungian Psychology, literary criticism, analysis of symbolic discourse, gender studies, comparative mythology, etc. Thus, although Professor Bottero is right in his views that ancient myths and Meso religion are mostly understood within their original cultural and historical context, we can use now state-of-the art interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary theories to better apprehend the ancient worldviews, in ways that it was impossible at the original time of writing "Religion in ancient Mesopotamia".
By studying the sources from his scholarship and applying modern techniques to them, will be generating a greater awarenes of ancient near eastern texts.
I particularly find, that it's a great privilege and a moving quest for wholeness and holiness to dive into the fabric of a civilization that was so old and yet urban, technology-oriented, and information-driven as our own.
Finally, there's no conflict between high magick and Assyriology, from knowledge to knowing, we will be putting together the pieces of Mesopotamian religion, as much as we can, here and now.
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Bottero, Chapter 3 - The Sources
Happy Valentines Day to All! I send LOVE, HUGS and WARM THOUGHTS to each and every person in our cybercircle!!
Here's hoping you've gotten over your jet lag now that you've been in Europe for over a week! In my experience it has been much easier to adapt to jetlag when flying east and more difficult when flying west. Of course as they say YMMV (your mileage may vary!)
Lish, I agree with you [wholeheartedly] about our ability to re-enchant and restore what has been lost from Ancient Meso religion through High Magick and deep meditation, immersing ourselves in the materials, applying modern analytical techniques, and other methods I can't think of at the moment. That's why I highlighted the one sentence from chapter 3 in which I think Bottero hints at this without stating it explicitly and allows us to fill it with our own interpretation of "sympathy and certain affinity."
"... we must attempt ... to rediscover and to understand [meso religion] by using what is left of it and by trying to reduce (distill) as much as possible, through sympathy and certain affinity, the vast difference that separates us from those very old deceased members of our family."
And the statement at the end of your posting says it so well, "I particularly find, that it's a great privilege and a moving quest for wholeness and holiness to dive into the fabric of a civilization that was so old and yet urban, technology-oriented, and information-driven as our own."
Wholeness and holiness... YES!! That's what I want!! And it's our digging, studying and bending our hearts, souls and spirits to ancient Mesopotamia that will be our guides!
May the blessings of Love, Darkness and Light come to you all!
Melissa / Shamhat
In a taunt is its taunt; in a curse is its curse, (such is) the constant renewal of destiny. Sumerian Proverb
Re: Bottero, Chapter 3 - The Sources I am all smiles as well... a natural occurrence with all the great posts we have here so far!
One of my interesting observations about bookshops and meeting with my mentors (who are having several of their books reprinted, by the way) is that paganism is being consolidated and the good Works are being reprinted too.
In terms of Mesopotamia, we have now some of the tools to start working in earnest for the retrieval of a Cultic Calendar, for example
The second book I got that needs to be reviewed for the board is ... Gwendolyn Leick's latest on OUR ancient cities. Do you remember, oldies in the board, about our project of writing and doing virtual cultic Journeys to the temples? hmmm.... Dr. Leick must have attuned to our discussions... maybe... but now we have her book to base our thoughts upon!!!
Not to boast, but ain't we great?
Isn't it fantastic to have a cybercircle like this one and having a extraordinary Quest to retrieve Meso Tradition to last probably for a lifetime and beyond?
Love, light and laughter,
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Re: Bottero, Chapter 3 - The Sources
What do you think, Melissa? Are we ready to proceed to Chapter 4? The good thing is that even jetlagged, in the last day I could find a reply of my own that completes in a mystical way some of the observations I was not quite happy about his vews of Chap. 4... and could find corroboration in the writings of Professor Lambert...
I was thinking yesterday that ... gods, how mainstream Assyriology we are...
I still keep a postcard from my friend Paul Collins, of the Gallery lectures at the BM. He wrote years back that it was interesting how I arrived at the same theological speculations that they (meaning Assyriologists) arrived at... My intonation is serious... until I still burst into laughter... But theological speculation is too fun!
Enjoy your weekend!
Lishtar
From the Depths and To the Heights to share in all spheres
Chapter 4 - Religious Sentiment
Professor Bottero returns in Chapter 4 to the important issue of religious sentiment, which is to him the first element to be taken into account to better apprehend and comprehend religion. Our distinguished French Assyriology sees religious sentiment as the fundamental emotion that permeates, governs and gives identity to any given religion.
Because the ancient Mesopotamians did not specify, define or left treaties on their unique religiosity anywhere, this is a task left for us to deduce. However, our ancestors did leave a vast liturgical literature, comprising prayers, hymns, songs of celebration, etc. We can through the study and understanding of such works catch a glimpse of the deep emotions that moved the ancient worshipper still today. Professor Bottero then quotes from extand hymns to Anu, Enlil, Enki, Marduk, Sin, Shamash, Nergal and Ishtar to attempt to explain how we can use the sources to grasp how the faithful addressed to their deities. By diving into the inner fabric of these hymns we can still evoke "a certain empathy" with the Spirit and Their worshipers here and now. I would say that the resonance of the Living Spirit can be felt in these ancient words here and now...
Professor Bottero adds that by virtue of their orientation, all prayers are poetic. I would like to add that poetry and ensouled metaphors are the language of love, religion and the transcending spirit. Whenever and wherever we are moved, words tend to sound with an eloquence unperceived before, with rythm, strenght and meaning that come certainly from a higher source which yet strem from the very core of our being.
Different from Professor Bottero though, I don't find personally the repetitions and language of adoration of the ancient hymns heavy and full of cliches or attributes.
The language of devotion is necessarily grandiloquent, where the faithful bows in adoration in front of the Deity of the heart. As a lover is never tired of praising the uniqueness of the beloved, for the faithful the gods-goddesses of his or her heart reign sovereign above all others in the pantheon of his soul
Best regards,
Lishtar... who wrote these notes with a candle in front of a copy picture of her Personal Goddess
Chapter 4 - Religous Sentiment and Reverence
The second fundamental sign of a deep religious sentiment we can deduce from the extant sources is a genuine reverence for the Divine. In the hymns referred to by Prof. Bottero, the deities possess "the insignia of power", They have "mastery over the other Gods", are the bearers of "luminous sheen", for example. The scholar of religions R. Otto refers to such compositions as "numinous hymns", where the supernatural is not the object of a boldly reasonable glorification, but in truth the object of a profound devotion. Professor Bottero then affirms that the religious sentiment of reverence was of the centrifugal and fearful type as opposed to a more ecstatic and close relationship to the Divine. He proceeds to justify his statement quoting from the Epic of Gilgamesh, where the king of Uruk, on his way with Enkidu to the Cedar Forest, has a nightmare that causes him to awake with a start, indeed terrified. He then questions Enkidu, who had not fallen asleep: "Why am I so disturbed? Did a god pass by?" Thus, the effect of the Divine on Gilgamesh is of paralysis and fear.
I must confess that I do not quite agree with Prof. Bottero's assumption only based on this example of the Gilgamesh Epic. Also, Bottero's views, especially when he says that Divinity for the ancient Mesopotamian was never the object of an enthusiastic pursuit to acquire. There is another Mesopotamian prayer that says that the acquisition of a Personal God-dess is great luck indeed. So it is my opinion that although the ancients did consider the gods unpredictable in Their designs, the bond between gods and humans was strong, once humankind had been first and foremost been created by the gods to continue for Them the workings of creation. In other words, the gods had so willed the creation of humankind, thus the bond between humans and gods been unbroken and fundamental since the beginning. The element of impredictability present in the gods can be justified by the fact that the weather gods in particular (Enlil, Adad, Ishkur, etc.) were also patrons of the phenomena that controlled the success or failure of the coming harvest. Mesopotamian agriculture depended on stable weather conditions, and the power of a sudden flood, raging storms and the shifting of river courses could bring a year of plenty or doom to the land.
Secondly and equally important, I particularly disagree with Professor Bottero's statement that there was nothing mystical about the Mesopotamian religion. Surely were the gods considered high authorities in the regions High Above and Down Below. We have already examined elsewhere in this board that the powers on earth should emulate the balance of power that prevailed in the Divine Assembly of the Gods. However, I would not go so far to affirm that the ancient Mesopotamians only submitted to Their gods because They were all-powerful only. Devotion always includes LOVE in the equation of worship and Prof. Bottero several times uses the term devotion as a component in the Mesopotamian religious sentiment.
Indeed, devotion is a term that includes a special kind of love. Devotion is love from the selfless perspective, where the object of worship comes first in relation to the worshiper. Love may evolve to devotion, because where is devotion, adoration and service follow suit. I would like to suggest that for the ancient Mesopotamians, who worshipped Their Gods, the absence of the verbs to like - to love is pertinent and exact. They did more then love their Gods instead. They adored, reveered and worshipped the Divine as manifested in their pantheon.
not the kind of stuff you want to go driving 55 miles through (our Iseum meets in a town 55 miles away). 
They are my most favorite flower! 
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