Religion in the Ancient World
Religion is a set of practices and beliefs that leads its believers to spiritual experience. In human history, every culture has recognized and practiced a particular type of religion. Religion has played a key role in every civilization that has ever been experienced in the world. Religion forms the basis of the origin, values, and life after death for members of a particular culture. Egypt and Mesopotamia are two ancient civilizations before the discovery of science, where religion explained everyday aspect of life.
Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia are two famous ancient civilizations. People under the two cultures had differences and similarities based on their geography, religion, and social structures (Wengrow, 2018). In both ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia societies, people were allowed to settle and practice farming instead of hunting wild animals. The two cultures had settled in river valleys, and the climate was favorable to practice agriculture. The geographical nature of both ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia led to the creation of two different religions. Both the labor class, middle class, and upper-class people in both civilizations depended on religion in their everyday events. The ancient Egypt society was characterized by polytheistic religion, while a pessimistic religion characterized Mesopotamia society.
The people in ancient Egypt society believed in a polytheistic system of religion. People under this civilization believed in the presence of gods (Kaelin, 2016). The gods were thought to exist in the sky, water, and earth. The ancient Egypt people were farmers, and they dependent their gods for good harvests. During the civilization period, people had to maintain a healthy relationship with their gods for their success. The Pharaohs, who were the rulers of Egypt, acted as intermediaries between gods and people. The Pharaoh’s led the people to make prayers and offerings for their gods. Mythology was a key feature of religion in ancient Egypt. Myths and stories were taught to people to shape their behavior. Religion was, therefore, a symbol of unity and hope for the people in ancient Egypt.
The people of Mesopotamia believed that religion affected every event of human life. Pessimistic and polytheistic religions were prevalent in the Mesopotamia era (Feldt, 2016). Both major and minor gods were worshiped during the civilization period. Mesopotamia’s beliefs formed the world oldest religion, and it influenced present-day religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islamic. Priests acted as mediators between people of Mesopotamia and their gods. Even in today’s Christian religion, priests are known and recognized as religious leaders. According to the Mesopotamia religion, gods were supernatural human beings. The gods could eat, drink, and killed. However, the gods were believed to be immortal. The people had much respect for their gods, who sustained their lives and economic activities. A common myth in the Mesopotamia religion was that human beings were created to work with the gods. The gods were believed to reward human beings for taking care of their needs. Therefore, a beneficial relationship existed between the people of Mesopotamia and their gods. The myth encouraged human beings during this ancient time to work hard in their farms, which accelerated the civilization.
In conclusion, every culture in human history has practiced a particular form of religion. Religion forms the basis of the origin of people, and it determines the future of the people as well. Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia are well-known civilizations that were shaped by religion. In both Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt society, people worshiped multiple gods to achieve success in their farming activities. Mesopotamia religion was one of the oldest religions in the world, and it influenced the modern forms of spirituality. Religion shaped the social structures and economic activities during the ancient time.
References
Feldt, L. (2016). Religion, nature, and ambiguous space in ancient Mesopotamia: The mountain wilderness in Old Babylonian religious narratives. Numen, 63(4), 347-382.
Kaelin, O. (2016). Gods in Ancient Egypt. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Religion.
Wengrow, D. (2018). What Makes Civilization?: The Ancient Near East and the Future of the West. Oxford University Press.