InannaAncient Mesopotamian goddessInanna is the ancient Mesopotamian goddess of war, love, and sex. She is also associated with political power, divine law, sensuality, and procreation. Originally worshipped in Sumer, she was known by the Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians as Ishtar. Her primary title is "the Queen of Heaven". She was the patron goddess of the Eanna temple at the city of Uruk, her early main religious center.
Hurrian religionPolytheistic religion in the Bronze Age Near EastHurrian incense containerThe Hurrian religion was the polytheistic religion of the Hurrians, a Bronze Age people of the Near East who chiefly inhabited the north of the Fertile Crescent. While the oldest evidence goes back to the third millennium BCE, it is best attested in cuneiform sources from the second millennium BCE written not only in the Hurrian language, but also Akkadian, Hittite and Ugaritic.
Mari, SyriaMari (Cuneiform: 𒈠𒌷𒆠, ma-ri, modern Tell Hariri; Arabic: تل حريري) was an ancient Semiticcity-state in modern-day Syria. Its remains form a tell 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) north-west of Abu Kamal on the western bank of the Euphrates River, some 120 kilometres (75 mi) southeast of Deir ez-Zor. It flourished as a trade center and hegemonic state between 2900 BC and 1759 BC.
Akkadian languageExtinct Semitic language of MesopotamiaAkkadian ( ; Akkadian: 𒀝𒅗𒁺𒌑(𒌝), romanized: Akkadû(m)) is an East Semitic language that is attested in ancient Mesopotamia (Akkad, Assyria, Isin, Larsa, Babylonia) from the mid-third millennium BC until its gradual replacement in common use by Old Aramaic among Mesopotamians by the 8th century BC.
HurriansThe Hurrians () were a people who inhabited the Ancient Near East during the Bronze Age. They spoke the Hurrian language, and lived throughout northern Syria, upper Mesopotamia and southeastern Anatolia. The Hurrians were first documented in the city of Urkesh, where they built their first kingdom. The largest and most influential Hurrian kingdom was Mitanni.
Sumerian languageSumerian was the language of ancient Sumer. It is the oldest attested language, dating back to at least 3100 BC, perhaps earlier. It is a local language isolate, thus unrelated to any other known language, that was spoken exclusively in ancient Mesopotamia, in the area that is now modern-day Iraq. Sumerian is read from left to right, from the top; however early inscriptions were read top to bottom from the right.
MesopotamiaMesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. It corresponds roughly to the territory of modern Iraq. Just beyond it lies southwestern Iran, where the region transitions into the Iranian plateau, marking the shift from the Arab world to Iran. Mesopotamia is the site of the earliest developments of the Neolithic Revolution from around 10,000 BC.
QatnaQatna (modern: Arabic: تل المشرفة, Tell al-Mishrifeh; also Tell Misrife or Tell Mishrifeh) was an ancient city located in Homs Governorate, Syria. Its remains constitute a tell situated about 18 km (11 mi) northeast of Homs near the village of al-Mishrifeh. The city was an important center through most of the second millennium BC and in the first half of the first millennium BC.
SyriaSyria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north and northwest, Iraq to the east and southeast, Jordan to the south, and Israel and Lebanon to the southwest. It is a republic under a provisional government and comprises 14 governorates. Damascus is Syria's capital and largest city.
ElamAncient pre-Iranian civilization between 3200 and 539 BC
List of Mesopotamian deitiesAkkadian cylinder seal dating to c. 2300 BC, depicting the deities Inanna, Utu, Enki, and IsimudMap showing the extent of Mesopotamia and its major cities relative to modern landmarksDeities in ancient Mesopotamia were almost exclusively anthropomorphic. They were thought to possess extraordinary powers and were often envisioned as being of tremendous physical size.
HittitesAncient Anatolian people of KussaraToday part ofTurkeySyriaLebanonCyprusSphinx Gate entrance to the cityThe Great Temple in the inner city of HattusaThe Hittites () were an AnatolianIndo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in north-central Anatolia in the early 2nd millennium BC.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.