Ancient Religions of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Ancient Egyptian Religion and the Nile River. 11-12-2020. Religions that were not tethered to state control were banned by law, and persecuted without mercy. Mesopotamian prayers beseeched the âknown and unknown godâ and asked why the gods gave no answers. At that time, Mesopotamia was essentially divided into several independent and often competing city-states until the Third Dynasty of Ur â named for the home city of the dynasty â was established by Ur-Nammu (ruled ca. Though, it is more an overview of Mesopotamian culture and practices that is framed by a distinction between Northern Mesopotamia and Southern Mesopotamia. Organized religion had its beginnings in ancient Mesopotamia (in what is now modern Iraq) and in Egypt more than five thousand years ago. Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia were two great civilizations and among the earliest to emerge, starting after 3000 B.C. Next ⦠Ancient Mesopotamian civilizations. It is not difficult to see the influence of this long history on religious policy in China today. in the Middle East and North ⦠Religion was part of the government -- it was never intended to be independent. In effect, they were banks of deposit for community wealth. Practice: Ancient Mesopotamia. The bleak existence in a vulnerable land paralleled the uncaring pantheon of gods. The city of Babylon, whose ruins are located in present-day Iraq, was founded more than 4,000 years ⦠That writing system, invented by the Sumerians, emerged in Mesopotamia around 3500 BCE. 2112-2095 BC). The earliest writing systems evolved independently and at roughly the same time in Egypt and Mesopotamia, but current scholarship suggests that Mesopotamiaâs writing appeared first. The early kings ruled over only their own city-states. Religion was also a very strong part of their government. How did religion affect who was in the upper class in ancient Mesopotamia? Babylonia was a state in ancient Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia at this time did not have a centralized government but, instead, had many smaller regions with their own separate governments. They thought gods had effect on everything - good harvest, disastrous floods, health, wealth. In Ancient Mesopotamian Government and Geography, Laura la Bella attempts to offer a broad overview of ancient Mesopotamian government. So, whoever they believed was close to the gods, such as priests, was in the upper class. In Egypt, however, religion was very positive. As noted above, the earliest ziggurats were built by the Sumerians in the southern region of Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC. Ancient Egypt's culture, government, adaptability and overall stability came from their extremely intricate and ever present religion. Both of these factors helped to add to their stability and adaptability which was one of the most impressive in both the ancient and the modern world. 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