david
dubĝal (scribes assistent)
Posts: 43
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Post by david on Oct 22, 2007 11:15:11 GMT -5
I wasn't sure exactly where to post this, so I hope this is the right thread, but anyway, what was the typical view of the underworld and the afterlife in general in ancient Mesopotamia, I know that the common conception is that it wasn't something that great and the dead ate dust and were in darkness, but is this all that there is to the Mesopotamian underworld, or did the Sumerians (or other Mesopotamians) have other views of it?.
I've read and heard that it was also seen as an extension of this life (e.g. a farmer may still have continued to farm in the underworld, a soldier may still have been a soldier, etc), but is this true?.
I've also read that in ancient Mesopotamia, the ancestors were highly regarded, almost like demigods and the ancestor cult was very big in ancient Mesopotamia (a bit like all over the ancient Mediterranean, which I'm told, the ancestor cults of ancient Greece and Rome rivaled that of Confucian China), again, is this true?.
I'd like to read and learn a lot more about the underworld and the afterlife that the Mesopotamians viewed, so if you know of or have any good books you'd recommend (or articles, sites, etc), please could you mention them?.
Thanks for any help you can give me.
David.
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Post by saharda on Nov 2, 2007 14:25:01 GMT -5
Most of your comments are roughly in line with the general concept of the underworld, but I think that the first needs some revisiting. Sumerians often painted a picture by example. In the myth where Enkidu goes to the underworld and tells Gilgamesh all about it he starts with the bad results and moves on to the good ones. This was something of a road map with land marks. Each description is simply a piece of the puzzle that tells us how the entire puzzle will come together.
There's a good book on the subject of the Sumerian Underworld "The image of the Netherworld in the Sumerian Sources" by Dina Katz
As that's rather expensive I suggest that you go to the myths and other compositions that talk about the underworld. Death of Ningishzida, Gilgamesh, the decent of Inanna, Ereshkigal and Nergal, the refrences from Udug Hul, The practices around Ne Izi Gar, and anything you can find about Sumerian burial practices.
Many of those things are free.
PS, might I get you to cross post this on Tablet? I'd like to see some of the other views on the subject.
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david
dubĝal (scribes assistent)
Posts: 43
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Post by david on Nov 5, 2007 20:55:28 GMT -5
Sure I don't mind posting it on Tablets of Destiny, and thanks for the info, that book sounds interesting, but I guess it'll have to wait for awhile, and I've been reading some of the myths on the Temple of Sumer site (and also the Gateways to Babylon site), but would you mind explaining what the Udug Hul is and the Ne Izi Gar, are they myths and could I find them for free online?.
Also, are there any good books on Sumerian burial practices (I know 'Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Mesopotamia' has a good section on them).
Thanks for your help.
BTW, just before I forget, I think I asked about this on Tablets, but do you know if I can find an English version of 'The Underworld vision of an Assyrian Prince' as that sounds like something I'd like to read.
Again, thanks.
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