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| Fanciful rendition, Babylon Ziggurat |
Religion has
been extremely important to mankind since what seems the onset of our species.
Spiritual markings abound in caves, on megaliths or stone circles with no
markings, but we surmise them as ritualistic. Ziggurats, or step pyramids are
scattered around the world. Symbols and worshipful edifices continue to this
day. They are evidence of mankind’s need for religion.
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| Gobekli Tepe dig purposefully buried |
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| Another look at Gobekli Tepe dig |
One of the
oldest places of worship is Gobekli Tepe (circa 11,000-13,000 BCE depending on
the source), located in what is now Turkey, predates the Egyptian pyramids by
several thousand years. New data says it even predates farming. One expert
feels it was built as a religious monument, which brought farming & civilization.
This is opposite from earlier thought of hunter gatherers to farming. No
writing exists on the site, so no one knows for sure.
Curiously
constructed, then strangely buried, a smaller version was built on top of it,
and so it went over the centuries. The footprint became smaller until people
put icons of the bull in their homes, which kept a constant reminder of their beliefs.
By this time, the entire site of Gobekli Tepe had been purposefully buried.
Then Sumer (oldest part of Mesopotamia)
came along approx. 5000 BCE, which is quite a span of time between the two.
Based between the Tigris & Euphrates rivers, it is considered by many to be
the cradle of civilization. Also known as Sumeria, they suspect these people
came from the Indus Valley (Pakistan and NW India). They were a devout group
who developed writing, the wheel. Some say they developed hydraulics. They
perfected irrigation, planted during the inundation, which was the winter melt
originating in Turkey.
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| Tigris Euphrates |
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| Artist rendition of ancient Sumer |
The
Sumerians were an advanced species who worshiped a denizen of gods, many of
which were at one time kings or queens. They believed in many things we recognize.
They have a battle between the gods in the heavens, a Moses, a flood, and
sacrifice. They developed law codes that were in part similar to the 10
Commandments. They built ziggurats for high priests and the elite to worship which
were the forerunner of the pyramids, but not for burial purposes.
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| Mayan Step Pyramid so much like Sumer's Ziggurats |
In many ways
our modern world meets old civilizations in thought and beliefs. Man has always worshiped a god, several or one. We are connected by these beliefs attached to
early man. The concept is fascinating.
