The Influence of Atrahasis on Mesopotamian Beliefs of Human Nature.
To the ancient Mesopotamians, founders of archaic civilization and architects of history, the belief in many higher, mysterious powers did not only manifest itself in religious ritual, as did in previously existing cultures, but also in religious writings, a milestone innovation of the Sumerians. Myths and other religious tales could henceforth be written down, augmenting their impact on nearly every aspect of Mesopotamian life. One such myth, Atrahasis, illustrates the potent Mesopotamian beliefs of creation, the untold power of the many irritated, exalted gods to whom they owe eternal servitude, the inevitableness of death, and the possibility that among the noisy, bothersome humans, a hero may exist to save the world from its own self-destruction. .
Settling into the primordial river valleys of the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile, the Mesopotamian society established the foundation of civilization that would shape the course of history for all time. With the emergence of Sumerian city-states, social organization advanced astonishingly forward into the realm of structured communal living that would pave the way for the birth of writing. Considered by many to be the most pivotal point in all of history, the Sumerian invention of the written word not only influenced language, legal practice, and mathematics, but also the world of religion. The Mesopotamian belief system encompassed an array of gods and goddesses, most of which could be attributed to some phenomenon of nature (Heritage of World Civilizations 6-10). Firmly believing that humans were created to be servants of the gods, and bear the work in their stead, the people of Mesopotamia lived in constant fear of what .
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misfortunes may befall them in response to their not satisfying the demand of the constantly insistent gods.
