Religious Customs
The people of Akkad worshipped, as what is generally described as, the Sumerian religion, the mythology, rites, and cosmology of the Sumerian civilization, however there were differences between this religion and the one worshipped by the Akadians. These myths were passed down by oral tradition until the early Sumerian cuneiform was invented, and it wasn’t until the early dynastic period that religious writings became hymns and incantations.
The Akkadians worshipped the Sumerian triad of An, Enlil, and Enki, however they changed the names to Anu, Bel, and Ea. Anu and Ea were created between the union of Apsu and Tiamat, and along with them the rest of creation came. Anu was depicted as the king of the gods, and a god that only the king could worship. In the Akkadian religion, he has a wife named Antum. Bel was shown by the Akkadians as the god of order and destiny, being the most important god. He was the god of cycles and fertility and the son of the highest god Anu. Ea was a god of great force and power, and was the god of ritual purification, sorcery, and incantation. He was also the god of craftsmen and artists, as he was the god who had given form to things. He was also was and officially the advisor to the king. The Akkadians also worshipped the sun god Shamash, he became the most important god who defended justice and punished wrongdoers. He was shown with rays of light shining over the king. |
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