The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria

What It's About

A scholarly survey of the polytheistic religion practised by the peoples of the Tigris and Euphrates valleys, from the dawn of history until the spread of Christianity in the region - a period the author estimates at roughly 5,000 years. Pinches traces the religion's dual roots in the Sumero-Akkadian and Assyro-Babylonian traditions, showing how their pantheons gradually merged, and how this polytheism, though eventually "leavened" with Judaism, continued to be practised - the worship of the god Nebo persisted as late as the fourth century AD.

Key Concepts

The Babylonian story of creation; the principal gods of Babylonia and Assyria and their attributes; demons, exorcisms, and protective ceremonies; temples and priesthoods; divination and astrology; and points of contact with Biblical narrative, including a Babylonian account of the Flood.

About the Author

Theophilus Goldridge Pinches (1856–1934) was a British Assyriologist. Originally employed as a die-sinker in his father's business, he pursued an amateur interest in cuneiform inscriptions that led to a post at the British Museum in 1878, where he worked as assistant and later curator until his retirement in 1900. He subsequently lectured in Assyriology at University College London and the University of Liverpool, and was known for his meticulous work piecing together fragmentary cuneiform tablets, as well as for correcting the reading of the name "Gilgamesh" in 1890.