#mesopotamian city of ur

[teathattast]

[amongussexgif]

Howdy folks. I’ve said I’d make a rant about this for a while. It’s time.

Let’s start with the basics. Mesopomatia is the earliest known human civilization. Humans existed before them, but this was the first “city”. They also made the first writing. This rant also kinda covers Sumerian tuff, because the two groups had a bit of a merging.

You know what transgenderism is. You’re on tumblr dot com. Chances are you are a transgenderist yourself

Transphobes often say that transgenderism is a “new concept” and that “nobody was trans 20 years ago”. For the record, you don’t have to go as far back as Mesopotamia. There’s Greece, Egypt, Hawaii, and tons of others I fail to remember. But yeah, we date back to The First City.

The First People believed in many gods, one of which you’ve likely heard of. Today’s subject: Inanna/Ishtar, The Queen of Heaven (I’ll be calling her Inanna, as it’s her original name). She was the goddess of Sex, War, and Justice. The most notable things she was believed to do were changing people’s genders and being an absolute queen. Like fr she slayed-

Anyways, the “transgender power” as I’m gonna call it because it's funny, is well documented in poetry fragments, with the direct quote “To turn a man into a woman and a woman into a man are yours, Inanna.” This was written by Enheduanna, Inanna’s High Priestess from Ur (Ur is a city).

Speaking of Inanna’s Priests and Priestesses, they were actually known for their androgyny. Poems and Dedications to Inanna often included them, with the direct depiction of the goddess transfer-ify-ing them. It’s unknown if these and the Gala are the same priests, so I’ll add a little space and talk about them for a bit.

The Gala were priestesses for Inanna created by the god Enki (who is really fuckign cool for non-trans reasons (might talk about him sometime)) to sing for her. Mourning Rites previously sung by women got taken over by the Gala, and as men joined, they adopted ALL societal roles and expectations of women, switching to female names and singing in the Sumerian eme-sal dialect, which was reserved for women trying to render the speech of female gods. The Gala looked after the sick and poor, and were highly respected by the rest of the Mesopotamian peoples.

Time to talk about the Pilipili! They were a group of cultic performers who worshiped Inanna, with the name coming from a person named Pilipili. They were raised as a woman (according to Mesopotamia’s gender roles), and were blessed by Inanna and given the name Pilipili. Inanna gave them a spear, an item associated very heavily with masculinity “as if she were a man” and they are only referred to as “The Transformed Pilipili” from that point on. “Spear'' is also thought to have phallic meaning here, which is even more directly saying that Inanna trans’ed Pilipili’s gender.

How about we move beyond the cult on Inanna now? A statue (or technically statuette but honestly whatever) found in the city of Mari depicts a singing woman. But wait! The name of the depicted person is “Ur-Nanshe”, a masculine name! This might mean nothing, but honestly, you’d assume transgenderism too if you met a woman named Steven. The statue has a soft face with traces of makeup, and it’s got tiddies!

A statue in the British museum (which for the record should not be in there. give it back) has a label translated as “Hermaphrodite of Inanna”. Hermaphrodite has a different meaning now, which a different translator, Cheryl Morgan, recognized, stating that “person-man-woman” would be more accurate. We don’t know specifics about their gender, but clearly this was a person outside of the gender binary who was not only significant enough to have a statue of them made, but also assumedly well-liked!

So, to summarize, Ancient Mesopotamia viewed genderqueer individuals as:

often blessed by the Queen of Heaven

transgender-ify-ed by said Queen of Heaven

well respected enough to be priests

said cult of trans priests was also said to be made by another god in devotion to Inanna

significant and well-liked enough to have statues of them

sounds like we should take some notes from our ancestors, huh?

[artifacts-archive]

Nail of Gudea

Sumerian, ca. 2144-2124 BCE (Lagash II; Ur III [Neo-Sumerian])

Clay cones and nails were inscribed in the name of a ruler of a Mesopotamian city-state to commemorate an act of building or rebuilding, often of a temple for a specific deity. Deposited in the walls or under the foundations of these structures, the words of the texts were directed at the gods but would be found by later restorers.

[ancientorigins]

It is unknown which culture was the first to create music, but a set of beautiful Sumerian instruments from the city of Ur provide us with some insight into the world of ancient music. They are known as the Lyres of Ur and these musical instruments have been reconstructed for modern audiences to marvel at their melodious sounds as well as eye-catching appearances.

[facts-i-just-made-up]

Fun facts about ancient Mesopotamia?

I never, ever do requests, ever, and will absolutely not respond to this prompt on ancient Mesopotamia with any fun facts at all, ever.

Fun facts about ancient Mesopotamia:

Mesopotamia is Latin for "The Middle Potamia."

The region was also called "The Fertile Crescent," for reasons far too disgusting and inappropriate to mention on the internet.

Mesopotamia was situated between the rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates, which are named for the Tiger and an extinct mammal called the Euphrate, which resembled a llama with horns.

This area was the home to one of the world's first civilizations, called Sumer. Its main city was called Ur, probably because ancient humans weren't into multi-syllabled words and names, keeping things simple. They also worshipped a god named Ninḫursaĝadamgalnunaninmah.

Sumerians are thought to have invented the wheel, irrigation, writing, astronomy, and memothepalopatioscion, a science which is lost to time but probably had something to do with infinite clean energy and perpetual motion. They may also have invented shoes.

The ancient Mesopotamians buried their dead by placing them in large jars. This kept the dead safe and ready for their reincarnation, though the Sumerians feared the eventual coming of a boy who would smash all the pots and doom the afterlife, known as "Link."

Sumerian art mostly consisted of men with beards, women with beards, animals with human faces and beards, and beards on their own, enjoying their freedom to pursue a life of religious fulfillment.

They liked to build vaguely pyramid-like structures called "ziggurats." These ziggurats kept growing in size over the years until one reached so high it was considered an affront to God, who in turn made everyone speak different languages according to the Bible. According to authentic Sumerian texts however, the structure really reached only 1,396ft, and was intended as a residential complex for the super rich where they could over look Chalcolithic Park West. Unfortunately it was poorly designed and ineptly constructed and the rich people abandoned it in favor of yachts, the building being left in disrepair as a sign of toxic Mesopotamian capitalism run wild.

Thank goodness we have learned from their ancient errors and would never do such things in modern New York. At 432 Park Avenue.

[women-throughout-history]

Enheduanna

Enheduanna, the Akkadian poet, stands as a towering figure in ancient Mesopotamian literature, revered as the world's first known author and poet. Born around 2285 BCE, Enheduanna was the daughter of Sargon of Akkad, the legendary ruler often credited as the founder of the world's first empire. Her precise familial ties remain debated among scholars, but what's clear is that Sargon appointed her as the high priestess of the most important temple in Sumer, located in the city of Ur. Enheduanna's contributions to literature and religion are immense. She played a pivotal role in melding the Sumerian gods with the Akkadian ones, fostering stability crucial for the thriving of Sargon's empire. Her literary works, though only rediscovered in modern times, set paradigms for poetry, psalms, and prayers that influenced religious traditions for centuries to come. Her most celebrated compositions include hymns such as “Nin me šara” ("The Exaltation of Inanna") and “Inninmehusa” ("Goddess of the Fearsome Powers" dedicated to the goddess Inanna. These hymns redefined the perception of deities, providing a common religious identity across the empire. Enheduanna's writings also offer a glimpse into her personal frustrations, religious devotion, and responses to the world around her. Enheduanna's life was as remarkable as her literary legacy. She endured political upheavals, including an attempted coup by a Sumerian rebel named Lugal-Ane, which forced her into exile. However, her resilience and divine intercession eventually led to her restoration as high priestess. Despite the controversy surrounding her authorship, with some scholars questioning whether she personally wrote the hymns attributed to her, textual and historical evidence suggests otherwise. Enheduanna's works bear her name, and she explicitly claims authorship in some of her compositions.

[haggishlyhagging]

By the end of the second millennium, the religious thinkers of Mesopotamia saw the cosmos as controlled and regulated by male gods, with only Ishtar maintaining a position of power. When we see such a pattern of theological change, we must ask whether the religious imagery is leading society, or whether it is following socioeconomic development? Was the supplanting of goddesses in Sumerian religious texts an inner theological development that resulted purely from the tendency to view the world of the gods on the model of an imperial state in which women paid no real political role? Or does it follow in the wake of sociological change, of the development of what might be called "patriarchy"? And if the latter is true, is the change in the world of the gods contemporary to the changes in human society, or does it lag behind it by hundreds of years? To these questions we really have no answer. The general impression that we get from Sumerian texts is that at least some women had a more prominent role than was possible in the succeeding Babylonian and Assyrian periods of Mesopotamian history. But developments within the 600-year period covered by Sumerian literature are more difficult to detect. One slight clue might (very hesitantly) be furnished by a royal document called the Reforms of Uruinimgina." Uruinimgina (whose name is read Urukagina in earlier scholarly literature) was a king of Lagash around 2350 B.C.E. As a nondynastic successor to the throne, he had to justify his power, and wrote a "reform" text in which he related how bad matters were before he became king and described the new reforms that he instituted in order to pursue social justice. Among them we read, "the women of the former days used to take two husbands, but the women of today (if they attempt to do this) are stoned with the stones inscribed with their evil intent." Polyandry (if it ever really existed) has been supplanted by monogamy and occasional polygyny.

In early Sumer, royal women had considerable power. In early Lagash, the wives of the governors managed the large temple estates. The dynasty of Kish was founded by Enmebaragesi, a contemporary of Gilgamesh, who it now appears may have been a woman; later, another woman, Kubaba the tavern lady, became ruler of Kish and founded a dynasty that lasted a hundred years. We do not know how important politically the position of En priestess of Ur was, but it was a high position, occupied by royal women at least from the time of Enheduanna, daughter of Sargon (circa 2300 B.C.E.), and through the time of the sister of Warad-Sin and Rim-Sin of Larsa in the second millennium. The prominence of individual royal women continued throughout the third dynasty of Ur. By contrast, women have very little role to play in the latter half of the second millennium; and in first millennium texts, as in those of the Assyrian period, they are practically invisible.

We do not know all the reasons for this decline. It would be tempting to attribute it to the new ideas brought in by new people with the mass immigration of the West Semites into Mesopotamia at the start of the second millennium. However, this cannot be the true origin. The city of Mari on the Euphrates in Syria around 1800 B.C.E. was a site inhabited to a great extent by West Semites. In the documents from this site, women (again, royal women) played a role in religion and politics that was not less than that played by Sumerian women of the Ur IlI period (2111-1950 B.C.E.). The causes for the change in women's position is not ethnically based. The dramatic decline of women's visibility does not take place until well into the Old Babylonian period (circa 1600 B.C.E.), and may be function of the change from city-states to larger nation-states and the changes in the social and economic systems that this entailed.

The eclipse of the goddesses was undoubtedly part of the same process that witnessed a decline in the public role of women, with both reflective of fundamental changes in society that we cannot yet specify. The existence and power of a goddess, particularly of Ishtar, is no indication or guarantee of a high status for human women. In Assyria, where Ishtar was so prominent, women were not. The texts rarely mention any individual women, and, according to the Middle Assyrian laws, married women were to be veiled, had no rights to their husband's property (even to movable goods), and could be struck or mutilated by their husbands at will. Ishtar, the female with the fundamental attributes of manhood, does not enable women to transcend their femaleness. In her being and her cult (where she changes men into women and women into men), she provides an outlet for strong feelings about gender, but in the final analysis, she is the supporter and maintainer of the gender order. The world by the end of the second millennium was a male's world, above and below; and the ancient goddesses have all but disappeared.

-Tikva Frymer-Kensky, In the Wake of the Goddesses: Women, Culture, and the Biblical Transformation of Pagan Myth

[vague-humanoid]

“It belongs in a museum.” With these words, Indiana Jones, the world’s best-known fictional archaeologist, articulated an association between archaeologists, antiquities, and museums that has a very long history. Indeed, even Jones himself would likely marvel at the historic setting of the world’s first “museum,” and the remarkable woman who is believed to have been its curator, the Mesopotamian princess, Ennigaldi-Nanna.

Ennigaldi-Nanna was the priestess of the moon deity Sin, and the daughter of the Neo-Babylonian king, Nabonidus. In the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur, around 530BCE, a small collection of antiquities was gathered, with Ennigaldi-Nanna working to arrange and label the varied artefacts.

This collection was considered by the British archaeologist, Sir Charles Leonard Woolley, to be the earliest known example of a “museum”.

[yamayuandadu]

What is the exact relationship between Inanna and Nanaya? I'm not too well versed on the subject and I keep finding conflicting info everywhere. Were they originally the same goddess that became distinct? Were they distinct goddesses that were later syncretized? Is it both? Or is it something else entirely? lol

When it comes to Nanaya’s origin, there is actually no consensus. Some authors, like Olga Drewnowska-Rymarz (Mesopotamian goddess Nanāja, 2008), assume that Nanaya was originally a hypostasis of Inanna who became a fully distinct deity. The strength of this theory is that the oldest references to Nanaya, dated to the Ur III period (so roughly 2100 BCE), already point to a connection with Inanna, and that a similar process is well documented for other hypostases of Inanna, most notably Anunnitum. Others, like Joan Goodnick Westenholz (the chapter Nanaya: Lady of Mystery in Sumerian Gods and their Representations), argue that Nanaya was initially a fully separate goddess who only entered Inanna’s orbit at some point. An argument in favor of this view is that there are early possibly theophoric Akkadian names with elements which resemble Nanaya’s name. There is also a problem, though, as acknowledged by the aforementioned herself - Nanaya was not popular in the places where these names occur, like Gasur and various cities on the Diyala, but rather in Uruk. Since for now it is impossible to settle, the precise origin of Nanaya and the meaning of her name are uncertain. There were multiple ways in which the relationship between Inanna and Nanaya could be conceptualized in the Ur III period and beyond, though for the most part it is safe to say they were two fully distinct goddesses. In god lists, Nanaya is a mainstay of the entourage of Inanna, and some sources present her as her protegee as well. However, with time she acquired basically equal rank, especially in the local pantheon of Uruk. There is also some evidence for Inanna being regarded as Nanaya’s mother - in fact, there is more of that than evidence for Lulal being her son (once again, 1 reference total) - but it is still very limited. Drewnowska-Rymarz suggested it might not even refer to actual relation between them. The deity most commonly identified as Nanaya’s parent was Urash, the tutelary god of Dilbat. He didn’t really have much to do with Inanna - his wife was Ninegal, but in this case either the independent goddess or Nungal are meant, not her. A different tradition, present in Neo-Assyrian sources, basically put Nanaya in Inanna’s place genealogy-wise, with Sin as her father (and thus, implicitly, Ningal as her mother). Evidence for conflation is, generally speaking, late and typically limited to syncretic hymns (Nanaya had her own, see here) or theological speculation, not to active worship. The only recent paper to claim otherwise was not peer reviewed and ignores that multiple articles and even a monograph about Nanaya have been published over the course of the past 30 years (alas, I’ve seen it cited in a monograph published this year, tragically). Also, note that generally Inanna and Nanaya were not treated as counterparts in the way ex. medicine goddesses or Nergal and Erra were - when Nanaya appears in contexts where a different deity needs to be presented as her counterpart, for example in bilingual texts, this role is assigned to Bizilla, the sukkal of Ninlil, or to Ninzilzil, who might be the same or closely related deity. But then Bizilla obviously had her own role too - Nanaya doesn’t have much in the way of a connection to Ninlil and she was, to my best knowledge, never any other deity’s sukkal - and on top of that in at least one city, Bīt-Bēlti, the two were both worshiped as separate goddesses. So tl;dr the answer is it's complicated but generally they were two separate goddesses.

[covenawhite66]

Born sometime in the latter half of the 23rd century BC, Enheduanna was the high priestess of the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur. It was a political role as well as a religious one; as the daughter of a powerful king, Enheduanna was no stranger to affairs of the state. In her writing, she wielded her pen for peace, working to unite a fractured kingdom.

Her father was King Sargon, ruler of the Akkadians. He conquered an area in southern Iraq, Sumer,.

Thee King’s List is w a list of all the kings that ruled and beside them is the list of the priestesses who were in power during their reigns. So I think that tells us a lot about the importance of the priestesses’ role within society, but also within the political atmosphere of the times.

[thatshowthingstarted]

Cylinder seal with goddesses Ninishkun, the subject of three hymns attributed to Enheduanna, and Ishtar, Mesopotamia, Akkadian, Akkadian period (ca. 2334–2154 BCE), 

Cuneiform inscription: “To the deity Niniškun, Ilaknuid, [seal]-cutter, presented (this), Limestone” 

This cylinder seal was dedicated to a little-known goddess, Ninishkun, who is shown interceding on the owner's behalf with the great goddess Ishtar. Ishtar places her right foot upon a roaring lion, which she restrains with a leash. The scimitar in her left hand and the weapons sprouting from her winged shoulders indicate her war-like nature.

Poet Enheduanna (ca. 2300 BCE), the earliest-named author in world literature. Bringing together a spectacular collection of her texts alongside other works made circa 3400–2000 BCE.

Enheduanna received her name, which means “high priestess, ornament of heaven” in Sumerian, upon her appointment to the temple of the moon god in Ur, a city in southern Mesopotamia, in present-day Iraq. 

The daughter of the Akkadian king Sargon, Enheduanna left an indelible mark on the world of literature by composing extraordinary works in Sumerian. Her poetry reflected her devotion to the goddess of sexual love and warfare — Inanna in Sumerian, Ishtar in Akkadian. 

Whereas much of ancient Mesopotamian literature is unattributed, Enheduanna introduced herself by name and included autobiographical details in several poems. Her passionate voice had a lasting impact in Mesopotamia, as her writings continued to be copied in scribal schools for centuries after she died.

The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, acquired 1947; A27903.

Text courtesy: Hyperallergic

[sag-dab-sar]

Mesopotamian Equinox Festivals: Akiti/Akitu(m)

𒀉𒆠𒋾

The source for this post is The Cultic Calendars of the Ancient Near East by Mark Cohen (Link) Its sprinkled throughout the book but there is allso a dedicated chapter starting at page 400.

Akiti is the Sumerian word for this festival while Akitu(m) is the Akkadian word. (Link)

⭐️ I wrote this so even if you only worship one Mesopotamian God it might be helpful

🌷 History 🍁

The original Akiti festival developed at Ur. They took place within the first and seventh months of the year. Months began on the first visible crescent following the new moon. The Akiti festival would coincide with the month that followed spring and fall equinox(s) meaning the first waxing moon after each equinox. For Ur this was month 1 and month 7.

It would begin at the 1st and go through the 5th (or 7th) of the month in the spring. In the fall it goes through the 1st to the 11th of the month.

It celebrated the triumphant return of Nanna, the city's primary patron God, to the city he claimed and symbolized all the activities he would do as a ruler to put his city in order. The proper preformance of this festival would assure that the God put society in order and establishes a good fate for the city and its inhabitants.

The waxing moon at the beginning of the month had two symbols first the shape of the moon signified the shape of the boat Nanna was returning in, second as the moon fills more and more Nanna is literally physically returning.

The Akiti festival was exported and in many places became associated with the return of their city's God. But when exported the date changed depending on location and sometimes it was incorporated into local festivals.

The ancient festival survived for over 2000 years. The earliest mention being in the middle of the third millennium BCE (3000-2001 BCE) to at least 689 BCE but was apparently also recorded during the Seleucid period which conquered Babylon in 331 BCE.

⭐️ It has also been revived by the ethnic Assyrian people during the 20th century to celebrate their New Year starting on April 1st (Info: link)

It was very important to say the least. And it seems during ancient times the underlying premise stayed the same: the triumph of a city or empire's main God and the securing of good fate and blessings for the next half year.

A common aspect was the God (idol) physically dwelling in an "Akiti house" that was usually built outside the city and then the God returning to their temple. The priests would make sure proper normal offerings and rites are preformed at the Akiti house. Both parts included a procession, with the return procession being more opulent.

🌷Today 🍁

So. How on earth does one celebrate this in the 3rd millennium CE?

A few ideas:

🔹 Maintain the oldest, "original", tradition. A celebration of Nanna being triumphant and organizing society.

However, that was very Ur center and didn't necessarily equate with anywhere else in Sumer. The festival was transferred to Nippur, the Sumerian city with the greatest religious significance as the city if Enlil.

🔹Celebrate the Nippur festival because of its Sumerian religious importance

Which took place during the 4th and 12th month breaking it away from any equinox associations. It was then incorporated into pre-existing Nippur festival in Šunumun based on the "Disputation of the Plow and the Hoe (Link)" & Šekinku's celebration of the Barley Harvest. Nippur also has the best calendar to reconstruct from as it survived in later calendars, so some Sumerian polytheist groups stick to this calendar.

🔹Celebrate Another City's festival

Many cities had them, I haven't read the full book there are a ton.

For example:

--Uruk Festival

Which took place at least during the 8th month to Anu, who is the highest God his name meaning Heaven and the divine marker.

--Badtibara Festival

Took place during the 7th month to Dumuzid in conjunction with "Elūlu celebration"

🔹Celebrate the festival as triumphant of the Gods of Earth rather than any city.

To adapt it to 21st century CE and a globally connected world. This could be An as the highest God, bestower of kingship, heaven; Enlil King of the Gods; or Enki as the world order-er, as commissioned by Enlil, in one myth. It probably depends on which time period you take from and whom you consider King or the highest God in relation to all of Earth.

🔹Other personalized form. Rest of post to help figure that out.

🌷 Aspects Of Festival 🍁

🔸Festival meaning itself:

Key ancient aspects:

A high ranking God "returning" (historically to their tutelary city)

Gratitude to the God for their presence, protection, and good will in the past half year.

Securing good prosperity and fate by the proper celebration of that deity for the next half year.

Some modern concepts you might apply:

Return in their "sphere of influence." Enki as fresh water. Nisaba as grain/food. Utu as justice/judicial process / the sun. So on.

Return in a worshiper's life.

Return in a worshiper's home.

Celebration of a God establishing order, prosperity and/or protection.

🔸Timing:

🌒 The date in the lunisolar calendar is fixed by the day directly following the New Moon that you can easily determine via internet. In ancient history you'd wait to physically see the new crescent but I can't exactly do that.

In blue I give the 2024 dates to show the myriad of range possibilities both spring and fall.

1st & 7th month of ancient Ur calendar

April 9, 2024 — 1 Šekinku, Ur Lunisolar

October 3, 2024 — 1 Akiti, Ur Lunisolar

4th & 12th month of ancient Nippur calendar

July 6, 2024 — 1 Šunumun, Nippur Lunisolar

January 30, 2025 — 1 Šekinku, Nippur Lunisolar

Spring & Fall equinox — Solar only. Modern idea.

March 19, 2024

September 22, 2024

1st of the Gregorian month the equinox occurs in. Combines the civic month + equinox idea to the modern Gregorian calendar.

March 1, 2024

September 1, 2024

First waxing moon crescent in the Gregorian month of the equinox. Combines the civic month + lunar aspect and equinox, to the modern Gregorian calendar.

March 11, 2024

September 3, 2024

🔸Length of festival:

5-7 days in Spring & 11 days in Fall — Reconstructionist

1-2 days — to allow for two processions.

1 day

🔸Which God:

I've included their primary ancient cities

Nanna, Original festival | Ur

An, Highest God Heaven | Uruk

Enlil, King of the Gods | Nippur

Enki, Order of Society specifically from the myth "Enki & the World Order (Link)" where Enlil commissions him to do so | Eridu

Marduk, Babylonian Empire's Akitu festival | Babylonia

Aššur, Assyrian Empire's Akitu festival | Aššur

[City/Empire God], if you reconstruct from a specific different Mesopotamia city or empire. Particularly if the God is exalted as establishing order in the city or empire. For example: Ninisina in Isin, Ninurta in Girsu— but these don't necessarily have historical associated Akitu festivals that are documented.

[God of your choice] while this removes it from its historical foundation it may make the celebration more applicable to your life. If you are a Mesopotamian polytheist or pagan I highly encourage you to pick one of the high Gods of the pantheon. But I thought I'd put this out there— especially for eclectics or non-Mesopotamian polytheists/pagans who want to worship a specific Mesopotamian God (Diĝir) in a symbolically proper way.

Additional Gods:

Gods in that God's retinue

Gods in the main God's family

Gods from the temple the idol was taken from and/or temples involved in the festival of that city (for example in Ur it was celebrated across 3 temples)

None

🔸Offerings:

Offerings based on the ancient lists given specifically for the festival. This might be significantly impossible but instead of slaughtering a sheep or a cow you could replace it with a serving of lamb or beef.

Historically accurate offerings. Can be Sumerian based or local based. (Link.)

Offerings of seasonal themed foods especially those local to your area— spring & fall.

Low Spoon / No Spoon libations (Link)

🌷Ritual & Activities🍁

Haven't wrote any detailed ritual but this is what I have mostly for 2 day or 1 day participation. [Note from 2024: I don't have the energy to create a revivalist style 5-7 day festival this year. Some can be found elsewhere online by other revivalist/reconstructionist groups]

🌼Ritual

▪️You could attempt to take the ritual instructions we have from other ancient cities that wrote about the Akiti/Akitu festivals. I have not read enough of of the book for that. But you can read the chapter starting at page 400 of the book linked at the beginning of this post for ideas.

▪️The basic ideas of ancient practice:

Finding a spot to place main God's representation away from their shrine/altar. This is the Akiti house.

Procession of main God's representation to that spot from their normal shrine/altar

There was lamentation & signs of grief about the absence of the God while they dwell 'away from their city'. The idol was so important in Mesopotamian practice that its absence could be the literal absence of the God, hence why idols were often stolen during war (Source Link). Thus when the representation is in the Akiti house you may express your sadness at the deity's absence.

Letting the main God's representation dwell there for a time, maybe an hour or overnight or a few days depending on length of festival. Libations and offerings are still given to the God at this location.

Procession back to altar after spending time in the Akiti house. A very joyous experience.

Offerings to the newly arrived deity and any additional deities. Also libations if you want.

Prayer of praise and of gratitude for their arrival.

Prayers of supplication for prosperity and protection.

Music, dance, poetry, hymns, reading a story, presenting art— anything that would entertain the God.

▪️Much shorter version:

Have the God representation on altar.

Take and walk around the room or your home to represent them "leaving."

Pause half way through the walk.

When paused proclaim that you miss the God.

Then walk back returning the representation to the altar

Proclaim your gratitude for the God returning to their altar.

Prayers of gratitude for their protection, their role, their meaning, etc. Prayers of supplication if you wish.

Small offering and/or libation.

▪️Hidden / In the Closet Version:

Not an obvious representation— jar candle, piece of jewelry like a bracelet, small nicknack that won't be questioned.

Keeping that item closed away / packed away purposefully representing Akiti house.

Wear it or keep it out in open the next day to represent the "returning"

Think "[God name] thank you for your presence"

Say an offering prayer/ offering intention in your head before a meal. (Also see low spoon offering post above)

Listen to music, play game, or some other activity "with" the God.

▪️Zero Spoon / No energy Version

Say goodnight to the God one day (Akiti house)

Saying good morning to the God when you wake up next day (The arrival at the city)

Say thank you to them when you take a bite of food or sip of liquid saying "for [God name], thank you for being here" (See Low Spoon Offering post for other possibilities)

🌼Activities:

Meal for the festival!!!

Give a plate to the God in an empty spot on the table or place it before them at their altar. Mesopotamian offerings are eaten afterward.

Creating altar specifically for this festival.

Any activities to entertain the Gods.

Going out to do fun activities to rejoice in this renewal.

Doing tasks that help bring order to your life. Clean closet, organize desk, pick up room etc.

Lamentation during the period the God is gone. Letting yourself feel the loneliness.

Rejoicing when the God returns. Letting yourself feel the joy.

This is a New Year (half year), so anything you might associate with renewal or review.

🌷Alternative Modern Equinox Celebrations🍁

These are brief ideas I haven't developed but may develop in the future. These idea you might develop on your own:

Celebrating the switching of summer & winter. Spring Equinox would be the beginning of Summer— Emeš and the Fall Equinox is the beginning of Winter — Enten. The understanding of these can be somewhat hard to grasp if you don't live in south Mesopotamia's climate. Here is the relevant myth: "The Disputation between Winter [Enten] and Summer [Emeš] (Link)" mediated by Enlil. Winter was deemed better because in Sumerian climate seasons winter provided the life giving water. This is cursory research from one myth.

The switch between Dumuzid & Ĝeštinana. As far as I can tell Dumuzid represents the seed planting in the Fall (winter) that leads to a bountiful harvest in the Spring (summer). Thus he would return from the underworld at the Fall Equinox and die at the Spring Equinox. Ĝeštinana returns to earth in Spring and goes to the underworld in Fall. Dumuzid cult and importance was massive but this cyclical nature with his sister doesn't seem to be super prevalent, as my research so far shows, but one could still celebrate it. The switch between the two siblings is not represented in all Dumuzid death literature (nor is Inana condemning him to the underworld by the way, usually he just dies not her fault). Thus this would be based primarily on "Inana's Descent into the Netherworld (Link)"

At the Spring Equinox celebrate Inana for fertility. Simply because a lot of fertility festivals seem to happen during spring, since you can see life blooming in some places on earth. Ištar does not equal Ôstara, Ēostre, or Easter in any way. Don't know what the Fall equivalent would be.

[hydralisk98]

16^12 Angora Civs "Roadmap" (0x12/?)

Welcome to the 16^12 referee guide...

Civilizations / cultures

Starting point in Azgaar (From their maximum of 32 vanilla cultures at once...) [Super, Major, Minor tier ranks for Civ & City-States prioritization for Civ 5 scenarios-sake]

Utchewn (Shoshone Super Civ, Moson Kahni)

Marsch (Austria Major Civ, Wien)

Chunhau (Yue / Cantonese? Minor Civ, Guangzhou)

Samas (Samoa Super Civ, Apia)

Talyian (Persian Iran Major Civ, Persepolis)

Cao (Vietnam Super Civ, Hanoi)

Hwatcha (Korea Super Civ, Seoul)

May (Mayas Super Civ, Palenque)

Eqalen (Inuit Super Civ, Ivvavik)

Matwa (Swahili / Carib? Major Civ, Zanzibar)

Zebie (Carthage Super Civ, Carthage)

Mersuit (Sweden Major Civ, Stockholm)

Hugues (Scotland Major Civ, Edinburgh)

Aberku (Aremorici Super Civ, Darioritum)

Eyn (Sumer Major Civ, Ur)

Tabar (Morocco Super Civ, Marrakesh)

Tersun (Poland Super Civ, Warsaw)

Ibrad (Huron / Blackfoot / Basque? Major Civ, Ossossane)

Temu (Angola Super Civ, Luanda)

Sasson (Burgundy Major Civ, Dijon)

Treano (Italian / Netherlands Major Civ, Amsterdam)

Ishtar (Babylon Major Civ, Babylon)

Turchian (Turks? Major Civ, Edirne)

Medran (Spain Major Civ, Toledo)

Arela (Portugal Major Civ, Lisbon)

Hangzhou (Manchu? Minor Civ, Shenyang)

Palche (Incas Major Civ, Cusco)

Mangapu (Indonesia / Indian? Minor Civ, Jakarta)

Rzhev (Czech / Moravian / Slavic? Minor Civ, Prague)

Troporea (Minoans Major Civ, Knossos)

Lueur (Nubia / Mongolia? Minor Civ, Meroe)

Syrus (Assyria Super Civ, Ashur)

To the 48 cultures excluding the future's otherkin sapient clades...

Hittites (Hattusa, Minor)

Byzantium (Constantinople, Minor)

Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Minor)

Hungary (Budapest, Minor)

Myceneans (Mycenae, Minor)

Argentina (Buenos Aires, Minor)

Dene / Cree (Mikisiw-Wacihk, Minor)

Croatia (Zagreb, Minor)

Prussia (Konigsberg, Minor)

Hanseatic League / Mecklenburg (Rostock, Minor)

Chile (Santiago, Minor)

Kazakhs (Almaty, Minor)

Lithuania (Vilnius, Minor)

Two Sicilies (Naples, Minor)

Oman (Muscat, Minor)

Songhay (Songhai, Minor)

Just noting down that the map fully wraps around the X-axis, like a globe. ;-)

Religions

Pohakantenna (Shoshoni pantheon, quirky thanks to their "Daughters of Utchwendira" communion with the divine)

Angakkunngurniq (Inuit pantheon)

Confucianism / Shinto tradition?

Al-Asnam (serving as Aremorica's Celtic druidic-like pantheon over there, inspired by the classical era Galatians)

Ba'hai (monotheistic non-exclusive syncretism)

Arianism (iterated from the defunct Christianity dialect)

Chaldeanism (Mesopotamian pantheon)

Calvinism (derived from the Protestant Reformation’s Huguenot Southern French, monotheism)

Tala-e-Fonua (Samoan pantheon)

Hussitism (central slavic dialect of monotheism)

Jainism (communal humility & individualized Ki monks culture)

Buddhism (inner way reincarnation & large monasteries)

Judaism (the theological foundation of which most of the monotheistic faiths in this world agree upon nowadays)

Zoroastrianism (Iranian religion)

Ibadiyya (their Ba'hai like Islam is a very minor religion with a outsized impact here, just like Judaism is in our world)

Canaanism (Carthaginian belief system)

Pesedjet (Numidan Hieroglyphics belief system)

Mwari (Carib religion)

Intiism (Inca pantheon)

Tzolk'in (Mayan pantheon)

Have a great day ppl!

[whencyclopedia]

Geme-Suen v Ur-Lugal's Wife - A Court Case in Ancient Mesopotamia

During the 21st century BCE, an era known as the Ur III period in Mesopotamia, many records of court hearings were drawn up in Umma, a city in what is now southern Iraq. One court record relates a dispute between two women. The name of one of the women is unknown, she was described in the text only as the wife of a man named Ur-lugal. The other woman was named Geme-Suen. Court cases like theirs give us a vivid sense of how the Mesopotamian judicial system worked.

Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East by Amanda H. Podany

Oxford University Press (Copyright)

Continue reading...

[ancientorigins]

The incredible Ram in a Thicket statues, crafted over 4,500 years ago, are a testament to the masterful craftsmanship of ancient Mesopotamia.

[leaves-lilies-and-esther]

Women of Ancient History

I got really interested and started researching this recently! There were a lot more people than I ever expected to find. Women have been priestesses, poets, artists, Olympians, swimmers, queens, and rebels since literally the dawn of time 💪

A few notes before this: because I'm trying to steer towards women who tend to be more unknown, I purposefully didn't include Sappho, Hypatia, or Nefertiti even though they were undoubtedly important.* Two exceptions here: one is Cleopatra, because I think that the modern image of her is essentially a caricature and the real woman is much more entertaining. The other is Queen Boudica, because... I just have a soft spot in my heart for her honestly. But others, like Agnodice of Athens, were excluded because there seems to be a consensus that they probably didn't exist.

Anyway, this also goes roughly in chronological order.

*= I understand that 'well known' is going to change in different parts of the globe. For example, Queen Boudica has greater name recognition in the UK, while Ba Trieu is well known in Vietnam. Coming from the North American perspective here

Enheduanna of Mesopotamia (2286 BCE)

The world's first ever named author was a Mesopotamian woman! She was born in 2286 BCE, and was the daughter of Sargon the Great (the first ruler of the Akkadian empire). Some people think the 'daughter' part might have been figurative. Regardless, at the time she was alive they were having trouble merging the culture of Ur and the newfound identity of the Akkadian empire with the traditional Sumerian practices. One of the ways to keep the population in check was through religion- which was why Enheduanna was appointed high priestess of the moon deity. The position would have been a great honor, and given her almost divine authority. She served in this role for about forty years, during which time she wrote 42 temple hymns and three epic poems- such as "Exaltation of Inanna". She notably changed the characterizations of the local pantheon significantly- drawing them closer to humanity, and elevating certain gods (like Inanna) above their previous station. She is also credited with the first use of first person in writing. Her work was studied and copied for years after her death, and influences a lot of other literature from antiquity.

Telesilla of Argos (510 BCE)

Yet another poet! Telesilla was very sick when she was young, and prayed to the gods to restore her health. She believed that the answer was in dedicating her life to the nine muses, and produced a really large amount of work. Unfortunately, unlike Enheduanna, there is very little of it that survives. She is referenced by several different historians: Pausanius, Plutarch, Athenaeus, etc. Beyond poetry, she is most famous for her role when the Spartans invaded Argos. They had, by this point, killed a lot of Argives- and Telesilla mobilized the women in defense. There are a couple of historians who argue that it was her music, rather than Telesilla's own initiative, which inspired this response. That being said, there are Ancient Greek accounts of women throwing stones and roof tiles at invaders, as well as women/kids/elderly attempting to defend the interior of the city while the young men defended the exterior. According to worldhistory.org, "nothing inherently improbable... that her name was famous both for her written work and her exploits at Argos against the Spartans strongly suggest that the account of Telesilla leading the women of the city into battle is based on a historical event."

Artemisia I of Caria (480 BCE)

Artemisia of Caria was a woman from Ancient Persia. Why is this significant? Well, women from Ancient Persia had significantly more equality than women in many other parts of the world at the time. They had significant roles outside of the house- women could run businesses, be officers in the army, etc. That's how Artemisia got to have a significant position as one of Xerxes I's naval commanders. During this period Greece and Persia were at war, and Xerxes I was considering how to approach the Greeks. As they were considering a naval battle, Artemisia was the only one to advise against it. She basically told Xerxes to form a blockade and wait them out until they starved (!). Xerxes I didn't listen to her. Despite this, Artemisia came along for the battle on her own free will. She was very successful, sinking a Greek ship. However, her original prediction for the battle proved correct, and the Persians lost. She was pretty well honored during her own lifetime for this. Beyond that, historians (including Herodotus) mostly mention her favorably. After the battle Xerxes had her ensure his son's safety as they returned to Persia, and we *think* that she returned to Caria and continued her reign there afterwards.

Hydna of Scione (480 BCE)

You may notice that I gave the same year for Artemisia of Caria- if you did notice, good job, astute reader! There's a reason for that! While Artemisia is the Persian side, Hydna is a greek heroine from the same time period in the war (though different battles...)

There are two different versions of Hydna's story. Both agree that her father was a famous swimmer and diver named Scyllias, who taught her to swim from a young age as well. In the first version from Pausanius, her skills became needed before the battle of Artemisium. In this version she volunteers to swim ten miles with her father to the Persian ships, and then cut the ropes and anchors with a knife. The ships smacked into each other in the water, or else ran into the rocks and were destroyed- allowing the Greek forces a significantly better shot at victory. In the other version from Herodotus, her father was working for the Persians as a diver to recover treasure- while also passing information to the Greeks. Then he and his daughter sabotaged the Persian ships just before the major battle. However, in either story, Hydna's fate was unknown.

Cynisca of Sparta (300s BCE)

Cynisca was a princess who competed in the Olympic games against men (and won). Women in Sparta had more freedom than in other parts of Greece- they were allowed to own property, inherit, commit adultery, and received more education and physical training. So- Cynisca had an uncharacteristic level of freedom. She used this to her full advantage, and excelled at chariot racing. While she used a jockey, her wealthy male contemporaries also used them (ie, it wasn't a unique scenario in any way). Regardless, she won at two separate Olympic games. Her grave read "My ancestors and brothers were kings of Sparta. I, Cynisca, victorious with a chariot of swift-footed horses, erected this statue. I declare that I am the only woman in all of Greece to have won this crown."

Iaia of Cyzicus (110s BCE)

Iaia was one of several female painters mentioned by Herodotus- along with Irene, Aristarete, Timarete, etc. I chose her for this because more seems to be known about Iaia as compared to her other female counterparts. She was born in Cyzicus, and also did ivory engravings. There was a big demand for art in Rome at the time, and she was a better artist than many of her male contemporaries. To quote Pliny the Elder, "no one had a quicker hand than she in painting." Not only did she remain unmarried throughout her life, but her art was well known for choosing to center women as subjects.

Cleopatra VII of Egypt (70/69 BCE)

I know everybody already knows the basic biography of Cleopatra, so I won't get into that. I mostly just wanted to focus on her accomplishments for once, because I feel like she gets a bad rap in a lot of media even though she was arguably pretty good. She was the only pharaoh from her dynasty who bothered to read and write Egyptian, she was noted for her public speaking skills, she understood several more languages, and was educated on "mathematics, philosophy, oratory, and astronomy" (quoting history channel here). Throughout her reign she maintained a vast network of spies- not just inside Egypt either- to make the best decisions possible. She stabilized the country's economy, and when drought hit she opened the royal granaries to the public. She oversaw the construction of parts of the Temple of Hathor, as well as temples to some Greek gods. Cleopatra also expanded the Library of Alexandria after it was damaged in a fire. The woman was a highly strategic ruler.

PS: if you're interested, you should also check out her younger sister Arsinoë IV. Her story is pretty fascinating and there's a Drunk History episode about her (basically, she tried to take over Egypt at like age 15- I'll leave the rest open).

Queen Boudica of Iceni (60s AD)

I know that she is super well known, but I've admired her since I was a little kid so she gets a spot. Boudica was the wife of Prasutagus. Everything was relatively peaceful until she was widowed, and her husband's wishes that the area be left to both Nero and his two daughters (Heanua and Lannosea) were ignored. Accounts vary about how the Romans reacted next- but Tacitus claims that Boudica was flogged, the house was ransacked, and her daughters were raped. The other Iceni locals were treated no differently and rebelled as a result, targeting the area around modern day London. They were at first very successful. Boudica reportedly told the troops "win the battle or perish: that is what I, a woman, will do; you men can live on in slavery if that's what you want." Eventually they were beaten by the Romans- while Boudica was not killed here, she reportedly took poison rather than be a Roman prisoner. I couldn't find what specifically happened to her daughters. It's a really grisly ending, but her bravery is still awe-inspiring.

Azadokht Shahbanu of Persia (240 AD)

She was the wife of Shapur I. As you may recall from the section on Artemisia I of Caria, women in ancient Persia had significantly more influence than women in other parts of the world. This doesn't come into the story as much here as it did for Artemisia, though. Azadokht is here because she is thought to have highly encouraged the building of Gundeshapur, which had a teaching hospital and library. This legacy lasted for hundreds of years after her death. Traditionally it was her husband's direction which led to its building, but there's evidence that it was Azadokht who brought in Greek doctors to influence how it was run. Azadokht was also apparently very skilled at sword fighting as well.

By the way, there could probably be a whole other post of similar length about women from ancient Persia alone. These women had a unique amount of freedom and they were taking advantage of it. If you want to read more about them, here's an article called Twelve Great Women of Ancient Persia.

Zenobia of Palmyra (late 200s to early 300s AD)

For some historical context: Palmyra is in modern day Syria, and considered to be ruled by a very unstable Rome. Palmyra itself was a trading city between Persia and Rome- Zenobia herself was born a Roman citizen (interesting side note: she also claimed to be descended from Cleopatra. The truth factor in that is unfortunately dubious...). She was married to an important political figure, who was assassinated in about 266 CE. Zenobia then came to power. She started claiming parts of Roman Egypt for herself, and then started eyeing other pieces of neighboring territories- basically adding them without regard for the unstable Rome which could do nothing about it. This was until Aurelian, whose reaction to this insubordination was effectively a rampage. There are loads of different versions of what happened to her after this. However, Zenobia's court remained imprinted on historical memory + was referenced a lot afterwards.

Ba Trieu (300 AD)

Ba Trieu was born into an upper-class family. She *may* have been orphaned as a child and raised by an older brother, but we don't really know enough to say for sure. During this period the Vietnamese were under an oppressive Chinese regime, and Ba Trieu decided at age 19 that she'd had enough and was going to rebel. Her brother tried to dissuade her, and she reportedly said, "I want to ride the storm, tread the dangerous waves, win back the fatherland, and destroy the yoke of slavery. I don't want to bow down my head, working as a simple housewife." She made a shocking amount of progress in the next two years in at least 30 battles, until the Chinese finally recognized her as the serious threat that she was. Everyone agrees that she died afterwards, though stories vary about exactly how.

PS: if you're interested in other women from the Vietnamese fight against the Chinese, google the Trung sisters. They're remarkable women.

Fatima al Fihri (800 AD)

Fatima was born in modern day Tunisia, and unlike a lot of the women on this list, she actually wasn't a queen/ruler of any sort. Her father was a merchant. When Fatima inherited a lot of money from the deaths of her father/husband, she chose to use it to use her money to build a mosque. Her town was overflowing with people at this point, so it was becoming a major need. It ended up also accommodating a library and university, which I believe is still open today. Because of its age and prominence, a lot of the practices which are today associated with colleges originated here. To quote an article from Morocco world news, "for a North African Muslim woman to establish such an institution, which she opened to people of all ages, social classes, and faiths, is testament to her exceptional vision... the rest of the world has Fatima Al-Fihri, the mother of intellectuals, to thank..."

xxxxxxx

Unfortunately, that has to be all for now- there were a fair number of other women who I wanted to include here, but couldn't because they aren't 'ancient' enough. (Jigonhsasee? Shajar al-Durr? Looking at you).

I also learned sooooo much writing this so I'm a happy girl right now. But that being said, if you see any obvious inaccuracies, let me know and I'll edit it. There's a lot of cases where sources vary about what happened, so I had to pick and choose. Also, because of the quantity of women in this- and some didn't make the cut- I was only looking at 2-3 articles per person, leaving room for error. There are some cases where some people allege that the woman in question didn't actually contribute enough to the thing she's famous for. Unless I thought this belief seemed to have a lot of evidence + appeared in multiple articles, I left her in.