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Mesopotamian Afterlife Beliefs

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How do Mesopotamians view Immortality in their Culture?
“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.”- "Bruce Lee Quotes." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2018. 19 Mrach 2018 https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/bruce_lee_413510. Mesopotamians did believe in a afterlife. Mesopotamians viewed the afterlife as something they have to have. They knew that they could live on after they died and everyone wanted that. If the person could not live on then they needed to be remembered in some way. They believed that when a person died that it was not their ultimate end of life. They said that the person would still live on in spirit or in the netherworld. The Mesopotamian afterlife beliefs are burials, grave inscriptions, economic texts recording disbursements for funerals or cults of the dead, references to death in royal inscriptions and edicts, chronicles, royal and private letters, lexical texts, cultic commentaries, magico-medical texts, omens, and curse formulas. They also believed that a person could live by being remembered by a legacy they had left.
The Mesopotamian culture valued immortality. Their beliefs of the afterlife show that they care about having immortality and them living on in the …show more content…

Immortality is being able to live on forever. Gilgamesh wanted immortality because he was afraid to die. It wasn’t uncommon for Mesopotamians to want immortality. It also wasn’t uncommon for kings such as Gilgamesh to also want immortality. To get immortality a person can be granted by the gods to get it or go on a journey to find something that will give them eternal life. Gilgamesh didn’t get immortality but he still lived on by leaving a legacy behind. Leaving a legacy such as Gilgamesh did is one of the views that Mesopotamians had. Mark, Joshua J. “The Eternal Life of Gilgamesh.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, 13 Oct. 2010,

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While in all three of the ancient civilizations death is the final barrier that characters must overcome, the heroes in all three of these myths use different strategies in order to conquer this obstacle. While the heroes in the Popol Vuh use the trickery of resurrection in order to save themselves, resurrection in both Gilgamesh and Isis and Osiris is a capable ability that these heroes are either capable of achieving, or almost capable. Describing resurrection as not only a trait that are heroes are capable of using, and magical ability that only the most powerful can attain places the heroes of these myths on a high pedestal. In Popol Vuh, the heroes trick seven death and one death by using the magic of resurrection in order to kill

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Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt shared many differences and similarities. The documents we read to learn about the two civilizations included excerpts from "Gilgamesh", "The Code of Hammurabi", "Book of the Dead", pyramid texts and lastly "Be a scribe.". From these various documents you can see some very clear differences. In the "Epic of Gilgamesh" gods, mortality, and the afterlife are seen in a very pessimistic way. While in Ancient Egypt, death and the afterlife are perceived as beautiful and tranquil.

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Gilgamesh is somewhat bitter with the fact that only gods are able to live forever. When he thinks about death he is very uncomfortable because he feels that he is a mighty warrior of a man and the only thing that will ultimately end him is death. We also see how the death of his beloved friend Enkidu drives him to the edge of the earth in attempt to prolong or completely liberate himself from the same fate. This is a valuable lesson for mankind throughout history. No matter what you may feel or become in the

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There are few relics from this society, and much of the art preserved has been found in tombs. These funerary arts revealed a plethora of information about the Etruscan culture and belief system. Pointing towards the idea that Etruscans viewed the afterlife as an extension

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Gilgamesh reaches a watershed moment in his life when he recognizes his strengths and shortcomings, develops the capacity to accept change, and continues on his journey within himself. He had been concerned with his ego and mortality up until this time. Nevertheless, as he goes through the underworld, he is forced to accept his mortality and come to terms with the idea that death is an unavoidable part of existence. Gilgamesh ultimately returns to Uruk after recognizing the worth of life and the importance of leaving a meaningful legacy. Gilgamesh eventually learns this lesson, grows wiser and more modest, and returns to Uruk with a new understanding of life and the value of leaving a lasting effect.

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This belief of the Ancient Greeks is apparent in Homer’s Odyssey, where Odysseus visits the underworld. Scholar Sarah Johnston writes: “Elpenor tells Odysseus that if his funeral rites are not carried out as soon as the men return to Circe’s island, he will become ‘a cause for the gods wrath’ upon Odysseus” (Restless Dead 10). As Elpenor threatens Odysseus, it is evident that the Ancient Greeks believed that if funeral rites are not performed, harm will come to Odysseus by way of the gods. If not harm from the gods, the harm could come from their ancestor personally as a revenant, in which it is believed their ancestor’s spirit returns to its body.

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Cultural Values A demigod named Gilgamesh, tragically loses his best friend, then he goes on a journey to find the secret of immortality. One could say that these specific cultural values work effectively for the Gods and the people of Uruk, such as rituals, war, and making sacrifices to make this culture successful. Commonly this culture mostly performs rituals for everlasting life or immortality. Gods are afraid of mortality and death itself.

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Yet it holds the same human experiences, same human emotions, and same human ambitions. It holds the same sentiments we hold dear today, such as life and friendship in utmost importance. It speaks of human ambition to be remembered and to live forever, that can be found even up to this day. Gilgamesh attributed his immortality with enduring monuments, such as the city of Uruk, modern day individuals, in the same manner, attribute their immortality with the name they made for themselves. The truth of society, how nature works, and how human beings relate with each other, and how man’s actions can influence other things, are greatly intertwined.

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The Ancient Greeks also strongly believed in fate, they believed that everyone’s fates were determined from birth and our fates were irreversible. Since it was irreversible, they also believed that whatever our fate was, we should learn to accept it as it is and move on with our lives. These strong

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