Mesopotamian Religion
Religion was an extremely important part of Mesopotamian life. The rulers were believed to have been chosen by the gods, and even the laws were supposedly approved by them. Each city had a patron god/goddess that protected it. People looked to religion as an explanation for all things in the natural world: death, birth, fertility, crop success, floods, etc. The Mesopotamians had over one thousand deities, but the four main were An(Heaven god), Enlil(Air god), Enki(Water god), and Ninhursag(Mother Earth).
Ziggurats
Originally a Sumer tradition that would later spread to Babylonian and Assyrian cities, ziggurats are temples built on raised platforms of steps. Each time a new ziggurat was constructed, the walls of the old one were torn down. The The remains would form a platform and be used as the foundation for the new building. The remains of the old temple would be buried in the new platform.When archaeologists excavate platforms like the one at Eridu they find foundations of buildings underneath each other going back through time. Scientists have found remains of burnt fish and fruit while excavating through ziggurats. It is believed that these were used as offerings to the gods.
The Afterlife
Unlike the Egyptians, who prepared during their life on earth for a prosperous afterlife, the Sumerians had a very gloomy outlook about it. They believed that the afterlife is similar to the underworld; dark and dreary. Souls that went there never returned. They even placed shrines in their houses honoring the dead and keeping away angry spirits. The dead thirsted and ate dust. It was the responsibility of the living to provide sustenance for dead relatives. The dead were buried with food, sandals (and for the wealthy, chariots), as well as other traveling gear and supplies in order to travel across Mesopotamia and reach the kingdom of Ereshkigal, Queen of the Underworld