Unit Essential Question: How are humans impacted by their geography?Aim: What do religious artifacts help us to understand about early societies?

Art and Religion in Early SocietiesTask: Use the sources below to hypothesize and analyze characteristics of religion in ancient societies.

Source 1 Source 2Animism is the world’s oldest religion, and predated any form of “organized” religion. It dates back to the Paleolithic Age, and is the religious beliefs that objects, places and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence, all connected with the “Spirit of Nature.” According to religious historian Reza Aslan, versions of deities like the one depicted below exist in nearly every part of the world- from Eurasia to North America to Mesoamerica.

The engraving of a half-animal half-human, dubbed “The Sorcerer,” in a Paleolithic cave painting in Dordogne, France.

The excerpt below is from The Epic of Gilgamesh, an epic poem written in Mesopotamia, circa 2100 BCE.Vocabulary:Sumer: Mesopotamian city-state.Enlil: In ancient Sumer, the great god, the counselor of the gods.Enki: The Sumerian god of knowledge and water.

“The noise of mankind has become too much,” Enlil snapped. “I am losing sleep.”

A divine assembly of the gods was convened, and there it was decided by all to make a great flood that would wipe humanity from the face of the earth so that the gods could finally be free of the clamor.

Now, down on the earth, there was a pious man named Atrahasis, whose ear was open to his own god, Enki. He would speak with Enki, and Enki would speak with him.

In a dream, Enki came to Atrahasis and made his voice heard. “Dismantle your house and build a boat,” the wise god Enki warned. “Leave all your possessions and put aboard the seed of all living things. Draw out the boat that you will make on a circular plan…Make upper decks and lower decks.”

So Atrahasis built a boat and loaded it with the seed of all living things. He put on board his kith and kin. He put on board the birds flying in the heavens. He put on board cattle from the open country, wild beasts from the open country, wild animals from the steppes. Two by two they entered the boat. Then Atrahasis too, entered the boat and shut the door.

Then the flood came. The winds howled. The darkness was total; there was no sun. No man could see his fellow, no people could be distinguished from the sky. Even the gods were afraid of the deluge.

For seven days and seven nights the torrent, the storm, the flood came on. The tempest overwhelmed the land. When the seventh day arrived, the storm…blew itself out…The boat came to rest atop Mount Nimush and Atrahasis exited. He released a dove.

Questions:1. What can we learn about early religions based upon these sources?

2. Based on the point of view of the Epic of Gilgamesh, what is suggested about the gods in this society?

Unit Essential Question: How are humans impacted by their geography?Aim: What do religious artifacts help us to understand about early societies?

Source 3: Last judgment of Hunefer, Book of the Dead, 1275 BCE, c. 19 Dynasty, New Kingdom (Egypt); created on papyrus. 

Label and explain the significance of key figures in the Egyptian painting above:Label

Description Significance

AScale:

BCrook and flail: farming tools held by Osiris, god of underworld and afterlife, in the

painting

CEgyptian gods: Anubis (jackal-head): god of the dead, and funerals. Horus (pointed bird head): god for war, life. Ra (falcon-head): King of the gods. Osiris: god of the underworld and afterlife.

Questions:

Unit Essential Question: How are humans impacted by their geography?Aim: What do religious artifacts help us to understand about early societies?

3. What can we learn about Egyptian religion based upon this artwork?

4. Based on the point of view of the artist, what is the artist suggesting about Egyptian leaders through this artwork?

Unit Essential Question: How are humans impacted by their geography?Aim: What do religious artifacts help us to understand about early societies?

Source 4: Artifact of the Israelites and the Foundations of Judaism“I am Yahweh, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil. I, Yahweh, am

the maker of all these things” (Isaiah 45:6-7).A 4th century BCE coin, believed to be depicting Yahweh and his human-like characteristics.

Believed to date back to 1208 BCE, the Merneptah Stele emerging from ancient Egypt, represents the earliest textual reference to the Israelites, referring to them as a nomadic group.

Questions:5. What can we learn about the Israelite’s religion (Judaism) based upon this artwork?

6. Based on the point of view of the author and artists, what do the Biblical excerpt and the coin’s engraving suggest about the Israelite god?

Summary Questions:

1. What similarities can be found between the religions of each of these societies? What do you think may be the causes of these similarities?

2. From the Paleolithic Age to Neolithic civilizations, what changed in human religions? What do you think may be the causes of these changes?

Unit Essential Question: How are humans impacted by their geography?Aim: What do religious artifacts help us to understand about early societies?