Moon Gods and Goddesses Part 4: Babylon- masters of the heaven and the stars

Moon Gods and Goddesses Part 4: Babylon- masters of the heaven and the stars

by | Sep 15, 2024 | History of the calendar

 

Note: If you want to read the series from the beginning follow this link. 

Following on from Ishtar, Goddess of Venus we explore the Babylonian pantheon of Gods, the masters of the sky, astronomy, and astrology. 

 

I find this civilization particularly fascinating, as the Babylonians are the forefathers of modern astrology and lived to the tune of a lunisolar calendar. The LWTM Lifestyle Calendar is modeled on the Ancient Babylonian Calendar. 

Deities in Babylon

The ancient Babylonians had a rich and complex pantheon of gods and goddesses that played significant roles in their religious beliefs, rituals, and daily lives. These deities represented various aspects of the natural world, human experiences, and cosmic forces, and were worshiped in temples and through elaborate ceremonies to seek their favor, protection, and blessings.

Here are some of the most  prominent deities in the Babylonian pantheon: 

Marduk: the patron deity of the city of Babylon and the chief god of the Babylonian religion. Marduk was associated with leadership, justice, victory, and wisdom. According to Babylonian mythology, Marduk defeated the primordial goddess Tiamat, symbolizing chaos, in a great battle to create stability and order.

Ishtar, the goddess of love, fertility, and war. We looked at her in depth in the previous installment. She was known for her beauty, sex, and passion, but also as a fierce goddess of war.

Shamash, the god of the sun and justice, was revered for bringing light to the world, dispelling darkness, and upholding principles of righteousness and order. Shamash was often depicted as a radiant figure holding a solar disc, symbolizing his role as a source of light, warmth, and divine judgment.

Ea, also known as Enki, was the god of wisdom, magic, and freshwater in Babylonian mythology. He was associated with knowledge, creation, and the arts. He was also connected with playing a crucial role in shaping the world. His role was guiding humanity towards enlightenment and understanding.

Nabu, the god of writing, wisdom, and scribes, was revered as a patron of scholars and intellectuals in Babylonian society. Nabu was often depicted with a stylus and a clay tablet, symbolizing his association with writing, education, and the dissemination of knowledge.

Nergal, the god of war, destruction, and the underworld. He was a formidable deity associated with Mars and feared for his fierce and destructive nature. Nergal was believed to preside over matters of conflict, death, and the afterlife, and was sometimes associated with pestilence and disease.

These are just a few examples of the diverse and powerful gods and goddesses worshiped by the ancient Babylonians, each playing a unique role in their religious cosmology and cultural practices. The worship of these deities was integral to Babylonian society, providing a framework for understanding the world, interpreting natural phenomena, and seeking divine guidance and protection.

Everyday life in Babylon

Babylon is to this day known for its impressive architecture, including the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was first mentioned in 2217 B.C., but only achieved status as an important cultural and religious center under King Hammurabi (1792 to 1750 BC).  He is best known for the Code of Hammurabi, one of the oldest laws written in cuneiform, an old form of writing.

Babylon was a big commercial center and strategically located along important trade routes, which undoubtedly contributed to its wealth and prosperity. People in Babylon generally lived a peaceful, happy life, engaging in occupations such as farming, trading, crafting, and serving at the royal court. Families were important social units, and education and the arts were valued in Babylonian society.

After 1600 B.C. Babylon’s power declined, and in 689 BC, under the rule of the Assyrian King Sennacherib, Babylon was besieged and almost destroyed.  However, the Assyrians managed to re-conquer Babylon, and the city was later rebuilt and continued to thrive under Assyrian rule.

Around 600 B.C. King Nebuchadnezzar II established Babylon again as one of the foremost centers of the Ancient World. He was famous for his building projects like the ziggurats (temple towers), palaces,  city walls, and, of course, the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon. This marvel of engineering was considered the most beautiful garden and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Unfortunately, this bliss did not last too long, and Babylon underwent periods of destruction again. In 539 BC, the Neo-Babylonian Empire fell to the Persian Empire. King Cyrus, the Great, and his forces invaded Babylon, and the city surrendered without a major battle, having learned from the previous experience with the Assyrians.  The Persians allowed the inhabitants of Babylon to continue their religious practices and even granted them some degree of autonomy.

Eventually, Alexander the Great conquered Babylon and wanted to make it his new capital city. But he died shortly afterward, his conquest and the city fell into further decline, and it was largely abandoned during the 2nd century AD.

 Masters of the heaven and the stars

Apart from its rich culture and historical monuments, the Babylonians will always be remembered as the masters of the heavens. The lunisolar calendar is a calendar system that combines lunar and solar cycles is believed to have been created by the Sumerians, but it was refined and honed by the Babylonians.

The Sumerians lived in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500-1900 BC and are credited with some of the earliest known achievements regarding astronomy and the development of a calendar. They initially used a lunar calendar based solely on the phases of the moon, but also observed the movements of the sun. This led them to divide the year into 12 lunar months, which totaled around 354 days. To reconcile the lunar months with the solar year, they added a 13th moon cycle.

This crude calendar was further developed by Babylonian astronomers, who developed sophisticated observations and mathematical systems that allowed them to track the movements of the moon, the Sun, and the stars. They developed a more complex lunisolar calendar that incorporated intercalary months to align the lunar months with the solar year. The Babylonian calendar was used for religious and administrative purposes and influenced later calendar systems in the region.

Their contributions to astronomy and timekeeping laid the foundation for the development of subsequent calendar systems in different civilizations around the world. The Minoans would have undoubtedly traded with these cultures and exchanged valuable knowledge, such as sophisticated astronomy and calendar systems.

Today, only a few people are aware that we owe much to the Babylonian astronomers and astrologers who developed the concepts of astrological houses, star signs, and the zodiac. They divided the ring of animals (the zodiac) into 12 segments of 30 degrees. This system is still in use today, and modern astrology would be quite different without it.

Next time, we look into the Ancient Greek lunar Trinity – Artemis, Selene, and Hecate

 

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Moon Gods and Goddesses Part 3 – Ishtar, the goddess of Venus

Moon Gods and Goddesses Part 3 – Ishtar, the goddess of Venus

by | Jul 26, 2024 | Uncategorized

Note: If you want to read the series from the beginning, follow this link. 

In the last two articles, we have been looking at the earliest moon goddesses and matriarchal societies – the start of the series and the moon gods of the Minoans. The latter most likely adopted the Lunisolar Calendar from the Babylonians and are believed to be the creators of the forerunner of the Olympic Games.

What a priestess of Ishtar would
have most probably looked like 

In this article, we travel to Mesopotamia, the land of modern-day Iraq, sandwiched between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. There, the earliest cultures started around 6,000 B.C., giving rise to empires of the Sumerians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. 

 The Cult of Ishtar

In Ancient Mesopotamia, patriarchal societies were the norm. Women had certain societal expectations, like raising children and running the household, but they had opportunities and freedoms, and could own property, engage in business transactions, and participate in religious ceremonies. The status and roles of women varied depending on their social class, family background, and regional customs, but overall, they were expected to play a supporting role. The exceptions were priestesses who held particularly significant roles in Babylonian religious practices, serving deities such as the goddess Ishtar, also locally referred to as Inanna. Ishtar was seen as a powerful and assertive goddess and was associated with the planet Venus. After the moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky.

In ancient Mesopotamian mythology, she was worshipped as a deity of love, beauty, sex, desire, fertility, war, combat, and political power. A complex figure and particularly significant in the cities of Uruk, Nineveh, and later Babylon. She embodied both benevolent and destructive qualities and was known for her passionate nature. She therefore had the ability to bring both blessings and calamities upon humanity.

The significance of Ishtar in the pantheon of Mesopotamian gods and goddesses underscores the importance of fertility, love, and warfare in the lives of the ancient Mesopotamians. Her temples could be found in cities all over Mesopotamia, and her worship involved elaborate rituals and ceremonies. Ishtar was more of a woman’s goddess, whereas Sin (also known as Nanna), the God of the Moon, controlled water, time, and fertile land. This is quite at odds with most other ancient civilizations, where the powerful sun was male and the nocturnal moon female. But in ancient Mesopotamia, the male moon god Sin commanded a very separate cult following from Ishtar, the Goddess of love and war.

The pantheon of Mesopotamia

There were plenty of gods and goddesses; here are a few to mention:

Anu: The god of the heavens and the father of the gods. He held a position of supreme authority in the Sumerian pantheon and was believed to reside in the highest heavens from where he exerted control over the celestial realm. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest recorded Sumerian poems, Ishtar persuades her father Anu to give her the Bull of Heaven (a mystical Bull creature, similar to the later Minotaur- see the Minoans for more reference) to attack the hero Gilgamesh. But he and his companion defeat the bull and throw the bull’s leg at Ishtar.

Enlil: The god of wind, air, earth, and storms, Enlil was revered as a powerful deity who enforced divine justice and maintained order in the world. He was often associated with fertility and agricultural abundance.

Enki: The god of water, wisdom, and magic, Enki was a complex figure in Sumerian mythology. He was credited with creating humanity and imparting knowledge and skills to people. Enki was also known for his role as a protector of craftsmen and artisans.

Utu: The god of the sun and justice, Utu was responsible for guiding the sun across the sky and ensuring the proper functioning of the cosmic order. He was also seen as a symbol of truth and righteousness.

Nanna/Sin: The god of the moon, Nanna (also known as Sin) was venerated for his role in regulating the cycles of time and illuminating the night sky. He was associated with fertility, healing, and protection.

Ninhursag: The mother goddess of the earth and the mountains was revered as a nurturing and fertile deity who presided over agriculture, childbirth, and the natural world. She was often depicted as a caring and protective figure.

These are just a few examples, and some celestial areas overlapped. But overall, each deity had specific attributes, powers, and domains of influence, reflecting the diverse aspects of life and nature that were important to the ancient Mesopotamian civilization. The complex and intricate Sumerian pantheon provides valuable insights into the religious beliefs and cultural practices of one of the earliest urban societies in human history.

 

Ishtar of Nineveh

The Sumerians worshipped this powerful and multifaceted goddess, and so did the Akkadians, who inhabited Ancient Mesopotamia around 2334 – 2154 B.C. Her influence extended across most cultures within the Akkadian Empire, which is modern-day Iraq. There were the Hittites, Elamites, and Babylonians. But Ishtar’s most enduring popularity and significance came from the Assyrians, direct descendants of the Babylonians.

This ancient Mesopotamian civilization was renowned for its military prowess and sophisticated culture, and Ishtar, known as “Ishtar of Nineveh” among the Assyrians, held a significant place in their pantheon of gods and goddesses.

In Assyrian religion, Ishtar was again revered as the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, and political power. She was seen as a powerful and multifaceted deity, embodying both nurturing and fierce qualities. The Assyrians believed that Ishtar played a crucial role in shaping the destinies of individuals and nations, and her favour was sought for matters of love, fertility, and protection in times of war, which was plentiful. Like in Sumerian life, her temples and shrines could be found in most Assyrian cities, where priests and priestesses served the goddess and performed elaborate rituals, ceremonies, and festivals dedicated to her worship. ( Ishtar temple to your right).

The Assyrian population is still alive today, and their language, Aramaic, is one of the oldest surviving languages, influencing Arabic and Hebrew alike. In fact, Jesus would most likely have spoken Aramaic, and the Assyrians were one of the first converts to Christianity.

Ishtar’s temples may have been destroyed, but her mythology and symbolism continue to fascinate scholars and enthusiasts of Ancient Mesopotamian culture.

Next time we stay in Mesopotamia and look at the spiritual landscape of Babylon, the masters of the heavens and the stars.

 

 

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The Sumerian calendar

The Sumerian calendar

by | Dec 31, 2016 | History of the calendar, Moon Science

The Sumerians and later the Babylonians were the first known civilizations to use what we now recognize as a lunisolar calendar.

By the 21st century B.C. the Sumerians had come up with a solar year consisting of 360 days. It was made up of 12 lunar cycles (354 days) which were rounded up to 360, forming 12 months at 30 days. What differentiated the Sumerian calendar system from any other lunar calendars of this time, was the way they measured time. The Sumerian calculations are all heavily based on the numbers 6, 12 and 60, still used today.  Our current year has 12 months and the day in many countries is structured as 12 hours am and 12 hours pm. The hour itself has 60 minutes and every minute has 60 seconds.

To bring the shortfall of these embellished lunar months into sync with the solar year, the equinoxes (where day equals night) and the solstices (longest and shortest day of the year), the Sumerian astronomers introduced an extra month every four years. This is what we now call a leap year.

The Sumerians also recorded ‘day qualities’. Enuma Anu Enlil is a collection of stone tables and oracles compiled by Sumerian and Assyrian scribes.  The tables include information about lunar eclipses, weather events, the movement of the stars, planets and constellations. The most important part was the interpretations of all these cosmic movements and what they meant for life on earth. The dominant observations concerned the moon cycle and its relation to the other stars and the sun.

 It is still unclear where all this knowledge came from. But what is certain that it helped to shape the later famous Babylonian calendar. Although these were humble beginnings, these scribes crucially laid down the foundation of the houses, the star signs and the creation of the zodiac (called the ‘circle of the animals). They named many star constellations in the sky and created the basic principals of Western astrology. The movements of the planets and stars were meticulously observed, recorded, and interconnected with symbolic meaning. These observations traveled to other countries, particularly to India in the 3rd century B.C.

From 499.B.C. the Sumerian calendar transformed into a proper lunisolar calendar. The shift came when it was recognized that 19 solar years equal exactly 235 lunations (moon cycles) and this formed the first proper re-occurring connection between the solar and the lunar cycle.  This principle was formally described by the Greek astronomer Methon of Athens in 432 B.C. when he ‘discovered’ the Metonic cycle. But most probably he came across the Babylonian calendar and recalculated their calendar formula.

The Sumerian calendar month started at sunset with the first sighting of the new crescent moon (Waxing Moon) and ended with the last sighting of the descending crescent (Waning Moon). Once the Waning moon had vanished there followed a period of the ‘disappeared moon’ (New Moon) when no moon was visible in the sky.

This played a big part when planning to travel, especially crossing a desert. Due to the hot climate caravans preferred to travel at night. But with no moonlight to guide them, there was a great chance of getting lost.  Therefore the New Moon became known as the time to stay at home and rest.  A concept we still use in the LWTM life goal planner.

On the other hand, the moon’s opposite position in the lunar cycle – the Full Moon-  was the time for gatherings and ceremonies. Then people could easily find their way home once it got dark.

The roots of the Sumerian lunisolar calendar still exist today, particularly in many religious calendar systems and associated practices.

The ‘Living With the Moon lifestyle calendar’ is also based on the Ancient Lunisolar Calendar. It is now believed that this calendar model was in far more widespread use than initially thought. For example, many believe that the Minoan civilization (3000-1450 B.C). followed this calendar system. 

 

 

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The origin of the moon calendar

The origin of the moon calendar

by | Aug 27, 2014 | Moon Science


People have looked up into the sky for thousands of years to find purpose and a sense of time and order. In doing so pre-historic societies chose the path of the moon as their first cosmic guide.  Marked animal bones, recently discovered in the Dordogne region in France date back to 28,000 B.C. They show a pattern of 7 or 13 notches and are believed to be very first calendars known to man.

It is hardly surprising that early man chose the path of the moon. Firstly it is the most visible object in the sky and in the absence of electricity was the only viable light at night (bar fire). The path of the moon is also inextricably connected to the tides and the human fertility cycle. In fact, the moon had always been connected to fertility, rainfall, birth and death.   

Counting the nights from no moon (New Moon) to Full Moon and back again are roughly 28 days. The Waxing (growing) and the Waning (descending) phase were further subdivided into 4 quarters and served as the blueprint of our week.  (28:4=7). 

The word ‘calendar’ derives from the Latin word ‘calendarium’, which means register and structure. So having a calendar was a big leap forward. Now it was possible to structure festivals, daily routines and agricultural events – and they could be planned in advance. This was particularly important when humans started to settle down and then getting together for celebrations/market day and other social events really took off. It was of course the calendar, the common structure for measuring everybody’s time, that made these events possible. Apart from timing celebrations it also enabled dates for planting, harvesting and collecting taxes. 

The Ancient Greek, Roman and Chinese year consisted of 12 moon cycles (354 days) and occasionally a 13th cycle was included to keep the Ancient Lunar year in sync with the seasons. Many religious calendars operated (and still do) in sync with this lunar calendar model. Others morphed into a lunisolar calendar model. 

The number 13 became the ‘pagan number’, the unlucky number and the number of the ‘dark side’. Just think of Friday the 13th as THE unlucky day. Friday was the day of the of the goddess Venus, the day of love and fertility and 13 after the 13th lunar calendar month 

In Sleeping Beauty 12 witches were invited, but the 13th, the bad witch, had to stay outside.  Can you see the connection?

The sun, the dominant male force with its 12-month solar calendar = good.
The moon, the subservient female force with its 13-month lunar calendars = bad

The Greeks and early Romans lived their lives solely by following a lunar calendar, first mentioned in the 13th century B.C. It was not only the time structure that became so useful. They concluded that the moon with its varying influence affected the tides, crops and even human behaviour. They recorded these observations and inserted these meanings into their calendar. This would later inform the ‘varying day qualities’. This Ancient Lunar calendar model was passed down from one generation to the next, each adding new observations and discoveries. 

One example of these lunar calendar guides is depicted in the poem ‘Work and Day’, written by the Ancient Greek poet Hesiod around 800 B.C. It depicts rural scenes from Ancient Greek life, mixed with moral hints and practical tips. 

“Avoid the thirteenth of the waxing month for sowing, it is best for setting plants. And in the waning month, on the fourth, beware of heart-consuming worries…”

Four hundred years later Hippocrates connected the lunar path to the successful outcome of medical treatments and diseases such as epilepsy.

The Sumerian and later the Babylonians developed a sophisticated calendar that took the path of the sun as well as the lunar cycle into account. They created the first ‘Lunisolar calendar’. 

The Babylonians were keen astronomers and astrologers and they also established the notion that days have energies/forces and they called them ‘ Individual Day Qualities’. The “Living With The Moon’ life-style calendar is a modern reincarnation of the Ancient Babylonian calendar model.

Nowadays most of the world has adopted the Gregorian calendar model, based on the Ancient Egyptian calendar which only follows the path of the sun and treats every day the same, no changes of day qualities.

Although the solar calendar was first established around 4200 B.C. it took a long time for the rest of the world to change over. In fact, Russia only adopted the Gregorian calendar model in 1919 (the year the Communist Party came to power in Russia)  and China adopted the solar calendar in 1949 (again the year of the Communist revolution).

But the traditional Chinese New Year is still calculated in accordance with the moon cycle and its starting date is not static but varies year on year. As does Easter and Ramadan.

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