Myths and legends of Babylonia & Assyria . hly spiritualized system. The great gods in Assyria were even more omnipo-tent than in Babylonia. One cause contributing tothis was the absorption of the minor local cults bydeities associated with the great centres of Assyrianlife. Early religion is extremely sensitive to politicalchange, and as a race evolves from the tribal or localstate and bands itself into a nation, so the local godsbecome national and centralized, probably in thegreat deity of the most politically active city in thestate. Nor is it essential to this process that the deitiesabso
Myths and legends of Babylonia & Assyria . hly spiritualized system. The great gods in Assyria were even more omnipo-tent than in Babylonia. One cause contributing tothis was the absorption of the minor local cults bydeities associated with the great centres of Assyrianlife. Early religion is extremely sensitive to politicalchange, and as a race evolves from the tribal or localstate and bands itself into a nation, so the local godsbecome national and centralized, probably in thegreat deity of the most politically active city in thestate. Nor is it essential to this process that the deitiesabsorbed should be of a like nature with the absorbinggod. Quite often a divinity assumes the name andattributes of one with whom he had little in common. 205 MYTHS OF BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA Asshuf The state religion of Assyria centres in Asshur,nor was any deity ever so closely identified with anempire as he. On the fall of the Assyrian state,Asshur fell with it. Moreover all the gods of Assyriamay be said to have been combined in his
Size: 1110px × 2250px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectcults, booksubjectleg
