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Sumerian Values and Beliefs

The Sumerians of the ancient world were a highly influential and fascinating people. They were pioneers and visionaries. Their participation in the development of early civilization led to a system of values and beliefs that set them apart from all other ancient cultures. In the aspects of religion, law and education they were particularly distinct.

The Sumerian religion was not a happy one. There was no shining golden afterlife, only pain and suffering in Kur. Cosmically located between the earth's crust and the primeval sea, and incredibly similar in description to the Greek Hades. It is in Kur that the first resurrection story takes place. An idea that reappears in later religions, but this account is most assuredly Sumerian. The story is of Inanna, a goddess seeking to hold sway in both the "Great Above" and "Great Below". One uniquely Sumerian aspect of her descent in to the netherworld is that, along with her jewels and finery, she gathers divine laws in preparation for the journey. This shows the underworld to be a place still governed by a strict law code. Even in death, Sumerians could not escape the law. This coincides with the Sumerian belief in the inherently evil nature of man, in that even after death men still require laws they must adhere to.
Another facet of Sumerian religion, that is unique to their culture is the absolute inferiority of men to their gods. In most other religions of the region the faithful believer is generally afforded some comfort upon death, though not necessarily equally applied to all those who practice it. Beginning with the Sumerian creation story man is never seen as able of attaining any sort of paradise. The Sumerian paradise, similar to the Hebrew Eden, was never a place where men dwelled. Only the immortal could dwell in paradise, never mortal men. Another effect of the Sumerian belief that men were born evil and would remain so. No salvation, or even an original divine state exists in Sumerian religion. A belief uncommon in many ancient religions.
Unlike even Egyptian religion, where wealth and status were determinants in the afterlife of the deceased, Sumerian kings were still bound to the same Kur as all mortals.
The laws of Sumer were also a deeply ingrained part of Sumerian culture. They put great value in the laws that gave civility to this first civilization. Their use of legal precedent is particularly impressive. This concept would not reappear in common use for centuries.

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