Table of Contents
Religious Studies
Western Religions
Zeus and Hera borne through the clouds (Yale University Art Gallery)
1. Ancient Religions
The Near East and northern Africa, along with the region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, were the cradles of Western civilization. The peoples who lived, thrived, and disappeared from these regions left documents that give intriguing glimpses into their religious beliefs. The Mesopotamians and Egyptians and, later, the Greeks and Romans, forged systems of religion and philosophy that reflected the geographical and cultural characteristics of their societies.
Documents
- Pyramid Texts (ca. 2494–2193 BCE)
- Enheduanna: Hymns to Inana (ca. 2250 BCE)
- “Instructions of Ptahhotep” (ca. 2200 BCE)
- “Hymn to the Nile” (ca. 1990–1950 BCE)
- Hymn of the Righteous Sufferer (ca. 1770–600 BCE)
- Egyptian Book of the Dead (ca. 1569–1315 BCE)
- Enuma Elish (ca. 1500 BCE)
- “Great Hymn to the Aten” (ca. 1348 BCE)
- Epic of Gilgamesh (ca. 1300 BCE)
- Hesiod: Theogony (ca. 700 BCE)
- Orphic Tablets and Hymns (ca. 400 BCE – 300 CE)
- Cleanthes: "Hymn to Zeus" (ca. 280–276 BCE)
- Pseudo-Sibylline Oracles (ca. 150 BCE–700 CE)
- Lucretius: On the Nature of Things (ca. 59–55 BCE)
