Excess Within Religion

After reading through Chapter 7, we can see the important role that religion and culture played in Babylonia. The religious pantheon of gods, generally headed by Marduk, the king of gods, was heavily worshipped, and great statues, monuments, and sanctuaries were built in their honor. Each of the gods were provided with a consort and a “vizier” allowing for relations to be built between the gods and mankind. The names of many of the these gods were used and passed down by the people of Babylonia (Joannes 177). Within the temples, courts were set up for the deity’s residence. Each god had a statue and an entire room solely devoted to them in which the statue would be placed on a throne. This divine court was managed by a worshipping body and officiates of the cult came to pray to them and present offerings in the form of a meal several times a day.
These meals were not cheap and consisted of bread, pastries, mutton, beef and poultry, and various alcoholic drinks (Joannes 182). These offerings were meant to mirror the luxuries of royal banquets. The offerings were redistributed to the people according to their rank in the religious hierarchy. This system of redistribution struck me as an efficient solution to an inefficient system. It allowed for more excess in the offerings because they ultimately ended up in the hands of the important, such as the king. Joannes notes that during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, the goddess Ishtar received 360 litres of barley and 66 of wheat in one single day (Joannes 183).
Not only were the food offerings excessive, even the statues were adorned with jewels of high value. Each of the principal goddesses owned several necklaces, bracelets, and rings (Joannes 184). These items of adornment were regularly cleaned and maintained. “Ishtar’s temple possessed a service of 99 pieces of silver and gold ware” (Joannes 184). This religious system of offerings showed the grandeur of the Babylonian empire, but it must have also taken a great toll on the economic system.