Voyage to the Underworld: Death and Beyond in Ancient Mesopotamia

This exploration delves into the multifaceted perceptions of death and the afterlife in ancient Mesopotamia, where a diverse pantheon of deities held sway over the fate of the departed. In the cradle of civilization, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the ancient Mesopotamians cultivated a complex tapestry of beliefs and rituals surrounding death and the afterlife. For these early inhabitants of Sumer, Akkad, and Babylon, death was not just the end of life but the beginning of a journey into realms filled with gods, demons, and intricate mythologies.