{"id":4369,"date":"2026-04-27T10:36:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T10:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/shamash\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:26:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:26:28","slug":"shamash","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/shamash\/","title":{"rendered":"Shamash"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"4369\" class=\"elementor elementor-4369 elementor-2081 elementor-bc-flex-widget\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Shamash, God of the Mesopotamian Tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Shamash is a god of the Mesopotamian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p><p><strong>Sun god, guardian of justice, light over all things.<\/strong> Shamash (Sumerian Utu) is one of the most deeply venerated gods of Mesopotamia, not as wild fire but as a radiant, steady force of order.<\/p><p>Each day he travels across the sky in his chariot, sees everything people do in secret, and brings all before judgment. No secret remains hidden from Shamash, and no wrong goes unpunished.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"God \/ Goddess: Personified supreme power within the pantheon of a culture, with clearly defined responsibilities such as natural forces, fate, war, and fertility. Venerated through cults, sacrifices, and temple institutions.\">God<\/span><a href=\"\/en\/mesopotamia\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Cradle of documented religion: Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, Assyria (ca. 3500 BCE to 330 BCE).\">Mesopotamia<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_mesopotamien_shamash-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-4370\" alt=\"Shamash - gods from the Mesopotamian tradition, historical-illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_mesopotamien_shamash-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_mesopotamien_shamash-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_mesopotamien_shamash-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/goetter_mesopotamien_shamash.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Shamash<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Quick Overview: Shamash<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> Mesopotamian principal <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span>, sun god and divine judge<br><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of the gods of a religion or culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">Pantheon<\/span>: Sumer (as Utu), Akkad\/Babylon\/Assyria (as Shamash)<br>Function: sun, daylight, law, justice, truth<br>Main attributes: winged sun disk, saw (cuts apart what is false), staff and ring<br>Main <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> sites: Sippar (principal cult site, E-babbar <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span>), Larsa, Ur, Nineveh<br>Family: Sin (moon) as father, Inanna\/Ishtar as sister<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Historical Classification<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the Texts<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Utu\/Shamash is attested from the early Sumerian period (3rd millennium BCE); the sun god was the principal deity of Sippar and Larsa. The main flowering of the Shamash tradition came in the Old Babylonian period (the Hammurabi <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An upright, inscribed or illustrated slab of stone or wood.\" tabindex=\"0\">stele<\/span> shows Shamash as the divine judge handing the law code to Hammurabi).<\/p><p>He remained central in the Neo-Babylonian and Assyrian empires. With the decline of the Babylonian empire (1st century CE) the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> faded away.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of Distribution<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Main cult sites: <strong>Sippar<\/strong> (today Tell Abu Habba, north of Babylon) with the sun god <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> <em>E-babbar<\/em> (&#8220;White House&#8221;), <strong>Larsa<\/strong> (in the south, likewise an E-babbar <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span>), Babylon, Nineveh, Mari.<\/p><p>Grave goods in thousands of Babylonian and Assyrian tombs attest to the reach of the cult. He is mentioned in biblical texts as <em>Shemesh<\/em> (Beth-Shemesh = &#8220;House of the Sun&#8221;).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Source Material<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span data-nosnippet>Central sources: the <em>Hammurabi <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An upright, inscribed or illustrated slab of stone or wood.\" tabindex=\"0\">stele<\/span><\/em> (ca. 1750 BCE, Shamash handing over the law), the prologue of the <em>Code of Hammurabi<\/em>, the great <em>Shamash Hymn<\/em> (Old Babylonian), the tablet of Nabu-apla-iddina (9th century BCE, with a painted Shamash sun disk), and <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A linguistic ritual intended to summon or bind a power.\" tabindex=\"0\">incantation<\/span> tablets.<\/span><\/p><p>Secondary literature: Schwemer, <em>Die Wettergottgestalten Mesopotamiens<\/em>; Bott\u00e9ro, <em>La plus vieille <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religion<\/span><\/em>; Black\/Green, <em>Gods, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Demons<\/span> and Symbols<\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name and Spellings<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Shamash is depicted as a majestic man with a radiant diadem or sun crown, often with a disk-shaped sun above his head. He sits on a throne or stands in his chariot, drawn by two glowing horses.<\/p><p>Sometimes he carries an aura of flames or is surrounded by rays of light. The eight-rayed star disk (the <em>Shamash <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span><\/em>) is his distinguishing mark. A judge&#8217;s staff or a sword of justice may accompany him.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Description<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Shamash is the god of the sun and of justice, two forces that are closely linked. Judges prayed to him before court in order to render just verdicts.<\/p><p>The sick called upon him for healing, since the sun heals and purifies. The god of the rivers (Ea\/Enki) stands under Shamash&#8217;s supervision, for water needs sunlight in order to be fruitful.<\/p><p>His main temple was the <em>E-babbar<\/em> (House of Radiance) in Sippar, a renowned center of astronomy and legal scholarship. Each day the priests made <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An offering to a deity to express gratitude, petition, or veneration.\" tabindex=\"0\">offerings<\/span> at sunrise and prayed for his return. Shamash was not only venerated but loved, the most reliable of all the gods.<\/p><h3>Appearance and Symbolism<\/h3><p><em>Shamash<\/em> is depicted as a bearded man within a sun disk or surrounded by radiant light. He often wears royal garments and a crown that represents the sun disk. In his hand he sometimes holds a scepter of justice or the flames of the sun.<\/p><p>His body is golden and luminous. The bull or horse is sometimes counted among his <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the divine and thereby withdrawn from everyday use.\" tabindex=\"0\">sacred<\/span> animals, since they follow the sun. <em>Shamash<\/em> is often depicted with wings or auras of light. The four rays of the sun are his <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Shamash<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of Shamash at a glance. The following fields summarize his origin, function, appearance, veneration, symbols, and parallels.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Cultural Context<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Shamash is the son of the moon god <em>Sin<\/em> (Nanna) and of <em>Ningal<\/em>, and the brother of the goddess of love and war <em>Inanna\/Ishtar<\/em>.<\/p><p>He is the consort of <em>Aya<\/em> (goddess of dawn). In the theogonic order he belongs to the second generation of the Babylonian pantheon. In the Neo-Babylonian empire he stood nearly equal in rank to Marduk.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sphere of Influence<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Sun god and divine judge. His eye sees everything, which is why he presides over crime and justice. Oaths are sworn &#8220;before Shamash&#8221;; court verdicts are <em>dinu sha Shamash<\/em> (judgments of Shamash).<\/p><p>Together with Adad (the weather god) he is the chief proclaimer of divine messages (omen texts). He is the patron of travelers (especially by day) and of the practice of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Collective term for practices used to explore a divine will.\" tabindex=\"0\">divination<\/span>. He is the protector of the defenseless: widows, orphans, and slaves.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Appearance<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Anthropomorphic, as a bearded male figure with a tall horned diadem (often with a sun disk) and a long, multi-layered robe. Characteristic attributes: <em>sun rays from the shoulders<\/em> (or from a sun disk set upon him), a <em>saw<\/em> (in his hand, which cuts apart what is false), and <em>staff and ring<\/em> (insignia of judgment).<\/p><p>He is frequently seated on a throne with the sun rays. On the Hammurabi <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An upright, inscribed or illustrated slab of stone or wood.\" tabindex=\"0\">stele<\/span> he faces the king, handing him the law code. <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of a concept or meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">Symbol<\/span>: the winged sun disk.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Influence of Shamash<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Area of influence:<\/strong> Shamash was <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invoked<\/span> by judges, travelers, diviners, and all who sought justice. Offerings were made before court hearings. He was central to divination: liver inspection (haruspicy) and oil-on-water <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The interpretation of signs in order to discern what is hidden or future.\" tabindex=\"0\">divination<\/span> (lecanomancy) were Shamash practices.<\/p><p>Personal <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invocation<\/span>: before important decisions, when traveling, and when bringing complaints before a court. Sippar was a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A religiously motivated journey to a sacred site.\" tabindex=\"0\">pilgrimage<\/span> destination for those seeking divination and judgment.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Means of Protection<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Sun rays from the shoulders, the winged sun disk, the saw (cutting apart what is false), staff and ring (judgment insignia), a tall horned diadem, a long robe, and the bull (a secondary animal). Plants: tamarisk. Sacred number: 20. Sacred direction: east (sunrise).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Related Beings<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>Utu<\/em> (Sumerian, the forerunner), <em>Shemesh<\/em> (Hebrew), <em>Re\/Ra<\/em> (Egypt, principal sun god), <em>Helios<\/em> (Greece), <em>Sol<\/em> (Rome), <em>Sol Invictus<\/em> (late Roman), <em>Surya<\/em> (Hinduism), <em>Amaterasu<\/em> (Japan, female sun goddess), <em>Mithra<\/em> (Persian, god of sun and justice). Functionally, all divine judges (Yama, Anubis, aspects of Hades) share functions with Shamash.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Practical Defense<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Rituals of Veneration<\/h3><p>Shamash, the god of sun and justice, had his main cult center in the E-babbar <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temple<\/span> at Sippar (and Larsa). Daily offerings at sunrise (&#8220;nuhatim&#8221;, baked breads, dates, beer) were the duty of the priestly <em>shangu<\/em> class.<\/p><p>The midsummer festival <em>bit sabiti<\/em>, with a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A solemn religious procession.\" tabindex=\"0\">procession<\/span> of the divine statue to the bank of the Euphrates, is attested from the time of Hammurabi (18th century BCE); the Code of Hammurabi itself also begins with an <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The petitioning or invoking address to a deity or power.\" tabindex=\"0\">invocation<\/span> of Shamash as guarantor of justice (cf. Bott\u00e9ro).<\/p><h3>Invocations and Hymns<\/h3><p>The &#8220;Great Shamash Hymn&#8221; (BWL 121-138, Lambert), more than 200 lines long, is one of the most central hymn texts of Akkadian religion. Daily morning invocations began with &#8220;Shamash mushtesher kibrat&#8221; (Shamash, guide of the four quarters of the world). Before court proceedings, Shamash was invoked as an eyewitness.<\/p><h3><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A worn object to which a protective, misfortune-averting effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">Amulets<\/span> and Protective Symbols<\/h3><p>Solar symbols (the winged sun disk, a four-rayed star within a circle) appear on Babylonian seal cylinders (cf. Black\/Green, <em>Gods, Demons and Symbols<\/em>). Solar plaques of carnelian or rock crystal were worn as protection against illness and injustice. The sun ring with twelve rays (Babylon, 7th century BCE) symbolizes the omnipresence of Shamash.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Shamash: Parallels in Other Cultures<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Shamash resembles the Egyptian Ra or Aten, both of whom are sun gods with all-seeing sight. With the Greek Apollo he shares aspects of order and healing. The Hebrew god is sometimes described with Shamash functions, as the all-seeing one and the judge.<\/p><p>In Indian cultures he resembles Surya, the sun god, or Mitra, the god of treaties and justice. Across all these cultures, Shamash remains a central figure of order and of light.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpbf8fe6e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpbf8fe6e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpc5b3c70 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpc5b3c70\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Code of Hammurabi and the Sun as Judge<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpcd489b1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpcd489b1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa50d0d6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpa50d0d6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The best-known link between Shamash and royal jurisdiction appears in the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A representation worked in raised relief out of a surface.\" tabindex=\"0\">relief<\/span> image at the upper end of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An upright, inscribed or illustrated slab of stone or wood.\" tabindex=\"0\">stele<\/span> of the <em>Code of Hammurabi<\/em>, now in the Louvre. It depicts the Babylonian king Hammurabi standing before an enthroned god.<\/p><p>Older scholarship long interpreted the figure as Shamash, because rays grow from the god&#8217;s shoulders and he hands over a ring and a staff, insignia that in Mesopotamian visual language were associated with the transfer of legal authority. Some scholars have alternatively proposed Marduk, yet the ray attributes argue for Shamash.<\/p><p>In its content, the scene fits the self-understanding of the text. In the prologue and epilogue of the code, Hammurabi repeatedly states that he established justice in the land, and Shamash appears there as the god who guarantees law and justice.<\/p><p>The sun god sees everything that happens by day, and this all-seeing quality made him, in Mesopotamian thought, the natural guarantor of oath, contract, and verdict.<\/p><p>This role is older than Hammurabi. Already in Sumerian hymns to Utu, the forerunner of Shamash, the god is called upon to uncover wrongdoing and to stand by the oppressed.<\/p><p>In court records and oath formulas of the second and first millennia his name appears regularly. Whoever broke an oath sworn by Shamash exposed himself to his punishment.<\/p><p>The connection between light symbolism and the idea of law, the light that brings what is hidden into the open, is carried through so consistently in the sources that it can be regarded as a basic trait of the Mesopotamian conception of the divine.<\/p><p>At the same time it shows how closely <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The conception of the structure and order of the world within a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">cosmology<\/span> and social order were linked in this culture.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp2921025 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp2921025\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp2a869b7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp2a869b7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sippar and Larsa: The Great Cult Centers<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp40bfd84 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp40bfd84\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpb809579 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpb809579\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Shamash possessed two main temples, both bearing the name <em>E-babbar<\/em>, the shining or white house. One stood in Sippar in the north of Babylonia, the other in Larsa in the south.<\/p><p>Both cities were regarded over millennia as the central sites of the sun cult, and their <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">temples<\/span> were restored and furnished by numerous rulers.<\/p><p>For Sippar the source material is especially good. The excavations yielded extensive temple archives from the Old Babylonian and Neo-Babylonian periods, which give insight into the economy, administration, and personnel of the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sacred place dedicated to the veneration of a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">sanctuary<\/span>. One frequently cited object is the so-called Sun Tablet of Nabu-apla-iddina, a stone tablet from the ninth century before our era.<\/p><p>In <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A representation worked in raised relief out of a surface.\" tabindex=\"0\">relief<\/span> it shows the enthroned Shamash and recounts in its text how the king, after a long period of neglect, had a new <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A pictorial representation of a deity, venerated in a temple or shrine.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult image<\/span> made for the god after an old clay model had been found. The text thus also documents the concern for the correct restoration of a lost cult image.<\/p><p>In Larsa the Shamash <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span> flourished under kings such as Rim-Sin. Here too rulers had the E-babbar renewed, and building inscriptions <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The transmission of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">record<\/span> their endowments. The continuity is remarkable: even the Neo-Babylonian king Nabonidus, otherwise known above all for his promotion of the moon god Sin, attended to the sun temples of both cities.<\/p><p>The doubling of the cult centers in north and south reflects the geographic structure of Babylonia and secured the sun god a nationwide presence that raised him above local ties.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpda201f0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cpda201f0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3bb6221 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp3bb6221\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Shamash in Divination and in the Epic of Gilgamesh<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp60b57ff e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp60b57ff\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp3fcf874 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp3fcf874\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Besides his role as judge, Shamash was the god of entrail inspection and of oracular practice. Mesopotamian liver inspection, in which priests read signs from the liver of sacrificial animals, frequently directed its inquiries to Shamash together with the weather god Adad.<\/p><p>So-called extispicy prayers, often referred to in scholarship as <em>tamitu<\/em> texts or as inquiries to the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A site or institution at which a divine answer is obtained.\" tabindex=\"0\">oracle<\/span>, formulated concrete questions, for example whether a campaign would succeed, and asked the god to write his answer into the entrails.<\/p><p>Shamash was thus not only the one who uncovered existing wrongs, but also the one who disclosed what was hidden about the future.<\/p><p>In the <em>Epic of Gilgamesh<\/em>, Shamash appears as a protective god of the heroes. Before the march against Humbaba, the guardian of the cedar forest, Gilgamesh turns to the sun god and asks for support. Shamash then sends winds that beset Humbaba and give the heroes the decisive advantage.<\/p><p>Later, when Enkidu lies dying and pronounces his <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A verbal formula by which harm is meant to be inflicted on a person or thing.\" tabindex=\"0\">curse<\/span> upon the woman who led him into civilization, it is Shamash who rebukes him and reminds him of the good that has come to him. Enkidu then withdraws the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A verbal formula by which harm is meant to be inflicted on a person or thing.\" tabindex=\"0\">curse<\/span>.<\/p><p>These episodes show Shamash as an ordering, moderating authority within the narrative. He does not intervene arbitrarily, but supports those who turn to him and calls for reflection where excess threatens. His role in the epic thus fits the overall picture drawn by the hymns and legal texts.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp66f75a0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp66f75a0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp846bc1f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp846bc1f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">From Utu to Shamash: Etymology and Sumerian Roots<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp7fc2d21 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp7fc2d21\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp61cd3cc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp61cd3cc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The name Shamash is the Akkadian word for sun and belongs to a common Semitic root that also appears in related form in Hebrew as <em>shemesh<\/em>, in Arabic as <em>shams<\/em>, and in further Semitic languages.<\/p><p>The god and the celestial body therefore bear the same name, which underscores the close connection between the natural phenomenon and the divine person.<\/p><p>The Sumerian predecessor was called Utu. With the merging of Sumerian and Akkadian religion over the course of the third and second millennia, Utu and Shamash were largely equated, without the older figure disappearing entirely. In bilingual texts both names stand side by side.<\/p><p>Already in Sumerian times Utu was regarded as the son of the moon god Nanna and of Ningal and as the brother of Inanna, the later Ishtar. These family relationships were taken over into the Akkadian texts: Shamash is the son of Sin and the brother of Ishtar.<\/p><p>Notable is the position of the sun as a child of the moon. In many other mythologies the sun is conversely regarded as the higher-ranking or older celestial body. The Mesopotamian arrangement is often explained by the fact that the moon god in Ur possessed a particularly old and prestigious <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of religious acts of veneration for a deity or sacred figure.\" tabindex=\"0\">cult<\/span>.<\/p><p>The genealogy thus reflects the history of the cult centers rather than a systematic astronomy. The spelling of the name is also revealing: the sun sign could be read both as Sumerian Utu and as Akkadian Shamash, so that texts often leave open which language form the scribe had in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">mind<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp75cc266 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp75cc266\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa19f12f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpa19f12f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Reception: The Sun God in the Study of the Ancient Near East<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa0bc082 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cpa0bc082\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp636a807 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp636a807\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Shamash is among the deities that became known again early with the decipherment of cuneiform in the nineteenth century.<\/p><p><span data-nosnippet>The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An upright, inscribed or illustrated slab of stone or wood.\" tabindex=\"0\">stele<\/span> of the <em>Code of Hammurabi<\/em>, found in 1901 and 1902 by a French expedition at Susa, made the image of the enthroned god with the shoulder rays one of the most familiar depictions from the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Epoch of Greek and Roman culture, roughly 800 BC to 600 AD.\" tabindex=\"0\">Ancient<\/span> Near East of all.<\/span><\/p><p>It is reproduced in countless handbooks and shapes the popular conception of Mesopotamian religion to this day.<\/p><p>In scholarly discussion the question long stood in the foreground of how closely the Mesopotamian sun cult was linked with legal ideas and whether this connection radiated to neighboring cultures.<\/p><p>Historians of religion have discussed parallels to legal metaphors of light in West Semitic and biblical texts, for example where justice and salvation are compared to the rising of the sun.<\/p><p>Such comparisons should be made with caution, since similar metaphors can arise independently, but the Mesopotamian evidence is especially well attested through the quantity of sources.<\/p><p>For modern study the editions of the hymns and prayers are fundamental, among them the great Shamash Hymn, which survives in several textual witnesses and praises the god at length as the all-seeing keeper of justice.<\/p><p>It has been translated and commented upon repeatedly and is regarded as one of the most impressive religious texts of Mesopotamia. Anyone studying the Mesopotamian <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The entirety of the gods of a religion or culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">pantheon<\/span> can proceed from Shamash to related figures, for example to his father <a href=\"\/en\/sin-moon-god-of-ur-and-harran\/\">Sin<\/a> or to his sister <a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/ishtar\/\">Ishtar<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further Links<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/ishtar\/\">Ishtar, sister<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/marduk\/\">Marduk, ranked above him in the Neo-Babylonian pantheon<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/mesopotamia\/\">Mesopotamia, pantheon overview<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/high-deities\/\">High deities, subcategory<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/gods\/\">Gods, class overview<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Literature (Selection)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><ul><li><span data-nosnippet>Schwemer, Daniel: <em>Die Wettergottgestalten Mesopotamiens und Nordsyriens<\/em>. Wiesbaden 2001.<\/span><\/li><li><span data-nosnippet>Roth, Martha T.: <em>Law Collections from Mesopotamia and Asia Minor<\/em>. Atlanta 1995 (Code of Hammurabi).<\/span><\/li><li>Walde, Christine (ed.): <em>Der Neue Pauly<\/em> (entry &#8220;Shamash&#8221;).<\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\n<p class=\"iwg-bib-more\"><span data-nosnippet>Further standard works in the <a href=\"\/en\/literature\/\">literature index<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shamash, God of the Mesopotamian Tradition Shamash is a god of the Mesopotamian tradition. Sun god, guardian of justice, light over all things. Shamash (Sumerian Utu) is one of the most deeply venerated gods of Mesopotamia, not as wild fire but as a radiant, steady force of order. Each day he travels across the sky [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4370,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Shamash","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Shamash: Sun God and Guardian of Justice","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Shamash, the Mesopotamian sun god and guardian of justice. His role in the Code of Hammurabi, temples in Sippar and Larsa","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"","wesen_kultur":"","wesen_klasse":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[79,86,85],"class_list":["post-4369","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cultures","category-gods","category-mesopotamia"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Shamash: Sun God and Guardian of Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Shamash, the Mesopotamian sun god and guardian of justice. 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