Ancient Mesopotamian underworld
The ancient Mesopotamian underworld, was the lowermost part of the ancient near eastern cosmos, roughly parallel to the region known as Tartarus from early Greek cosmology. It was described as a dark, dreary cavern located deep below the ground, where inhabitants were believed to continue "a transpositional version of life on earth". The only food or drink was dry dust, but family members of the deceased would pour sacred mineral libations from the earth for them to drink. In the Sumerian underworld, it was initially believed that there was no final judgement of the deceased and the dead were neither punished nor rewarded for their deeds in life.
Ancient Sumerian cylinder seal impression showing the god Dumuzid being tortured in the underworld by galla demons
Detail of the "Peace" panel of the Standard of Ur from the Royal Cemetery at Ur, showing a man playing a lyre. The Sumerians believed that, for the highly privileged, music could alleviate the bleak conditions of the underworld.
The "Queen of Night Relief" (c. nineteenth or eighteenth century BC), which is believed to represent either Ereshkigal or her younger sister Inanna
Terracotta plaque dating to the Amorite Period (c. 2000–1600 BC) showing a dead god (probably Dumuzid) resting in his coffin
Ancient near eastern cosmology
Ancient near eastern (ANE) cosmology refers to the plurality of cosmological beliefs in the Ancient Near East from the 4th millennium BC to the formation of the Macedonian Empire by Alexander the Great in the second half of the 1st millennium BC. This system of cosmology went on to have a profound influence on views in Egyptian cosmology, early Greek cosmology, later Jewish cosmology, patristic cosmology, and Islamic cosmology. Until the modern era, variations of ancient near eastern cosmology survived with Hellenistic cosmology as the main competing system.
Mesopotamia's image of the world, following the path Gilgamesh takes in the Epic of Gilgamesh
Sun God Tablet
Mosaic of Alexander the Great from Pompei