Shamash/Utu: The Sun Deity

The sun deity of Mesopotamia was Shamash, sometimes known as Utu. Shamash was said to pull the sun across the sky every day, much like the Greek god Apollo. Because of their conviction that Shamash could see everything that occurred on the ground, the Mesopotamians gave this god the reputation of being a god of justice and truth. Shamash became the main deity of justice in the pantheon of Mesopotamia as a result. The goddess of love and battle, Ishtar, had a twin brother named Shamash. Shamash was revered all over Mesopotamia, but his main shrines were in the towns of Sippar and Larsa.

Shamash was not credited with creating the universe, in contrast to some of the other significant deities in the Mesopotamian pantheon. Instead, he was significant because he made sure the sun rose every day, maintaining the physical universe. The sun was essential to Mesopotamian agriculture since they were an agrarian people. Shamash's status as a significant deity was established by this alone, but his function as a god of justice in Mesopotamian society was also very important. Shamash was considered to be the final judgment of both mortals and other Mesopotamian deities, and he was credited with giving the rule of law to people. Some academics think that the Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest legal systems in human history, was intended to be a contract between King Hammurabi and the god Shamash. Shamash was also involved in enforcing legal contracts, treaties, and business transactions.