Most Important Cultural and Religious Events Of Western Civilization

Pantheon

3000 BCE

Pantheon is group of Mesopotamian Gods each city center worshiped at ziggurat stepped pyramid. Mesopotamian gods were seen as cruel and when unhappy with humans they would cause cataclysmic evets.

Conclusion

Period: 3000 BCE to 1510

From the very first civilization people came together over shared religion and culture. Religion was a way to determine appropriate moral behaviors and to explain the world. When cataclysmic events occurred, it was the result of angered gods and people would act in accordance whether it was through sacrifices, ceremonies, or prayer. Over time governments acted in accordance with religion to bring unity to the people in some cases like with the pope claiming authority over the government itself.

Enheduanna

2400 BCE

High priestess of the goddess of the moon Innana. Enheduanna wrote many hymns to the gods making her the first recorded poet.

Hamurabis Law

1780 BCE

King Hammurabi creates system of law known as Hammurabi's code which details the rights and obligations of Babylonians. Hammurabi's code covered things such as fair treatment, distinguished differences in consequences depending on a person's class most common " eye for an eye".

The Olympics

778 BCE

The Olympics were held in the city of Olympia in southern Greece where the Greeks would all gather for a series of games. The Olympics were a religious festival dedicated to the god Zues.

The Jewish Uprising

66

The Jewish uprising occurred about a generation after Revolutionary Jesus of Nazareth. This uprising was influenced by the Jewish people refusing to participate in other religious ceremonies because it went against the 10 commandments and laws of Moses.

Roman Empire declared as a Christian Empire

380

Emperor Theodosius declares Roman empire as a Christian Empire. Funding of pagan temples shifted toward building of Christian temples.

Pope Greggory The Great

700

Pope Greggory establishes relationships with kings and ensures the spread of Christianity through Missionaries. This expanded the power of the church through the Donation of Constantine which gave Popes the authority over the Western Roman Empire.

The Latin Church

800

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire the church united the western empire. Western Europeans gain a sense of identity through membership of the church.

Babylonian Captivity and The Great Western Schisim

1303

During the Babylonian Captivity the Pope Boniface declared a commandment where all kings must acknowledge the pope having authority over the kings themselves. The Great western schism sees a fragmentation of church due to popes fighting over who is the true pope leading to a decline of churches power.

Martin Luther

1510

Martin Luther openly defies church by nailing a list of 95 wrong doings by the church to the church door. In accordance many other groups also begin breaking away from the church starting the Protestant reformation.