Ancient Mesopotamian Beliefs
The first materials depicting dream content date back 5000 years to the population of Mesopotamia, the center of civilization at that time, which is now the central region of modern Iraq. Agriculture flourished and substantial cities were created with as many as 100,000 inhabitants. First there were the Sumerians, then the Akkadians, the Babylonians and finally the Assyrians, among others.
The materials found were fragmented writings, approximately 25,000 clay tablets, nestled in King Assurbanipal’s royal library, an ancient king of Assyriah. Some of these writings were about religious beliefs, mythology, and dreams. Twelve of these tablets were recitations of a legendary hero-king called Gilgamesh, who still lives in folklore today. These early stories included the dream sequences of Gilgamesh and the adventures that ensued as a result of these dreams. These dreams were had by a fictitious character, but there were also the recorded dreams of King Gudea of Sumeria, who was led by dreams in the building of a temple to his favorite deity.
The Mesopotamian writings showed that this ancient population was familiar with the practice of dream-seeking, asking for messages through dreams or incubating dreams. They even had a goddess of dreams named Makhir. They classified dreams in three categories: message dreams, mantic dreams and symbolic dreams.
Message dreams were usually experienced by rulers, or priests who advised the rulers. Messages were most often delivered by a deity of some sort who appeared in the dream. The dreamer usually awoke immediately after the dream was over. A ruler who sought a message dream went to the temple of the deity he wished to receive a message from. He participated in ceremony and recitation of prayers for the dream, slept overnight, and if the dream was not achieved, he would try again the next evening.
Mantic dreams were prophetic dreams, indications of what would come in the future. There were “omen-texts” with particular dream omina (omens, or signs) defined. Many cause and effect scenarios were translated from the dream world to their physical world meanings and a list of these were kept and referred to by dream interpreters.
The third class, symbolic dreams, were complex, with interactions and personality dynamics of the dreamer and other characters. These dreams were considered dangerous to one’s health, and they were never recorded unless their interpretation served to ease the situation. They used these dreams as a warning to dissolve some impending danger by taking action to avoid the outcome, even if it was just to dispose of unwanted emotions that would cause the unwanted event.
The Mesopotamians had a practice of telling their symbolic dreams to a lump of clay, then throwing the clay into water where it would dissolve the negative energy of the dreams it heard. A variation on this was telling the dream to a reed and then burning it completely. Amulets and charms were created to protect one from the negative effects of symbolic dreams. It was believed that evil spirits were always willing and ready to attack people in their dreams in order to take away health and vitality. It was also believed that evil dreams could be sent from an enemy and would deplete the vitality of the dreamer.
Dream interpreters were few, and they were mostly women who also served as necromancers (communicators with the dead). Later they were called soothsayers, exorcists or diviners. They were adept at interpreting symbols in dreams that seemed to have a spiritual weight.