“[The Sumerian] gods, like the Greek gods, had the appearances, qualities, defects and passions of human beings, but they were endowed with fabulous strength, supernatural powers and immortality. Moreover, they manifested themselves in a halo of dazzling light, a “splendour” which filled man with fear and respect and gave him the indescribable feeling of contact with the divine, which is the essence of all religions.”

—Georges Roux, Ancient Iraq, third edition, 1992.