La città e la presenza “fisica” degli dèi nell’antica Mesopotamia

Through the analysis of literary, mythical, and ritual sources, this paper outlines the ideological and religious heritage that bound the fate of cities to the “physical” presence of their deities in the ancient Mesopotamia. The aim is to investigate how and why the divinities were asked to regulate the earth’s space, by constantly renewing the order that they had established in the illud tempus of the origins. At the same time, the reflection focuses on the strategies adopted by men to modify and manage city space without losing the divine benevolence, and thus preventing the gods from abandoning their earthly abodes.