Final answer:
The Sumerians offered gifts to their deities to please them and avoid their wrath, which could manifest as natural disasters or conquests. Rituals, sacrifices, and temple services were performed by priests, while rulers ensured temples were well maintained. Common people also participated in religious practices by living virtuously and helping the poor.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Sumerians offered gifts to the deities as part of their religious practices based on their belief that the gods were anthropomorphic, with human emotions and desires. These deities were considered powerful beings that ruled over all aspects of life and could bring blessings such as prosperity and protection, or curses like famine and natural disasters.
Sumerians, therefore, sought to appease their gods by offering sacrifices, building grand temple complexes, and conducting various religious rituals. Temples had complex administrations that facilitated these offerings and rituals, which included meals for the gods, festivals, and processions.
Rulers and priests played significant roles in maintaining the favor of the gods. Rulers were responsible for funding and maintaining temples, while priests and priestesses conducted rituals meant to soothe and assuage the gods. The common people were tasked with living a virtuous life and providing alms to the poor as forms of worship.
The Sumerians were polytheistic, each city having a patron god symbolizing a specific aspect of life, such as Inanna for fertility or Enlil for weather. They believed that the gods resided in the heavens and paid close attention to the movement of celestial bodies, which greatly influenced their rituals and calendar system. All these practices and beliefs were aimed at maintaining harmony and securing the gods' mercy to avoid calamities.