Temples in Mesopotamia : a functional approach

In Mesopotamia, each temple was conceived as the home of a deity and designated as such. In Akkadian, we would say bît Šamaš, "house of the god Šamaš". The ceremonial name of the sanctuary could also be used, in Sumerian. E-babbar (é-babbar) "shining, luminous temple" was the name of the sanctuary of Šamaš, the sun god, in both Larsa and Sippar. Sometimes the name of the temple resembled that of the deity: Emah (é-mah) was the name of the temple of the mother goddess Nin-mah in Keš, Adab or Babylon. The name could also echo the god's status: Emeteursag (é-me-te-ur-sag) "temple, adornment of the hero" was the name of the temple of Zababa, a warrior god, in Kiš. Or it could be a descriptive name, like the famous sanctuary of Marduk in Babylon: Esagil (é-sag-íl) "temple with a high summit".