Ancient near eastern cosmology

Ancient near eastern (ANE) cosmology refers to the plurality of cosmological beliefs in the Ancient Near East (including Ancient Egypt, Babylonia, Sumer, Akkad, Ugarit, and ancient Israel and Judah) from the 4th millennium BC until the formation of the Macedonian Empire by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC. This system of cosmology went on to have a profound influence on later views in rabbinic cosmology, patristic cosmology, and Islamic cosmology. Until the modern era, variations of ancient near eastern cosmology survived with Hellenistic cosmology as the main competing system.