ANU. — A Babylonian deity who personifies the sky, as his name (Sumerian *An* “sky”) also signifies. In any case, his domain is the sky, and the highest part of the sky is his dwelling, where ANU sits upon a throne. As supreme prince of the sky, ANU was not only the father and king of the gods but the god par excellence. A rather abstract and invisible deity, it is explained why his cult enjoyed less popularity than that of many others. Only in passing, in some passages of mythological literature, is there any mention of his creative activity.
Excavations have so far failed to bring to light representations or statues of this god; only his symbol, the throne surmounted by the tiara, which he shares with the other two deities, is often represented on *kudurru* (boundary stones).
To indicate his power, he wields the wooden weapon *eri* (a special kind of wood) called “the sublime weapon of ANU.” His sacred number is 60, the highest in the sexagesimal system.
The oldest and most famous place of worship of this deity is the city of Uruk (Erech), where he dwells in the temple *Eanna* (“house of heaven”); there were also temples in Assur (c. 1140).