The most enigmatic term of Mesopotamian culture can be found wherever gods, kings, temples or the state are involved: the Sumerian word ME. Basic research and hylistic methods decipher the meaning of ME and other important Sumerian and Akkadian words. This makes it possible to (1) uncover the earliest sacred texts, namely Sumerian ritual songs, which were long considered lost, (2) to identify previously unknown myths and (3) decipher central Mesopotamian sources anew. These discoveries open up access to a previously unknown world behind the cuneiform script - a world characterized through and through by rituals that were not made by humans, but sung, written, fought for and protected by gods. People could only gain access to rituals after a ritual deification. In addition to ancient concepts of rituals and deification, the book develops a universally applicable categorization of rituals and ritual functions. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)