Marduk was the patron deity of the Babylonian city of Babylon. His importance grew as Babylon expanded from a regional city into the political center of southern Mesopotamia. Marduk was associated with authority, creation, justice, and the protection of the city.
The Babylonian creation epic Enūma Eliš presents Marduk as the champion of the younger gods. After defeating the sea-goddess Tiamat, he became king of the gods and organized the cosmos. The epic helped justify Babylon’s supremacy by making its city god supreme in the divine order.
Marduk is sometimes confused with other major Mesopotamian gods. Enlil was especially associated with Nippur, Ashur with the Assyrian state, and Nabu with writing and scholarship. Marduk’s son Nabu was also worshipped in Babylon, but he was not the city’s principal patron god.