Did the ancient Greeks borrow their ideas of the gods from the Etruscans or Minoans, like the ancient Romans borrowed from the Greeks?
Greek mythology can be traced to proto-Indo European religion, plus influences from the Minoans, Egyptians and the near east. The name of the god Zeus seems to have come from an earlier PIE form like "Dyios." In Greek that became Zeus/Dios, in Latin Iovis/Iupiter Dyes Pitar in parts of India. The keres the death spirits that finish off wounded soldiers on battle fields seemed to be related to the Valkyries in Norse myth, albeit with vastly different cultural interpretations. Minoan goddesses seemed to have survived in some of the Greek goddesses, like Hera and Demetra. As for the Etruscans little us known about them but at least tge ones in Eturia in Italy seems to have been influenced by the Greeks and in turn influenced the Romans. The Romans had thier own, small scale religion and a more abstract view of the gods, until they began to develop models of public religion based on the Greeks but on a vast "imperial" style.
How and why did Judaism borrow monotheism from Zoroastrianism?
This is a strange question given that Zoroastrianism doesn't even have true monotheism. Technically it is a dualistic religion, because the good deity Ahura Mazda is not omnipitent and it has an evil counterpart called Angra Mainyu.On the other hand, the Jewish people were originally polytheists like the nations around them before their religion developed into henotheism i.e. the worship of one god to the exclusion of all others.Despite this, it is possible that the development of Judaism from henotheism to monotheism was influenced by Zororastrianism during the exilic period or the post-exilic period. After all, what is better than believing your god is better than all the other gods? Believing that your god is the only one that exists!Another interesting point is that the Jewish concept of Satan is quite different from Angra Mainyu. Satan was originally a loyal angel (or angels) who placed stumbling blocks in the path of individuals to give them the opportunity to choose good over evil. In Christianity, this character developed further along the lines of Angra Mainyu, becoming an evil power (though not a rival to the power of Yahweh).But, given how Satan is described in the New Testament, I can't help but think this idea must have been present (though not necessarily prevalent) in Judaism before it became part of orthodox Christian theology.Other ideas that Judaism may have borrowed from Zoroastrianism include: angelsressurection of the deadfinal judgementafterlife/paradisemessiah/saoshyant.As to why Judaism was influenced by Zoroastrianism, who can say? Religions are notorious for borrowing ideas from other religions and peoples. New ideas often seem attractive, especially if they are not too far from your own ideas. And finally, subjugated peoples are particularly likely to be influenced by their conquerors. Everyone wants to be a winner!
Which came first; ancient Sumeria or ancient Egypt?
Egypt evolved from ‘nomarchies’ or town-states, like baronies in medieval Europe, in 5,500 B.C.E. This happened at the same time the Black Sea became part of the Mediterranean Sea instead of a freshwater basin. Apparently, this was the Indo-European homeland, flooded when a glacial terrain separating it from the Mediterranean gave way.Thus, 5,500 B.C.E. was the moment when they first emigrated- when gifted, illiterate Stonehenge began its prolonged building and then was forgotten and Egypt was settled by different races fleeing their drying Sahara (fertile when wetted with Ice Age rains).Perhaps Egypt’s Northern kingdom began speaking an Hamitic language because this was where proto-Hittites and Berbers first met.Sumer began at around 3,200 B.C.E. with its cuneiform tablets (although Sumerians may have arrived there by 3,500 B.C.E. from Georgia). This might mean Semitic developed from an Afro-Asian Berber and proto-Georgian.At the same time, proto-Minoan was first written in Linears A and B, both of which were early Greek (‘A’ has recently been defined). Thus, Greco-Hittite and Sumerian were first written at about the same time, showing different domains cross-inspired then.