,transcriber's ,notes    ,obvious       
typographical errors have been silently 
corrected4 ,variations  in hyphenation  
have been standardised but all other    
spelling and  punctuation remains       
unchanged4    ,in footnote #h the star  
,benelnash is usually called ,benetnash4
 ,this may  be an alternative spelling  
so is unchanged4    ,in ,chapter ,,xiv  
it is possible that 8change0 should read
 8chain0 in #cb4  thou didst strike him2
 to a pillar thou didst change him1     
,italics are represented thus italic4   
,,the ,,chaldean ,,account ,,of         
,,genesis4      ,illustration3 ,izdubar 
7,nimrod7 in conflict with a lion       
,,the                                   
,,chaldean ,,account ,,of ,,genesis     
,,containing               ,,the        
,,description ,,of ,,the ,,creation1    
,,the ,,deluge1 ,,the                   
,,tower ,,of ,,babel1 ,,the             
,,destruction ,,of ,,sodom1             
,,the ,,times ,,of ,,the ,,patriarchs1  
,,and ,,nimrod2                         

,,babylonian ,,fables1 ,,and ,,legends  
,,of ,,the ,,gods2                      
,,from ,,the ,,cuneiform ,,inscriptions4
                               ,,by     
,,george ,,smith1      ,,formerly ,,of  
,,the ,,department ,,of ,,oriental      
,,antiquities1 ,,british ,,museum1      
,,author ,,of 8,,history ,,of           
,,assurbanipal10 8,,assyrian            
,,discoveries10 ,,etc4 ,,etc4       ,a  
,,new ,,edition1 ,,thoroughly ,,revised 
,,and ,,corrected 7,,with ,,additions71 
,,by ,a4 ,h4 ,,sayce1                   
,,deputy-,,professor ,,of ,,comparative 
,,philology ,,in ,,the                  
,,university ,,of ,,oxford4             
,,with ,,illustrations4                 
,,new ,,york3                           
,,charles ,,scribner',s ,,sons          
#gdc ,,and #gde ,,broadway4             
,,preface ,,by ,,the ,,editor4      ,it 
is now five years since the present     
volume was first laid before  the public
 by ,mr4 ,george ,smith1 just before    
setting out on his last  ill-fated      

expedition to the ,east4 ,it naturally  
awakened extreme  interest and          
curiosity4 ,the earlier chapters of     
,genesis no longer  stood alone4        
,parallel accounts had been discovered  
by the author  among the clay records of
 ancient ,babylonia1 which far exceeded 
in  antiquity the venerable histories of
 the ,bible4 ,all those who had a       
theory to support1 or a tradition to    
overthrow1 turned eagerly to the        
newly-discovered documents1 which       
possessed an equal interest for the     
students of history1 of religion1 and of
 language4    ,the five years that have 
elapsed since the publication of 8,the  
,chaldean  ,account of ,genesis0 have   
been five years of active work and      
progress  among ,assyrian scholars4 ,the
 impulse given to ,assyrian research by 
,mr4  ,smith has survived his death2    
numberless new tablets and fragments of 
tablets have been brought to ,europe    
from ,assyria and ,babylonia2 fresh     
students of the inscriptions have risen 

up in this country and on  the          
continent1 more especially in ,germany2 
and the scientific spirit  which has    
been introduced into the study of the   
,assyrian language has  immeasurably    
increased our knowledge of it4 ,thanks  
to the labours  of men like ,oppert1    
,lenormant and ,guyard in ,france1 or of
 ,schrader1  ,delitzsch1 ,haupt and     
,hommel in ,germany1 texts which were   
obscure and  doubtful at the time of    
,mr4 ,smith's death have now become     
almost as  clear as a page of the more  
difficult portions of the ,old          
,testament4  ,the ,assyrian student1    
moreover1 has an advantage which the    
,hebrew  student has not2 he possesses  
dictionaries and vocabularies compiled  
by  the ,assyro-,babylonians themselves1
 and these frequently throw light on  a 
word which otherwise would be a 8hapax  
legomenon40    ,the more backward       
condition of our knowledge of ,assyrian1
 however1  was not the only difficulty  
against which ,mr4 ,smith had to        

contend4  ,he was pressed for time when 
writing the present volume1 which had to
  be finished before his departure for  
the ,east4 ,the class of texts1  also1  
which he had brought to light was a new 
class hitherto unknown1  or almost      
unknown1 to the ,assyrian decipherer4   
,he had to break fresh  ground in       
dealing with them4 ,their style differed
 considerably from  that of the texts   
previously studied2 they had a          
vocabulary of their  own1 allusions of  
their own1 and even1 it may be added1 a 
grammar  of their own4 ,if the texts had
 been complete the difficulty perhaps   
would not have been so great2 but it was
 enormously increased by  their         
mutilated condition4 ,the skill and     
success with which ,mr4 ,smith          
struggled against all these difficulties
 show more plainly than ever  what a    
loss ,assyrian research has sustained in
 him4    ,nevertheless1 even the genius 
of ,mr4 ,smith could not do more than   
give a general idea of the contents of  

the fragments1 and not always  even     
this4 ,a comparison of the translations 
contained in the present  edition with  
those contained in the preceding ones   
will show to what an  extent the details
 of translation have had to be modified 
and changed1  sometimes with important  
consequences4 ,thus the corrected       
translation  of the fragments relating  
to the ,tower of ,babel will remove the 
doubts  raised by ,mr4 ,smith's         
translation as to his correctness in    
associating  them with that event2 thus1
 too1 the corrected rendering of a      
passage  in the ,izdubar ,epic will show
 that the practice of erecting a ,bethel
 or  sacred stone was familiar to the   
early ,babylonians4 ,in some instances  
,mr4 ,smith has misconceived the true   
character of a whole text4 ,what he     
believed to be a record of the ,fall1   
for instance1 is really1 as ,m4  ,oppert
 first pointed out1 a hymn to the       
,creator4    ,on the other hand1 the    
fresh materials that have been acquired 

by the  ,british ,museum during the last
 five years1 or a closer examination  of
 the treasures it already possessed1    
have enabled us to add to the  number of
 cuneiform texts which illustrate the   
earlier portions of  ,genesis4 ,mr4     
,rassam1 for example1 has brought home a
 fragment of the  ,deluge tablet1 which 
not only helps us to fill up some of the
 lacun  in the text1 but is also        
important in another way4 ,it is        
written1 not  in ,assyrian1 but in      
,babylonian cuneiform characters1 and   
comes1 not  from an ,assyrian1 but from 
a ,babylonian library4 ,but it agrees   
exactly  with the corresponding parts of
 the ,assyrian editions of the story1   
and  thus furnishes us with a proof of  
the trustworthiness of the ,assyrian    
copies of the old ,babylonian texts4    
,the text1 again1 which relates to  the 
destruction of a country by a rain of   
fire1 though long contained  in the     
,british ,museum ,collection1 was first 
noticed by myself as being  apparently  

the ,babylonian version of the biblical 
account of the  destruction of ,sodom   
and ,gomorrah4    ,numerous alterations 
and insertions have had to be made in   
the text  which accompanies the         
translations4 ,the latter necessarily   
occupied the  main part of ,mr4 ,smith's
 attention2 he had neither time nor     
inclination  to enter very elaborately  
into the questions raised by them1 or   
the  illustrations they might receive   
from elsewhere4 ,in fact1 any adequate  
treatment of the great ,izdubar ,epic1  
for instance1 demanded a special        
acquaintance with the method and results
 of ,comparative ,philology1 as  well as
 a more intimate knowledge of its       
history and character than was  possible
 at the time when ,mr4 ,smith wrote4    
,a large proportion of the cuneiform    
texts from which the translations       
contained in the present volume are made
 has not yet been published4  ,i have1  
however1 gone carefully over them all   
with the exception of  a small portion  

of the ,izdubar ,epic1 and endeavoured  
to bring the  translations up to the    
level of our present knowledge of the   
,assyrian  language4 ,i am indebted to  
the ready kindness and accurate eye of  
,mr4 ,pinches for copies of almost all  
the unpublished portions of the         
,izdubar legends4 ,in these he has      
corrected several faulty readings1  more
 especially that of the name of the     
pilot of ,xisuthrus1 which ought  to be 
,nes-,hea1 8the lion of ,hea40 ,mr4     
,pinches assures me that the  name of   
the deity composing the second part of  
the name is invariably  written with the
 numeral #dj1 the symbol of the god     
,hea1 except once  when the scribe has  
miswritten #ej1 the symbol of ,bel1 and 
he has  pointed out to me a passage in a
 bilingual tablet where the name is     
explained in ,assyrian by ,nes-,hea4    
,unfortunately1 the texts given in  pp4 
#ajc-abd cannot be found1 and here      
therefore ,i have been obliged to  leave
 ,mr4 ,smith's translations unaltered4  

,the reader1 however1 must remember that
 no translations of these  mutilated    
tablets can be more than approximately  
correct4 ,even if the  meaning of all   
the words were well known1 and they were
 divided from  one another 7which is not
 the case71 the broken condition of so  
many  of the inscriptions would make a  
good deal of the translation more or    
less conjectural4 ,this must be doubly  
the case where the signification  of the
 words is either unknown or only half   
known4 ,i have always  endeavoured to   
indicate a doubtful word or passage by a
 query2 but  there must be instances in 
which the meaning that ,i believe ought 
to be assigned to particular words will 
be corrected by the further  progress of
 discovery4 ,this is even more true of  
what may be termed  the commentary      
accompanying the translations4          
,surprises are constantly  in store for 
the ,assyrian decipherer1 and a tiny    
fragment may suddenly  throw a new light
 on a question he had supposed to be    

settled4 ,in  fact1 in ,assyriology1 as 
in all other branches of science1 there 
is  no finality2 we cannot be more than 
approximately exact at any given  time1 
and every month enables us to introduce 
fresh corrections and  improvements into
 our work4    ,a fresh illustration of  
the fact has been afforded even while   
the  present volume has been passing    
through the press4 ,mr4 ,pinches has    
come  across two fragments 7one marked  
,s #ffi1 the other unnumbered7 which    
belong to two separate copies or        
editions of a very interesting work4    
,this is nothing less than a list of the
 ancient epics and legends of  ,chaldea1
 along with the names of their reputed  
authors1 many of whom1  however1 are    
probably as mythical as the famous      
,rishis of ,india4 ,the  list shows how 
numerous these early poems were1 and how
 few of them1  comparatively1 we possess
 at present4 ,both fragments belong to  
the  same part of the list1 and we are  
therefore ignorant of many of the       

ancient compositions it must originally 
have contained4 ,some of the  works     
mentioned receive their names from the  
heroes celebrated in  them1 others are  
named from their opening lines4 ,a      
distinction is drawn  between those that
 belonged to the ,accadian period1 and  
were written  by ,accadian poets in the 
,accadian language1 and those that were 
of  ,semitic ,babylonian origin4 ,the   
interest of the list is enhanced by the 
great antiquity of the poems it records1
 none of them being later than  about   
#bjjj ,b4,c4 ,here is a translation of  
the text as restored from a  comparison 
of the two fragments according to the   
copies ,i have made of  them3--         
,,obverse4    #a4 ,ca 4444    #b4 ,this 
is the work 7literally from the mouth7  
of 4                                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#c4 8a khus ba a ri 4444    #d4 the god 
4444 tsu bu nu0 4444 ,accadian4    #e4  
,this is the work of ,nupatuv 4444      

----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#f4 8,the mighty lady1 the winged one1  
,nigirra10 or 8,bel0 4444    #g4 8,he   
restored ,til-enni10 or 8,life40    #h4 
8,may ,merodach the great lord firmly   
defend40 ,semitic4    #i4 ,this is the  
work of ,basa-,gula1 the scribe 444     
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#aj4 8,the king of the sphere in their  
front10 or 8the lord0 4444 ,acc4    #aa4
 ,this is the work of ,en-me-duga 4444  
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ab4 4444 8head1 thy lustre0 4444 ,acc4 
#ac4 ,this is the work of ,elum 4444    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ad4 4444 ci bat 4444      ,,reverse4   
#a4 4444    #b4 7,this is the work of   
44447 ragas1 the scribe1 the man 7of a  
non-existent tablet74                   
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     

#c4 44444 8the gods0 ,acc44 ,this is the
 work of 4444                           
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#d4 4444 8the bull of ,bit-,esir 7the   
firmament710 or 8,the great fortress  of
 the royal crown0 4444 ,acc4    #e4     
,this is the work of ,cus-dib the son   
of4444                                  
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#f4 4444 nun-na ,acc44 ,this is the work
 of ,elum-ban-cudur1 the  son of        
,khumetis1 the scribe1 the man of 7a    
non-existent7 tablet4                   
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#g4 4444 8the paggalti which over heaven
 are placed0 ,sem44    #h4 7,this7 is   
the work of ,gimil-,gula1 the son of    
,il-khigal  the scribe1 the man of a    
non-existent tablet4                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#i4 8,the day of calling1 the long day  

at the dawning of light0 787  ,acc44    
,this is the work of ,ekur 7,esiru71 the
 son of ,nunna-tur4                     
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#aj4 ,the hero ,izdubar4 ,this is the   
work of ,sin-lici-unnini the scribe     
4444                                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#aa4 ,the hero ,etana4 ,this is the work
 of ,nis-,sin the scribe 4444           
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ab4 ,the hero the ,fox4 ,this is the   
work of ,kak-,merodach the  son of      
,eri-,turnunna1 the man of a            
non-existent tablet4                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ac4 7,the hero7 ',sidu4 ,this is the   
work of ',sidu-labiri  the prince1 the  
man of a non-existent tablet4           
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     

#ad4 4444 a tu gab ,acc44 ,this is the  
work of ,lig-,dimir  the scribe1 the man
 7of a non-existent tablet74            
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
,what is meant by the phrase 8the man of
 a non-existent tablet10 ,i do  not     
know4 ,possibly it signifies that the   
autograph of the author no  longer      
existed at the time the list was drawn  
up4 8,the ,bull of the  firmament0 was a
 legend which was probably connected    
with the second  month of the year1     
originally1 it would seem1 the first1   
which like the  zodiacal sign after     
which it was named1 was called the month
 of 8the  directing bull40    ,future   
excavations will doubtless bring to     
light some of the poems  mentioned in   
the list and not previously known4 ,i   
have myself lately  come across two     
fragments 7,s #hjb and ,s #caf7 which   
belong to legends  hitherto unknown1 but
 they are too short to be worth         
translating4  ,what curious revelations1

 however1 we may yet expect from the    
cuneiform records may be judged from a  
small and well preserved  tablet        
recently brought to ,england1 which     
contains a catalogue of the  gardens    
belonging to ,merodach-,baladan1 the    
contemporary of ,hezekiah1  and grouped 
according to the districts in which they
 were situated4  ,merodach-,baladan must
 have been fond of horticulture1 since  
the  catalogue contains the names of no 
less than sixty-seven seed-gardens1     
besides six other pleasure-grounds4     
,many of them were named from the       
localities in whose neighbourhood they  
were1 but others bore such  significant 
titles as 8the forest of reeds10 8the   
small enclosure10 or  8the garden of the
 waters of the city40 ,as the tablet was
 copied by a  scribe named              
,merodach-sum-iddin1 probably in the    
time of ,nebuchadnezzar  or his         
successors1 it is evident that some of  
the contents of the  library of ,babylon
 escaped the destruction brought upon   

that city by  ,sennacherib in ,b4,c4    
#fib4    ,i may add that since the      
greater part of this edition has been in
  type1 ,i have found myself able to    
explain the name of the hero which  in  
default of the true transcription has   
been provisionally read  ,izdubar4 ,the 
name is composed of three ideographs1   
the first of  which is the determinative
 prefix of wood1 while the two latter   
are  rendered saptu saplitu1 8the lower 
lip10 in ,semitic ,assyrian4 ,now ,m4   
,lenormant has shown that ,izdubar was  
originally the ,accadian ,fire-god1  and
 ,mr4 ,boscawen has pointed out that the
 fire-stick was once used in            
,babylonia2 it is therefore evident that
 the three ideographs composing  the    
name represent the lower piece of wood1 
with a lip or groove in  it1 which      
formed the most important part of the   
primitive fire-machine4  ,i believe the 
,accadian pronunciation of the name will
 turn out to be  ,kibirra4      ,a4 ,h4 
,,sayce4     ,may #bast1 #ahhj4         

,,contents4        ,,preface            
page vi      ,,chapter ,i4--,,the       
,,discovery ,,of ,,the ,,genesis        
,,legends4     ,cosmogony of            
,berosus4--,discovery of ,cuneiform     
,inscriptions4--,historical             
,texts4--,babylonian origin of ,assyrian
 literature4--,mythological             
tablets4--,discovery of ,deluge         
texts4--,mutilated condition   of       
tablets4--,lecture on ,deluge           
tablets4--8,daily ,telegraph0           
offer4--,expedition to                  
,assyria4--,fragments of ,creation      
tablets4--,solar   ,myth4--,second      
journey to ,assyria4--,tower of         
,babel4--,clay records4--,list of       
texts4--,legend of ,oannes4--,list of   
early legends and their authors         
page #a      ,,chapter                  
,,ii4--,,babylonian ,,and ,,assyrian    
,,literature4     ,babylonian           
literature4--,kouyunjik                 
library4--,fragmentary                  
condition4--,arrangement of             

tablets4--,subjects4--,dates4--,babyloni
an   source of literature4--,literary   
period4--,babylonian                    
,chronology4--,accad4--,sumir4--,extinct
ion of the ,accadian                    
language4--,izdubar                     
legends4--,creation4--,syllabaries and  
bilingual   tablets4--,assyrian         
copies4--,difficulties as to            
date4--,library of                      
,senkereh4--,assyrian empire4--,city of 
,assur4--,library at ,calah4--,sargon of
   ,assyria4--,sennacherib4--,removal of
 library to ,nineveh4--,assur-bani-pal  
or   ,sardanapalus4--,his additions to  
library4--,description of               
contents4--,later   ,babylonian         
libraries                               
#ac      ,,chapter ,,iii4--,,chaldean   
,,legends ,,transmitted ,,through       
,,berosus ,,and ,,other ,,ancient       
,,authors4     ,berosus and his         
copyists4--,cory's                      
translation4--,alexander                
,polyhistor4--,babylonia4--,oannes1     

his                                     
teaching4--,creation4--,belus4--,chaldea
n   kings4--,xisuthrus4--,deluge4--,the 
,ark4--,return to                       
,babylon4--,apollodorus4--,pantibiblon4-
-,larancha4--,abydenus4--,alorus1       
first king4--,ten                       
kings4--,sisithrus4--,deluge4--,armenia4
--,tower of   ,babel4--,kronos and      
,titan4--,dispersion from               
,hestius4--,babylonian                  
colonies4--,tower of ,babel4--,the      
,sibyl4--,titan and                     
,prometheus4--,damascius4--,tauthe4--,mo
ymis4--,kissare and                     
,assorus4--,triad4--,bel                
#ca      ,,chapter ,,iv4--,,babylonian  
,,mythology4     ,greek                 
accounts4--,mythology local in          
origin4--,antiquity4--,conquests4--,colo
nies4--,three great gods4--,twelve      
great                                   
gods4--,angels4--,spirits4--,anu4--,anat
u4--,rimmon4--,istar4--,equivalent   to 
,venus4--,hea4--,oannes4--,merodach4--,b

el or ,zeus4--,zirat-banit1 ,succoth    
,benoth4--,bel4--,sin the moon          
god4--,ninip4--,samas4--,nergal4--,annui
t4--,table   of gods                    
#de      ,,chapter ,v4--,,babylonian    
,,legend ,,of ,,the ,,creation4         
,mutilated condition of tablets4--,list 
of subjects4--,description   of         
chaos4--,tiamat4--,generation of        
gods4--,damascius4--,comparison   with  
,genesis4--,three great gods4--,doubtful
 fragments4--,fifth                     
tablet4--,stars4--,moon4--,sun4--,abyss 
or chaos4--,creation of moon4--,creation
   of animals4--,monotheism4--,hymn to  
,merodach4--,the black-headed race   or 
,adamites4--,garden of ,eden4--,the     
flaming sword4--,the fall4--,the        
,sabbath4--,sacred tree4--,hymn to   the
 ,creator                               
#ef      ,,chapter ,,vi4--,,other       
,,babylonian ,,accounts ,,of ,,the      
,,creation4     ,cuneiform accounts     
originally                              
traditions4--,variations4--,account   of

 ,berosus4--,tablet from                
,cutha4--,translation4--,composite      
animals4--,eagle-headed men4--,seven    
brothers4--,destruction of men4--,seven 
wicked spirits4--,mythical explanations 
of lunar eclipses4--,hymn to the   ,god 
of ,fire4--,war in                      
heaven4--,tiamat4--,merodach the great  
dragon4   --,parallel ,biblical account 
#ia      ,,chapter ,,vii4--,,the ,,sin  
,,of ,,the ,,god ,,zu4     ,god         
,zu4--,obscurity of                     
legend4--,translation4--,sin of         
,zu4--,anger of the   gods4--,speeches  
of ,anu to ,rimmon4--,rimmon's          
answer4--,speech of ,anu   to           
,nebo4--,answer of ,nebo4--,lugal-turda4
 --,changes to a bird4--,the ,zu        
bird4--,bird of prey4--,lugal-turda lord
 of ,amarda4--,prometheus          #aae 
,,chapter ,,viii4--,,the ,,exploits ,,of
 ,,dibbara4     ,dibbara4--,god of      
,pestilence4--,itak4--,the              
,plague4--,seven warrior                
gods4--,destruction of                  

people4--,anu4--,goddess of             
,karrak4--,speech of   ,bel4--,sin and  
destruction of                          
,babylonians4--,samas4--,sin and        
destruction of   ,erech4--,istar4--,the 
great god and                           
,duran4--,cutha4--,internal wars4--,itak
 goes   to ,syria4--,power and glory of 
,dibbara4--,song of                     
,dibbara4--,blessings on   his          
worship4--,god ,ner4--,prayer to arrest 
the ,plague4--,antiquity of the         
legend4--,itak                          
#abe      ,,chapter ,,ix4--,,babylonian 
,,fables4     ,fables4--,common in the  
,east4--,description4--,power of speech 
in   animals4--,story of the            
eagle4--,serpent4--,samas4--,the eagle  
caught4--,eats   the serpent4--,anger of
 birds4--,etana4--,seven gods4--,third  
tablet4--,speech   of eagle4--,story of 
the fox4--,his cunning4--,judgment of   
,samas4--,his   show of sorrow4--,his   
punishment4--,speech of fox4--,fable of 
the   horse and ox4--,they consort      

together4--,speech of the ox4--,his good
   fortune4--,contrast with the         
horse4--,hunting the ox4--,speech of the
   horse4--,offers to recount           
story4--,story of ,istar4--,further     
tablets     #adj      ,,chapter         
,x4--,,fragments ,,of ,,miscellaneous   
,,texts4     ,atarpi4--,punishment of   
world4--,riddle of wise man4--,nature   
and   universal presence of             
air4--,sinuri4--,divining by fracture of
 reed4--,the   foundling4--,tower of    
,babel4--,obscurity of legend4--,not    
noticed by   ,berosus4--,fragmentary    
tablet4--,destruction of                
,tower4--,dispersion4--,site of   the   
,tower4--,meaning of                    
,babel4--,chedor-laomer4--,the          
destruction of ,sodom   and ,gomorrah   
#aee      ,,chapter ,,xi4--,,the        
,,izdubar ,,legends4                    
,izdubar4--,meaning of the name4--,a    
solar hero4--,prototype of              
,herakles4--,age of                     
,legends4--,babylonian                  

cylinders4--,notices   of               
,izdubar4--,surippak4--,ark             
,city4--,twelve tablets4--,extent of    
,legends4--,description4--,introduction4
--,meeting of ,hea-bani   and           
,izdubar4--,destruction of tyrant       
,khumbaba4--,adventures of              
,istar4--,illness and wanderings of     
,izdubar4--,description   of ,deluge and
 conclusion4--,first ,tablet4--,kingdom 
of                                      
,nimrod4--,traditions4--,identifications
4--,translation4--,elamite              
,conquest4--,dates                      
#age      ,,chapter ,,xii4--,,meeting   
,,of ,,hea-,,bani ,,and ,,izdubar4      
,dream of ,izdubar4--,hea-bani4--,his   
wisdom4--,his solitary life4--,izdubar's
   petition4--,zaidu4--,kharimtu and    
,samkhat4--,tempt ,hea-bani4--,might and
 fame   of ,izdubar4--,speech of        
,hea-bani4--,his journey to             
,erech4--,the midannu or                
tiger4--,festival at ,erech4--,dream of 
,izdubar4--,friendship with ,hea-bani   

#bja      ,,chapter                     
,,xiii4--,,destruction ,,of ,,the       
,,tyrant ,,khumbaba4     ,mythical      
geography4--,forest                     
region4--,khumbaba4--,conversation4--,pe
tition   to ,samas4--,journey to        
forest4--,dwelling of                   
,khumbaba4--,entrance to                
forest4--,meeting with                  
,khumbaba4--,death of                   
,khumbaba4--,izdubar king      #baf     
,,chapter ,,xiv4--,,the ,,adventures    
,,of ,,istar4     ,triumph of           
,izdubar4--,istar's love4--,her offer of
 marriage4--,her   promises4--,izdubar's
 answer4--,tammuz4--,amours of          
,istar4--,his   refusal4--,istar's      
anger4--,ascends to ,heaven4--,the      
bull4--,slain by   ,izdubar4--,istar's  
curse4--,izdubar's triumph4--,the       
feast4--,istar's   despair4--,her       
descent to ,hades4--,description4--,the 
seven gates4--,the                      
curses4--,atsu-sunamir the              
,sphinx4--,release of ,istar4--,the dog 

of the   dawn4--,lament for ,tammuz     
#bbf      ,,chapter ,,xv4--,,illness    
,,and ,,wanderings ,,of ,,izdubar4      
,hea-bani and the trees4--,illness of   
,izdubar4--,death of                    
,hea-bani4--,journey   of               
,izdubar4--,his dream4--,scorpion       
men4--,the ,desert of ,mas4--,siduri and
   ,sabitu4--,nes-,hea the              
pilot4--,water of death4--,mua4--,the   
conversation4--,xisuthrus               
#beb      ,,chapter ,,xvi4--,,the       
,,story ,,of ,,the ,,flood ,,and        
,,conclusion4     ,eleventh             
tablet4--,the gods4--,sin of the        
world4--,command to build   the         
ark4--,its contents4--,the              
building4--,the ,flood4--,destruction   
of people4--,fear of the gods4--,end of 
,deluge4--,nizir4--,resting of          
,ark4--,the birds4--,the descent from   
the ark4--,the sacrifice1 covenant   and
 rainbow4--,speeches of                 
gods4--,translation of                  
,adrakhasis4--,cure   of ,izdubar4--,his

 return4--,lament over                  
,hea-bani4--,resurrection of            
,hea-bani4--,burial of warrior4--,age   
and composition of the ,deluge          
tablet4--,comparison with               
,genesis4--,syrian nation4--,connection 
of   legends4--,points of               
contact4--,duration of deluge4--,mount  
of descent4--,ten   generations4--,early
 cities                                 
#bgh      ,,chapter                     
,,xvii4--,,conclusion4     ,notices of  
,genesis4--,correspondence of           
names4--,abram4--,ur   of               
,chaldees4--,ishmael4--,sargon of       
,agan4--,his birth4--,concealed   in    
ark4--,creation4--,garden of            
,eden4--,oannes4--,berosus4--,izdubar   
legends4--,babylonian seals4--,egyptian 
names4--,assyrian sculptures      #cae  
,,list ,,of ,,illustrations4            
,frontispiece1 ,photograph4 ,izdubar    
7,nimrod7 in conflict with a lion1      
from an early ,babylonian cylinder4     
#b4 ,reverse of inscribed terra cotta   

tablet1 containing the account of   the 
,deluge1 showing the various fragments  
of which it is composed1 #i4     #c4    
,oannes and other ,babylonian           
mythological figures1 from cylinder1    
#cc4     #d4 ,composite animals1 from   
cylinder1 #ce4     #e4 ,fight between   
,merodach 7,bel7 and the dragon1 to face
 p4 #fb4     #f4 ,sacred tree or grove1 
with attendant cherubim1 from ,assyrian 
cylinder1 #he4     #g4 ,sacred tree1    
seated figure on each side and serpent  
in background1   from an early          
,babylonian cylinder1 #hh4     #h4      
,merodach attacking the serpent1 on an  
,assyrian cylinder1 in the   possession 
of ,dr4 ,s4 ,wells ,williams1 ,newhaven1
 #ij4     #i4 ,sacred tree1 attendant   
figures and eagle-headed men1 from the  
seal   of a ,syrian chief1 ninth century
 ,b4,c41 #ig4     #aj4 ,merodach        
delivering the moon-god from the evil   
spirits2 from a   ,babylonian cylinder2 
#aja4     #aa4 ,bel encountering the    
dragon1 from ,babylonian cylinder1 #aji4

     #ab4 ,merodach or ,bel armed for   
the conflict with the dragon1 from      
,assyrian cylinder1 #aab4     #ac4      
,fight between ,bel and the dragon1 from
 ,babylonian cylinder1 #aad4     #ad4   
,eagle-headed men1 from ,nimroud        
sculpture1 to face p4 #ajb4     #ae1 #af
 and #ag4 ,men engaged in building1 from
 ,babylonian cylinders1 #afb4     #ah4  
,view of ,birs ,nimrud1 the supposed    
site of the ,tower of ,babel1 #afg4     
#ai4 ,view of the ,babil mound at       
,babylon1 the site of the temple of     
,bel1   #afh4     #bj4 ,tower in stages1
 from an ,assyrian bas-relief1 #afi4    
#ba4 ,izdubar strangling a lion1 from   
,khorsabad sculpture1 to face p4   #age4
     #bb4 ,migration of ,eastern tribe1 
from early ,babylonian cylinder1 #aig4  
#bc4 ,bowareyeh ,mound at ,warka        
7,erech71 site of the temple of ,istar1 
#bdh4     #bd4 ,izdubar and ,hea-bani in
 conflict with the lion and bull1 #bdi4 
#be4 ,izdubar among the trees of the    
,gods 7871 from a ,babylonian   cylinder

 found in ,cyprus by ,gen4 di ,cesnola1 
#bfc4     #bf4 ,izdubar1 composite      
figures1 and ,ur-,hea in the boat1 from 
an early   ,babylonian cylinder1 #bgj4  
#bg4 ,composite figures 7scorpion men71 
from an ,assyrian cylinder1 #bgf4       
#bh4 ,xisuthrus1 or ,noah1 and ,izdubar1
 from an early ,babylonian   cylinder1  
#cjj4     #bi4 ,mugheir1 the site of ,ur
 of the ,chaldees1 #cag4     #cj4       
,oannes1 from ,nimroud sculpture1 to    
face p4 #cbe4          ,,chapter ,i4    
,,the ,,discovery ,,of ,,the ,,genesis  
,,legends4    ,cosmogony of             
,berosus4--,discovery of ,cuneiform     
,inscriptions4--,historical             
texts4--,babylonian origin of ,assyrian 
literature4--,mythological              
tablets4--,discovery of ,deluge         
texts4--,mutilated condition of         
tablets4--,lecture on ,deluge           
tablets4--8,daily ,telegraph0           
offer4--,expedition  to                 
,assyria4--,fragments of ,creation      
tablets4--,solar ,myth4--,second journey

  to ,assyria4--,tower of ,babel4--,clay
 records4--,list of texts4--,legend of  
,oannes4--,list of early legends and    
their authors4      ,it has long been   
known from the fragments of the         
,chaldean historian1  ,berosus1         
preserved in the works of various later 
writers1 that the  ,babylonians were    
acquainted with traditions referring to 
the ,creation1  the period before the   
,flood1 the ,deluge1 and other matters  
of which we  read in the book of        
,genesis4    ,berosus1 however1 who     
recorded these events1 is stated by     
,eusebius  and ,tatian to have been a   
contemporary of ,alexander the ,great1  
and  to have lived into the reign of    
,antiochus ,soter4 ,his date lies1      
therefore1 between ,b4,c4 #ccj and #bfj4
 ,as this was three hundred years  after
 the captivity of the ,jews in ,babylon1
 the great antiquity of  these          
traditions could not be proved with     
certainty1 much less their  independence
 of the accounts which we have in       

,genesis4    ,on the discovery and      
decipherment of the cuneiform           
inscriptions1  ,oriental scholars hoped 
that copies of the ,babylonian histories
  and traditions would one day be found1
 and that earlier and more  satisfactory
 evidence as to these primitive         
histories than had  previously been     
accessible1 would thus be gained4    ,in
 the mound of ,kouyunjik1 opposite the  
town of ,mosul1 ,mr4 ,layard  discovered
 part of the ,royal ,assyrian library1  
and further collections1  also forming  
part of this library1 have been         
subsequently found by ,mr4  ,h4 ,rassam1
 ,mr4 ,loftus1 and ,mr4 ,george ,smith4 
,sir ,henry ,rawlinson1 who  made the   
preliminary examination of ,mr4         
,layard's treasures1 and was  the first 
to recognize their value1 estimated the 
number of fragments  brought from this  
,library at over twenty thousand4       
,the attention of decipherers was in the
 first instance drawn to the  later     
historical inscriptions1 particularly to

 those of the ,assyrian  kings          
contemporary with the ,hebrew monarchy2 
and in this department  of research a   
very large number of texts of great     
importance rewarded  the toil of        
,assyrian scholars4 ,inscriptions of    
,tiglath ,pileser1  ,shalmaneser1       
,sargon1 ,sennacherib1 ,esarhaddon1     
,nebuchadnezzar1  ,nabonidus1 and       
numerous other ancient sovereigns1      
bearing directly  on the ,bible1 and    
throwing new light upon parts of ancient
 history  previously obscure1 for a long
 time occupied almost exclusively the   
attention of students1 and overshadowed 
any work in other divisions of          
,assyrian literature4    ,although it   
was known that ,assyria borrowed its    
civilization and  written characters    
from ,babylonia1 yet1 as the ,assyrian  
nation was  throughout the greater part 
of its independent existence hostile to 
the  southern and older kingdom1 it     
could not be guessed beforehand that the
  peculiar national traditions of       

,babylonia would have been transported  
to ,assyria4    ,under these            
circumstances1 for some years after the 
cuneiform  inscriptions were first      
deciphered1 nothing was looked for or   
discovered bearing upon the events      
described in ,genesis2 but1 as  new     
texts were brought into notice1 it      
became evident that the  ,assyrians     
borrowed their literature largely from  
,babylonian sources1  and it appeared   
likely that search among the fragments  
of ,assyrian  inscriptions would yield  
traces at least of some of these ancient
  ,babylonian legends4    ,attention was
 early drawn to this fact by ,sir ,henry
 ,rawlinson1 who  pointed out several   
coincidences between the geography of   
,babylonia and  the account of ,eden in 
,genesis1 and suggested the great       
probability  that the accounts in       
,genesis had a ,babylonian origin4      
,while preparing the fourth volume of   
,cuneiform ,inscriptions for the        
trustees of the ,british ,museum1 ,mr4  

,george ,smith noticed references to    
the ,creation in a tablet numbered ,k   
#fc in the ,museum collection1 as  well 
as allusions in other tablets to similar
 legends2 he therefore  searched through
 a series of tablets he had previously  
classed as  8,mythological10 in order to
 find1 if possible1 some of these       
legends4  ,this series of mythological  
tablets was one of six into which he had
  divided the ,museum collection of     
cuneiform inscriptions for convenience  
of working4 ,by placing all the tablets 
and fragments of the same class         
together1 he had been able to complete  
several texts1 to find easily  any      
subject required1 and to get1 whenever  
it was needed1 a general  idea of the   
contents of the collection4    ,the     
mythological division contained all the 
tablets which related  to ,assyrian     
mythology1 and all the legends in which 
the gods took a  leading part1 together 
with prayers and similar subjects4    ,a
 steady search among these fragments    

soon brought to light half of a  curious
 tablet which had evidently contained   
originally six columns of  text2 two of 
these 7the third and fourth7 were still 
nearly perfect2  two others 7the second 
and fifth7 were imperfect1 about half   
being  lost1 while the remaining columns
 7the first and sixth7 were entirely    
gone4 ,a statement in the third column  
that 8the ship0 had rested on  the      
mountain of ,nizir1 followed by an      
account of the sending forth  of a dove1
 and its finding no resting-place and   
returning1 convinced  ,mr4 ,smith that  
he had discovered a portion at least of 
the ,chaldean  account of the ,deluge4  
,he then proceeded to read through the  
document1  and found it was in the form 
of a speech from the hero of the ,deluge
  to a person whose name might be       
transcribed as ,izdubar4 ,the same name 
had already been read on the fragment of
 another tablet numbered ,k  #bca1 which
 turned out to belong to the same series
 of tablets as the  newly-found account 

of the ,deluge4 ,mr4 ,smith was thus    
encouraged to  make a search for other  
portions of the series4    ,the search  
was a long and heavy work1 for there    
were thousands of  fragments to be      
examined1 and these were so small1 and  
contained so  little of the text1 that  
it was extremely difficult to ascertain 
their  meaning4 ,the search1 however1   
proved successful4 ,a fragment of       
another  copy of the ,deluge was found  
containing a second account of the      
sending  forth of the birds4 ,several   
other portions of the same tablet were  
gradually collected and fitted one after
 another into their places  until the   
greater part of the second column was   
filled up4 ,portions  of a third copy   
were next discovered1 which1 when joined
 together1  completed a considerable    
part of the first and sixth columns4    
,mr4  ,smith now translated the text he 
had so laboriously pieced together1  and
 published his discovery to the world at
 a meeting of the ,society  of ,biblical

 ,archology1 ,december #crd1 #ahgb4 ,by 
this time he had made  out that the     
series of ,izdubar legends1 as we may   
term them1 contained  twelve tablets or 
books4 ,of this series the tablet       
describing the  ,deluge was the eleventh
 and ,k #bca the sixth4    ,the interest
 excited by ,mr4 ,smith's discovery was 
naturally very  great4 ,immediately     
after the meeting of the ,society of    
,biblical  ,archology1 ,mr4 ,e4 ,arnold1
 in the name of the proprietors of the  
8,daily ,telegraph10 asked the fortunate
 discoverer to reopen1 at their  cost1  
the excavations in ,assyria in the hope 
of finding the missing  portions of the 
story of the ,deluge4 ,the trustees of  
the ,british  ,museum granted ,mr4      
,smith leave of absence for the purpose1
 and he  accordingly started for the    
ruins of ,nineveh1 and there engaged in 
researches1 the history of which is     
related in his work entitled  8,assyrian
 ,discoveries40 ,hardly had he begun his
 excavations on the site  of the palace 

of ,assur-bani-pal at ,kouyunjik1 when  
he came across a new  fragment of the   
,chaldean account of the ,deluge        
belonging to the first  column of the   
tablet1 containing the command to build 
and fill the  ark1 and nearly filling up
 the most considerable blank in the     
story4  ,some other fragments1 found    
afterwards1 still further completed this
  tablet1 which was already the most    
perfect one in the ,izdubar series4     
,the trench in which the fragment in    
question was discovered must  have      
passed very near the part of the        
,library in which the ,assyrians  kept a
 series of inscriptions relating to the 
early history of the  world4 ,the same  
trench soon afterwards yielded a        
fragment of the sixth  tablet1          
describing the destruction of the bull  
of ,istar by ,izdubar and  ,hea-bani1 an
 incident often depicted on early       
,babylonian gems4 ,the next  discovery  
was a fragment which referred to the    
creation of the world2  it formed the   

upper corner of a tablet1 and gave a    
fragmentary account  of the creation of 
animals4 ,two other portions of this    
legend were  found further on in the    
trench1 one of which contained a        
mutilated  account of the war between   
the gods and evil spirits4    ,in the   
following year ,mr4 ,smith was again in 
,assyria1 in charge of  an expedition   
sent out by the trustees of the ,british
 ,museum1 and  succeeded in bringing    
home fresh fragments relating to the    
early  traditions and legends of        
,babylonia4 ,among these is the fragment
 which  seems to describe the building  
of the ,tower of ,babel4 ,then followed 
the disastrous expedition of #ahge-f1 in
 the course of which ,mr4 ,smith  fell a
 victim to over-fatigue and his zeal for
 ,assyrian research4 ,the  subsequent   
explorations of ,mr4 ,hormuzd ,rassam1  
though rich in other  results1 have     
added very little to our knowledge of   
the old ,babylonian  legends2 and it    
seems probable that the missing portions

 of the tablets  which contained them   
have irretrievably perished4 ,we must   
wait for  further light upon the subject
 until the cities and libraries of      
,babylonia have been excavated4 ,after  
all1 the early ,babylonian legends1  of 
which copies were made for the ,assyrian
 ,library at ,kouyunjik1 were  but a    
selected few2 the ,assyrians took little
 interest in that part of  ,babylonian  
literature which had no connection with 
their own history or  beliefs1 and we   
have reason to congratulate ourselves   
that among the  traditions they borrowed
 from their older and more civilized    
neighbours  were so many which bear upon
 the earlier chapters of ,genesis4      
,the fragmentary condition of the       
legends we possess1 however1 is much  to
 be lamented4 ,the chief difficulties   
with which the ,assyrian scholar  has to
 contend1 when dealing with them1 are   
due to the mutilated state  of the      
tablets4 ,if the inscriptions were      
perfect1 their translation  would be a  

comparatively easy matter4 ,as it is1 so
 skilled a decipherer  as ,mr4 ,smith   
himself was deceived by the defective   
character of the  text into imagining   
that a hymn addressed to the ,creator   
was the  ,babylonian version of the     
,fall of ,man4    ,the fragmentary and  
scattered character of these legends is 
explained  by the nature of the material
 of which the tablets are composed1 and 
the changes undergone by them since they
 were written4 ,they consist of  fine   
clay and were inscribed with cuneiform  
characters while in a soft  state2 they 
were then baked in a furnace until hard1
 and afterwards  transferred to the     
library4 ,the library seems to have been
 in an upper  storey of the palace1 and 
after the destruction of ,nineveh1 the  
fall  of the building in which it was   
placed naturally caused the tablets     
contained in it to be broken to pieces4 
,many of them were cracked and  scorched
 by the heat of the burning ruins4      
,subsequently the ruins  were turned    

over in search of treasure1 and the     
tablets still further  broken2 while1 to
 complete their destruction1 the rain1  
soaking  through the ground every       
spring1 saturates them with water       
containing  chemicals1 and these        
chemicals form crystals in every        
available crack4  ,the growth of the    
crystals further splits the tablets1    
some of them  being literally shivered  
to pieces4    ,illustration3            
,,reverse ,,of ,,inscribed ,,terra      
,,cotta ,,tablet ,,containing ,,the     
,,account ,,of ,,the   ,,deluge1        
,,showing ,,the ,,various ,,fragments   
,,of ,,which ,,it ,,was ,,composed ,,at 
,,the   ,,time ,,of ,,mr4 ,,smith',s    
,,translation4    ,some idea of the     
mutilated condition of the ,assyrian    
tablets1 and of  the work required by   
the restoration of a single text1 will  
be gained  from the engraving above1    
which exhibits the appearance of one of 
the  ,deluge tablets at the time ,mr4   
,smith published his translation of it4 

,in this tablet there are no less than  
sixteen fragments4    ,the clay records 
of the ,assyrians are by these means so 
broken up1  that a single text is in    
some cases divided into over one hundred
  fragments2 and it is only by          
collecting and joining these together   
that  the old texts can be restored4    
,many of the fragmentary tablets which  
have been more than twenty years in the 
,british ,museum have been added  to    
considerably by the fragments recently  
brought to ,england by ,mr4  ,smith and 
,mr4 ,rassam2 and yet there probably    
remain from ten to twenty  thousand     
fragments still buried in the ruins1    
without the recovery of  which it is    
impossible to complete these valuable   
,assyrian inscriptions4    ,it is1      
nevertheless1 out of these imperfect    
materials that we have  at present to   
piece together our knowledge of the     
early legends of  ,babylonia and        
,assyria4 ,most1 if not all1 of them1   
are1 it must be  remembered1 of         

,chaldean or ,babylonian origin1 the    
,assyrians having  either slavishly     
copied ,babylonian originals or simply  
put into a new  form the story they had 
borrowed from their southern neighbours4
 ,such  as they are1 however1 they are  
presented to the reader as faithfully   
translated as our existing knowledge of 
the ,assyrian language allows2  it is   
for him to draw his inferences and make 
his comparisons4 ,the  greater number of
 them1 as we shall see1 mount back to a 
date earlier  than the second millennium
 before the ,christian era1 and even    
where the  actual text belongs to a     
later period1 the legend which it       
embodies  claims a similar antiquity4   
,we may classify them in the following  
order3--    #a4 ,an account of the      
,creation of the world in six days1     
parallel to  that in the first chapter  
of ,genesis1 and probably in its present
 form  not older than the #gth century  
,b4,c4    #b4 ,a second account of the  
,creation1 derived from the ,library of 

,cuthah1 and belonging to the oldest    
period of ,babylonian literature4    #c4
 ,a history of the conflict between     
,merodach1 the champion of the  gods1   
and ,tiamat1 8the ,deep10 the           
representative of chaos and evil4  ,to  
this we may add the bilingual legend of 
the seven evil spirits and  their fight 
against the moon4    #d4 ,the story of  
the descent of the goddess ,istar or    
,venus into ,hades1  and her return4    
#e4 ,the legend of the sin of the god   
,zu1 punished by ,bel1 the father of    
the gods4    #f4 ,a collection of five  
tablets giving the exploits of ,dibbara 
the god  of the pestilence4    #g4 ,the 
story of the wise man who put forth a   
riddle to the gods4    #h4 ,the legend  
of the good man ,atarpi1 and the        
wickedness of the world4    #i4 ,the    
legend of the tower of ,babel1 and      
dispersion4    #aj4 ,the story of the   
,eagle and ,etana4    #aa4 ,the story of
 the ox and the horse4    #ab4 ,the     
story of the fox4    #ac4 ,the legend of

 ,sinuri4    #ad4 ,the ,izdubar legends3
 twelve tablets1 with the history of    
,izdubar1  and an account of the flood4 
#ae4 ,the story of the destruction of   
,sodom and ,gomorrah4 ,besides these    
there are fragments of other legends1   
which show that there was a             
considerable collection of such         
primitive stories still quite unknown   
to us4 ,in fact we have little chance of
 becoming acquainted with them  until   
the libraries of ,babylonia are         
excavated4 ,thus for example we  learn  
from ,berosus that the ,babylonians     
ascribed their civilization to  certain 
wonderful creatures who ascended out of 
the ,persian ,gulf1 and  more especially
 to a being called ,oannes4 ,but of all 
this the library  of ,nineveh tells us  
nothing1 although an ,accadian          
,reading-book compiled  for ,assyrian   
students contains an excerpt which seems
 to be taken from  the legend of        
,oannes4 ,it is as follows3--      #a4  
,to the waters their god    #b4 had     

returned4    #c4 ,to the glistening     
house    #d4 he descended 7as7 an       
icicle4    #e4 7,on7 a seat of snow     
#f4 he grew not old in wisdom4    #g4   
,the wise people    #h4 with his wisdom 
he filled4    ,two fragments1 belonging 
to two editions of the same text1 have  
just  been found1 containing a list of  
the numerous legends and epics current  
among the ancient ,babylonians1 along   
with the names of their authors4  ,among
 them are found several of which        
translations are given further  on in   
this volume2 but there are also several 
of which we hear for the  first time4   
,the great ,izdubar ,epic1 it may be    
noted1 is ascribed to  a certain        
,sin-lici-unnini 78,o ,moon-god1 receive
 my cry6074 ,a fuller  account of the   
fragments and their contents will be    
found in the  ,introduction4            
,,chapter ,,ii4    ,,babylonian ,,and   
,,assyrian ,,literature4     ,babylonian
 literature4--,kouyunjik                
library4--,fragmentary                  

condition4--,arrangement of             
tablets4--,subjects4--,dates4--,babyloni
an   source of literature4--,literary   
period4--,babylonian                    
,chronology4--,accad4--,sumir4--,extinct
ion of the ,accadian                    
language4--,izdubar                     
legends4--,creation4--,syllabaries and  
bilingual   tablets4--,assyrian         
copies4--,difficulties as to            
date4--,library of                      
,senkereh4--,assyrian empire4--,city of 
,assur4--,library at ,calah4--,sargon of
   ,assyria4--,sennacherib4--,removal of
 ,library to ,nineveh4--,assur-bani-pal 
or   ,sardanapalus4--,his additions to  
library4--,description of               
contents4--,later   ,babylonian         
libraries4      ,in order to understand 
the position to which we must assign the
  legends of early ,chaldea1 it is      
necessary to give some account of  the  
literature of the ,ancient ,babylonians 
and their copyists1 the  ,assyrians4 ,as
 has been already stated1 the fragments 

of burnt brick  on which these legends  
are inscribed were found in the dbris   
which  covers the palaces called the    
,south ,west ,palace and the ,north     
,palace  at ,kouyunjik2 the former      
building being of the age of            
,sennacherib1 the  latter belonging to  
the time of ,assur-bani-pal4 ,the       
tablets1 which are  of all sizes1 from  
one inch long to over a foot square1 are
 generally  in fragments1 and in        
consequence of the changes which have   
taken place  in the ruins the fragments 
of the same tablet are sometimes        
scattered  widely apart4 ,they were     
originally deposited1 it would seem1 in 
one  of the upper chambers of the       
palace1 from which they fell on the     
destruction of the building4 ,in some of
 the lower chambers the whole  floor has
 been found covered with them1 in other 
cases they lay in  groups or patches on 
the pavement1 and there are occasional  
clusters  of fragments at various       
heights in the earth which covers the   

ruins4  ,other fragments are scattered  
singly through all the upper earth which
  covers the floors and walls of the    
palace4 ,different fragments of the     
same tablet or cylinder are found in    
separate chambers which have  no        
immediate connection with each other1   
showing that their present  distribution
 has nothing to do with the original    
position of the  tablets of which they  
formed part4    ,the inscriptions show  
that the tablets were arranged according
 to their  subjects4 ,stories or        
subjects were continued on other tablets
 of the  same size and form as those on 
which they were commenced1 in some cases
  the number of tablets in a series and 
on a single subject amounting to  over  
one hundred4    ,each subject or series 
of tablets had a title1 the title       
consisting  of the first phrase or part 
of a phrase in it4 ,thus1 the series of 
,astrological tablets1 numbering over   
seventy tablets1 bore the title  8,when 
the gods ,anu 7and7 ,bel10 this being   

the commencement of the first  tablet4  
,at the end of every tablet in each     
series was written its  number in the   
work1 thus3 8the first tablet of ,when  
the gods ,anu1 ,bel10  8the second      
tablet of ,when the gods ,anu1 ,bel10 c4
 c42 and1 further  to preserve the      
proper position of each tablet1 every   
one except the  last in a series had at 
the end a catch phrase1 consisting of   
the first  line of the following tablet4
 ,there were besides1 catalogues of     
these  documents written like them on   
clay tablets1 and other small oval      
tablets with titles upon them1          
apparently labels for the various series
  of works4 ,all these arrangements show
 the care taken with respect to         
literary matters4 ,there were regular   
libraries or chambers1 probably  on the 
upper floors of the palaces1 appointed  
for the reception of the  tablets1 and  
custodians or librarians to take charge 
of them4 ,these  regulations were all of
 great antiquity1 and like the tablets  

had a  ,babylonian origin4    ,judging  
from the fragments discovered1 it       
appears probable that there  were in the
 ,royal ,library at ,nineveh over       
#aj1jjj inscribed tablets1  treating of 
almost every branch of knowledge        
existing at the time4    ,in considering
 a subject like the present one it is a 
point of the  utmost importance to      
define as closely as possible the date  
of our  present copies of the legends1  
and the most probable period at which   
the original copies may have been       
inscribed4 ,by far the greatest  number 
of the tablets brought from ,nineveh    
belong to the age of  ,assur-bani-pal1  
who reigned over ,assyria from ,b4,c4   
#fgj1 and every copy  of what we will   
term the ,genesis legends yet found was 
inscribed with  one exception during his
 reign4 ,the statements made on the     
tablets  themselves are conclusive on   
this point1 and have not been called in 
question1 but it is equally stated and  
acknowledged on all hands that  most of 

these tablets are not the originals1 but
 are only copies from  earlier texts4   
,it is unfortunate that the date of the 
original copies  is never preserved1 and
 thus a wide door is thrown open for    
difference  of opinion on the point4    
,the ,assyrians acknowledged that this  
class  of literature was borrowed from  
,babylonian sources1 and of course it   
is to ,babylonia that we have to look to
 ascertain the approximate  dates of the
 original documents4 ,but here we are   
met by the following  difficulty4 ,it   
appears that at an early period in      
,babylonian history a  great literary   
development took place1 and numerous    
works were produced  which embodied the 
prevailing myths1 religion1 and science 
of the day4  ,written many of them in a 
noble style of poetry1 and appealing to 
the strongest feelings of the people on 
one side1 or registering the  highest   
efforts of their science on the other1  
these texts became the  standards of    
,babylonian literature1 and later       

generations were content  to copy them  
instead of composing new works for      
themselves4 ,clay1 the  material on     
which they were written1 was everywhere 
abundant1 copies  were multiplied1 and  
the veneration in which the texts were  
held fixed  and stereotyped their style4
 ,even the language in which they were  
written remained the language of        
literature up to the period of the      
,persian conquest4 ,thus it happens that
 texts of ,rim-agu1 ,sargon1 and        
,khammuragas1 who lived at least a      
thousand years before ,nebuchadnezzar   
and ,nabonidus1 are composed in the same
 language as the texts of these  later  
kings1 there being no sensible          
difference in style to match the  long  
interval between them4    ,we have1     
however1 clear proof that1 although the 
language of devotion  and literature    
remained fixed1 the speech of the bulk  
of the people  was gradually modified2  
and in the time of ,assur-bani-pal1 when
 the  texts of the ,genesis legends     

which we possess were copied by         
,assyrian  scribes1 the common speech of
 the day was widely different from that 
of  literature4 ,the private letters and
 despatches of this age which have  been
 discovered differ considerably in      
language from the contemporary  public  
documents and religious writings1       
showing the change the  language had    
undergone since the style of the latter 
had been fixed4  ,so1 too1 in our own   
country the language of devotion and the
 style  of the ,bible differ in several 
respects from those of the ,english of  
to-day4    ,these considerations show   
the difficulty of fixing the age of a   
cuneiform document from its style1 and  
the difficulty is further  increased by 
the uncertainty which hangs over all    
,babylonian  chronology--an uncertainty 
that can be cleared away only when the  
ruined cities of ,babylonia are         
excavated4    ,chronology is always a   
thorny subject1 and dry and             
unsatisfactory to  most persons besides2

 some notice must1 however1 be taken of 
it here1  in order to fix something like
 an approximate date or epoch for the   
original composition of the ,genesis    
legends4    ,the so-called ,assyrian    
,canon affords us an exact chronology up
 to the  year ,b4,c4 #iji1 and a series 
of contemporaneous monuments1 together  
with  one or two chronological allusions
 in later inscriptions1 enables us  to  
work back from this date to a period    
falling between ,b4,c4 #adej and  #adjj 
when ,assyria was brought into close    
relation with the southern  kingdom of  
,babylonia4 ,babylonia was at the time  
under the sway of a  foreign dynasty of 
,kossan princes from the mountains of   
,elam1 which  was overthrown1 as we     
learn from the ,assyrian records1 about 
,b4,c4  #abgj4 ,it had been in          
possession of the country for a         
considerable  time1 since a fragmentary 
list which gives the names of the first 
nine  sovereigns composing it does not  
come down to the time when the first  of

 the princes who came into close contact
 with ,assyria was reigning4  ,indeed1 a
 considerable interval must be allowed  
between the latter  period and the last 
of the nine kings mentioned in the list1
 in which  to insert the isolated names 
of more than one monarch of the dynasty 
incidentally mentioned on later         
monuments4 ,supposing that not more than
  fifteen kings preceded ,cara-indas in 
,b4,c4 #adej1 and that the average      
length of their reigns was twenty years1
 we should have ,b4,c4 #agej as  the    
approximate date of the leader of the   
dynasty4 ,he could not have  been later 
than this1 and there are many reasons   
which would lead us to  suppose that he 
was earlier4    ,khammuragas was the    
leader of the dynasty in question4 ,he  
had conquered  the rulers of the two    
kingdoms into which ,babylonia was at   
this time  divided4 ,one of these was a 
queen1 with whom ended a dynasty1 famous
 in  the annals of early ,babylonia1    
whose seat was at ,agan or ,agad1 near  

,sepharvaim4 ,she had been the successor
 of ,naram-,sin1 the son of ,sargon1    
who1 like his father1 had extended his  
power far and wide1 and had even        
penetrated as far as the shores of the  
,mediterranean4 ,sargon had been  a     
great patron of learning as well as a   
conqueror2 he had established  a famous 
library at ,agan1 and had caused a work 
on astronomy and  astrology to be       
compiled1 which remained the standard   
authority on  the subject up to the end 
of the ,assyrian ,empire4 ,it was       
entitled1  8,the ,illumination of ,bel10
 and was in seventy-two books4 ,berosus1
 the  historian1 seems to have          
translated it into ,greek4    ,like the 
,babylonians and ,assyrians of a later  
day1 ,sargon and his  subjects belonged 
to the ,semitic stock1 and were         
therefore related  to the ,hebrews and  
the ,arabians4 ,but they were really    
intruders in  ,chaldea4 ,the primitive  
inhabitants of the country1 the builders
 of  its cities1 the inventors of the   

cuneiform system of writing1 and  the   
founders of the culture and civilization
 which was afterwards  borrowed by the  
,semites1 were of a wholly different    
race4 ,they spoke  an agglutinative     
language of the same character as that  
of the modern  ,turks or ,finns1 and    
were originally divided into two        
sections--the  inhabitants of ,sumir or 
,shinar1 the plain country1 and the     
,accadians  or 8,highlanders10 who had  
descended from the mountains of ,elam   
subsequently to the first settlement of 
their kinsfolk in ,shinar4 ,at  some    
date between ,b4,c4 #cjjj and #bjjj1 the
 ,semitic population which  bordered    
upon ,babylonia on the west1 and had    
long been settled in some  of its       
western cities1 such as ,ur 7now        
,mugheir71 conquered ,shinar or  ,sumir4
 ,the ,accadians1 however1 maintained   
their independence for a  considerable  
time after this conquest1 until1        
finally1 ,accad also was  reduced under 
the sway of the ,semitic kings4 ,the old

 population of  the country was         
gradually absorbed1 and its language    
became extinct4  ,the extinction of the 
,accadian or ,sumerian language had     
already taken  place--at all events     
among the educated classes--at the time 
that ,sargon  founded his library at    
,agan1 and one of the chief reasons     
which led  to the compilation of the    
great work on astronomy1 was the        
necessity  of preserving the            
astronomical and astrological           
observations recorded  in a language    
which was beginning to be forgotten4 ,at
 the same time  ,semitic translations of
 other portions of the old ,accadian    
literature  were made4 ,the library at  
,agan1 however1 was not the only place  
where  the work of translation went on2 
many other libraries existed1 and  their
 scribes and readers had alike become   
,semites1 who required works  written in
 their own tongue4 ,the ,semitic        
translations of ,accadian works  which  
were made for the library of ,erech1 one

 of the earliest seats of  ,semitic     
power1 must have been considerably older
 than those made for  the library of    
,sargon4    ,the extinction of the      
,accadian language and the translation  
of ,accadian  works into ,semitic       
,babylonian are important facts for     
settling the  chronology of a document  
or inscription4 ,wherever we can show   
that a  ,babylonian or ,assyrian text is
 translated from an ,accadian original1 
or wherever we have a copy of that      
original itself1 we may feel pretty     
sure that we are dealing with something 
older than the eighteenth  century      
before the ,christian era4    ,mr4      
,smith believed that the 8,exploits of  
the ,god ,dibbara0 was one  of the      
oldest of the mythological texts which  
have come down to us1  though he        
admitted that the mention of ,assyria in
 it was in favour of a  somewhat later  
date4    ,it notices a large number of  
peoples or states1 the principal being  
the  people of the coast1 ,subartu or   

,syria1 ,assyria1 ,elam1 the ,kassi1 the
  ,sutu1 ,goim1 ,lullubu1 and ,accad4   
,the ,izdubar legends1 containing the   
story of the ,flood1 and possibly  also 
the history of ,nimrod1 were probably   
written in the south of  the country1   
and at least as early as ,b4,c4 #bjjj4  
,these legends were1  however1          
traditions before they were committed to
 writing1 and were  common in some form 
to the whole of ,chaldea4    ,the       
account of the ,creation in days1 though
 probably of late ,assyrian  origin in  
its present form1 may nevertheless rest 
on older traditions4  ,at present1      
however1 it is not possible to assign to
 it any great  antiquity4    ,it should1
 of course1 be remembered1 that the     
texts we possess at  present are written
 in ,semitic ,babylonian or             
,assyrian--,babylonian and  ,assyrian   
being but slightly varying dialects of  
the same language4 ,they  are1 however1 
mostly translations of earlier ,accadian
 documents1 and  belong to the same     

period as that which witnessed the      
foundation of the  library of ,agan4 ,we
 shall not be far wrong1 therefore1 in  
dating them  in their present form about
 ,b4,c4 #bjjj4 ,the translations then   
made were  copied by successive         
generations of librarians and scribes1  
the latest  copies of which we know     
being those that have been brought from 
the  library of ,kouyunjik4    ,to the  
same early period belonged various other
 literary compositions1  among which we 
may particularize a long work on        
terrestrial omens1  compiled for ,sargon
 of ,agan1 as well as the syllabaries1  
grammars1  phrase-books and             
vocabularies1 and other bilingual       
tablets by means  of which a knowledge  
of the old language of ,accad was       
conveyed to the  ,babylonian or         
,assyrian scholar4    ,on the other     
hand1 a series of tablets on evil       
spirits1 which contained  a totally     
different tradition of the ,creation    
from that in days1 goes  back to the    

,accadian epoch2 and there is a third   
account from the ,city  of ,cutha1      
closely agreeing in some respects with  
the account handed  down by ,berosus1   
which must be placed about the same     
date4    ,in spite of the indications as
 to peculiarities of worship1 names of  
states and capitals1 historical         
allusions and other evidence1 it may    
seem hazardous to many persons to fix   
the dates of original documents  so     
high1 when our only copies in many cases
 are ,assyrian transcripts  made in the 
reign of ,assur-bani-pal1 in the seventh
 century ,b4,c42 but  one or two        
considerations may show that this is a  
perfectly reasonable  view1 and no other
 likely period can be found for the     
original  composition of the documents  
unless we ascend to a greater antiquity4
  ,in the first place1 it must be       
noticed that the ,assyrians themselves  
state that the documents were copied    
from ancient ,babylonian copies1  and in
 some cases state that the old copies   

were partly illegible even  in their    
day4 ,again1 in more than one case there
 is actual proof of the  antiquity of a 
text4 ,we may refer1 for example1 to a  
text an ,assyrian  copy of part of which
 is published in 8,cuneiform            
,inscriptions10 vol4  ii4 plate #ed1    
,nos4 #c  #d4 ,in a collection of       
tablets discovered by ,mr4  ,loftus at  
,senkereh1 belonging1 according to the  
kings mentioned in it1  to about ,b4,c4 
#afjj1 is part of an ancient ,babylonian
 copy of this very  text1 the           
,babylonian copy being about one        
thousand years older than the  ,assyrian
 one4    ,similarly a fragment of a     
,babylonian transcript of the ,deluge   
tablet  has recently been brought from  
,babylonia1 and serves not only to fill 
up some of the breaks in our ,assyrian  
copies1 but also to verify the  text of 
the latter4    ,it is unfortunate that  
so many of the documents embodying the  
,genesis  traditions are in such a sadly
 mutilated condition1 but there can be  

no doubt that future explorations will  
reveal more perfect copies1 and         
numerous companion and explanatory      
texts1 which will one day clear up  the 
difficulties which now meet us at every 
step of our examination of  them4    ,so
 far as known contemporary inscriptions 
are concerned1 we cannot  consider our  
present researches and discoveries as   
anything like  sufficient to give a fair
 view of the literature of ,assyria and 
,babylonia2 and however numerous and    
important the ,genesis legends  may be1 
they form but a small portion of the    
whole literature of the  country4    ,it
 is generally considered that the       
earliest inscriptions of any  importance
 which we now possess belong to the time
 of ,lig-,bagas1 king  of ,ur1 who first
 united under his sway the petty        
kingdoms into which  ,chaldea was       
previously split up1 and whose age is   
generally assigned to  about three      
thousand years before the ,christian    
era4    ,the principal inscriptions of  

this period consist of texts on bricks  
and on signet cylinders1 and some of the
 latter may be of much greater          
antiquity4 ,passing down to a time when 
the country was again divided  into the 
kingdoms of ,karrak1 ,larsa1 and ,agan1 
we find a great  accession of literary  
material1 almost every class of writing 
being  represented by contemporary      
specimens4 ,each of the principal cities
 had  its library1 and education seems  
to have been widely diffused4 ,from     
,senkereh1 the ancient ,larsa1 and its  
neighbourhood have come our oldest      
specimens of these literary tablets1 the
 following being some of the  contents  
of this earliest known library3--    #a4
 ,mythological tablets1 including lists 
of the gods1 and their  manifestations  
and titles4    #b4 ,grammatical works1  
lists of words1 and explanations4    #c4
 ,mathematical works1 calculations1     
tables of cube and square roots1  and   
tables of measures4    #d4 ,works on    
astronomy1 astrology1 and omens4    #e4 

,legends and short historical           
inscriptions4    #f4 ,historical        
cylinders1 one of ,kudur-mabuk1 ,b4,c4  
#ahjj 787 7the  earliest known          
cylinder71 being in the ,british        
,museum4    #g4 ,geographical tablets1  
and lists of towns and countries4    #h4
 ,tablets containing laws and law cases1
 records of sale and barter1  wills and 
loans4    ,such are the inscriptions a  
single library of ,babylonia has        
produced1  and beside these there are   
numerous texts1 only known to us through
  later copies1 but which certainly had 
their origin as early as this  period4  
,passing down from this period1 for some
 centuries we find only detached        
inscriptions1 accompanied by evidence of
 the gradual shifting of both  political
 power and literary activity from       
,babylonia to ,assyria4    ,in ,assyria 
the first centre of literature and seat 
of a library was  the city of ,assur    
7,kileh ,shergat71 and the earliest     
known tablets date  about ,b4,c4 #aejj4 

,beyond the scanty records of a few     
monarchs nothing of value remains  of   
this library1 and the literary works    
contained in it are only known  from    
later copies4    ,a revival of the      
,assyrian empire began under            
,assur-natsir-pal1 king  of ,assyria1   
who ascended the throne ,b4,c4 #hhe4 ,he
 rebuilt the city  of ,calah 7,nimroud71
 and this city became the seat of an    
,assyrian  library4 ,tablets were       
procured from ,babylonia by             
,shalmaneser1 son of  ,assur-natsir-pal1
 ,b4,c4 #hfj1 during the reign of       
,nabu-bal-idina1 king  of ,babylon1 and 
these were copied by the ,assyrian      
scribes1 and placed  in the royal       
library4 ,rimmon-nirari1 grandson of    
,shalmaneser1 ,b4,c4  #hab1 added to the
 ,calah library1 and had tablets written
 at ,nineveh4  ,assur-nirari1 ,b4,c4    
#gee1 continued the literary work1 some 
mythological  tablets being dated in his
 reign4    ,tiglath ,pileser1 ,b4,c4    
#gde1 enlarged the library1 and placed  

in it  various copies of historical     
inscriptions4 ,it was1 however1 reserved
  for ,sargon1 who founded the last     
,assyrian dynasty1 ,b4,c4 #gba1 to make 
the ,assyrian royal library worthy of   
the empire4 ,early in his reign he      
appointed ,nabu-zuqub-cinu principal    
librarian1 and this officer set to  work
 to make new copies of all the standard 
works of the day4 ,during  the whole of 
his term of office copies of the great  
literary works were  produced1 the      
majority of the texts preserved         
belonging to the early  period previous 
to ,khammuragas4    ,with the accession 
of ,sargon came a revival of literature 
in ,assyria2  education became more     
general1 ancient texts were brought from
  ,babylonia to be copied1 and the      
antiquarian study of early literature   
became fashionable4    ,sennacherib1 son
 of ,sargon1 ,b4,c4 #gjd1 continued to  
add to his father's  library at ,calah1 
but late in his reign he removed the    
collection  from that city to ,nineveh  

7,kouyunjik71 where from this time forth
 the  national library remained until   
the fall of the empire4    ,esarhaddon1 
son of ,sennacherib1 ,b4,c4 #fha1       
further increased the  national         
collection1 most of the works he added  
being of a religious  character4        
,assur-bani-pal1 son of ,esarhaddon1 the
 ,sardanapalus of the ,greeks1 ,b4,c4   
#fgj1 was the greatest of the ,assyrian 
sovereigns1 and he is far more          
memorable on account of his magnificent 
patronage of learning than on  account  
of the greatness of his empire or the   
extent of his wars4    ,assur-bani-pal  
added more to the ,assyrian royal       
library than all the  kings who had gone
 before him1 and it is to tablets       
written in his  reign that we owe almost
 all our knowledge of the ,babylonian   
myths and  early history1 beside many   
other important matters4    ,the agents 
of ,assur-bani-pal sought everywhere for
 inscribed tablets1  brought them to    
,nineveh1 and copied them there2 thus   

the literary  treasures of ,babylon1    
,borsippa1 ,cutha1 ,agan1 ,ur1 ,erech1  
,larsa1 ,nipur1  and various other      
cities were transferred to the ,assyrian
 capital to  enrich the great collection
 there4    ,the fragments brought over  
to ,europe give us a good idea of this  
library and show the range of the       
subjects embraced by its collection  of 
works4 ,among the different classes of  
texts1 the ,genesis stories  and similar
 legends occupied a prominent place2    
these1 as they will be  further         
described in the present volume1 need   
only be mentioned here4  ,accompanying  
them we have a series of mythological   
tablets of various  sorts1 varying from 
legends of the gods1 psalms1 songs1     
prayers1 and  hymns1 down to mere       
allusions and lists of names4 ,many of  
these texts  take the form of charms to 
be used in sickness and for the         
expulsion of  evil spirits2 some of them
 are of great antiquity1 being older    
than the  ,izdubar legends4 ,one fine   

series deals with remedies against      
witchcraft  and the assaults of evil    
spirits4 ,izdubar is mentioned in one of
 these  tablets as lord of the oaths or 
pledges of the world4    ,some of the   
prayers were for use on special         
occasions1 such as on  starting on a    
campaign1 on the occurrence of an       
eclipse1 c4 ,astronomy  and astrology   
were represented by various detached    
inscriptions  and reports1 but          
principally by the great work of which  
mention has  already been made1 and many
 copies of which were in the ,library of
  ,assur-bani-pal4    ,among the        
,astrological tablets is a fragment     
which professes to be  copied from an   
original of the time of ,izdubar4       
,historical texts formed another section
 of the library1 and these  included    
numerous copies of inscriptions of early
 ,babylonian kings2  there were besides1
 chronological tablets with lists of    
kings and  annual officers1 inscriptions
 of various ,assyrian monarchs1         

histories  of the relations between     
,assyria and ,babylonia1 ,elam1 and     
,arabia1  treaties1 despatches1         
proclamations1 and reports on the state 
of the  empire and military affairs4    
,natural history was represented by     
bilingual lists of mammals1 birds1      
reptiles1 fishes1 insects1 and plants1  
trees1 grasses1 reeds1 and  grains1     
earths1 stones1 c4 ,these lists are     
classified according to  the supposed   
nature and affinities of the various    
species1 and show  considerable advance 
in the sciences4 ,mathematics had a     
place in the  library1 there being      
tables of problems1 figures1 and        
calculations2 but  this branch of       
learning was not studied so fully as in 
,babylonia4    ,grammar and             
,lexicography were better represented1  
since there were  many works on these   
subjects1 including lists of the        
characters1 the  declension of the noun1
 the conjugation of the verb1 examples  
of  syntactical construction1           

reading-books1 interlinear translations 
of ,accadian texts1 and the like4 ,all  
these tablets were copied from          
,babylonian originals4 ,in legal and    
civil literature the library was  also  
rich1 and the tablets serve to show that
 the same laws and customs  prevailed in
 ,assyria as in ,babylonia4 ,there are  
codes of laws1 law  cases1 records of   
sale1 barter1 and loans1 lists of       
property1 lists of  titles and trades1  
of tribute and taxes1 c4    ,in         
,geography the ,assyrians were not very 
advanced2 but there are lists  of       
countries and their productions1 of     
cities1 rivers1 mountains1 and  peoples4
    ,such are some of the principal     
contents of the great library from which
  we have obtained our copies of the    
,creation and ,flood legends4 ,most of  
the tablets were copied from early      
,babylonian ones which have in most     
cases disappeared2 but the copies are   
sufficient to show the wonderful        
progress in culture and civilization    

already made by the people of  ,chaldea 
long before the age of ,moses or even   
,abraham4 ,babylonian  literature1 which
 had been the parent of ,assyrian       
writing1 revived  after the fall of     
,nineveh1 and ,nebuchadnezzar and his   
successors made  ,babylon the seat of a 
library rivalling that of               
,assur-bani-pal at  ,nineveh4 ,of this  
later development of ,babylonian        
literature we know  very little1        
explorations being still required to    
bring to light its  texts4 ,a few       
fragments only1 discovered by wandering 
,arabs or recovered  by chance          
travellers1 have as yet turned up1 but  
there is in them  evidence enough to    
promise a rich reward to future         
excavators4          ,,chapter ,,iii4   
,,chaldean ,,legends ,,transmitted      
,,through ,,berosus ,,and ,,other       
,,ancient ,,authors4     ,berosus and   
his copyists4--,cory's                  
translation4--,alexander                
,polyhistor4--,babylonia4--,oannes1 his 

teaching4--,creation4--,belus4--,chaldea
n   kings4--,xisuthrus4--,deluge4--,the 
,ark4--,return to                       
,babylon4--,apollodorus4--,pantibiblon4-
-,larancha4--,abydenus4--,alorus1       
first king4--,ten                       
kings4--,sisithrus4--,deluge4--,armenia4
--,tower of   ,babel4--,kronos and      
,titan4--,dispersion from               
,hestius4--,babylonian                  
colonies4--,tower of ,babel4--,the      
,sibyl4--,titan and                     
,prometheus4--,damascius4--,tauthe4--,mo
ymis4--,kissare and                     
,assorus4--,triad4--,bel4      ,by way  
of introduction to the native versions  
of the early legends  left us by the    
,babylonians1 it is advisable to glance 
at the principal  fragments bearing on  
them which are found in the classical   
writers  of ,greece and ,rome4 ,several 
others might have been quoted1 but their
  origin is doubtful1 and they are of   
less importance for the subject  in     
hand4 ,those who wish to consult them   

may turn to ,cory's 8,ancient           
,fragments0 7#bnd edition1 #ahgf71 whose
 translations1 as being fairly          
scholarlike and correct1 are here given 
without alteration4    ,berosus1 from   
whom the principal extracts are copied1 
lived1 as has  already been stated1     
about ,b4,c4 #ccj to #bfj1 and1 from his
 position  as a ,babylonian priest1 had 
the best means of knowing the           
,babylonian  traditions4    ,the others 
are later writers1 who copied in the    
main from ,berosus1 most  of whose      
notices may be taken as mere abridgments
 of his statements4      ,,extract ,i4  
,,from ,,alexander ,,polyhistor         
7,,cory1 p4 #ef74    ,berosus1 in the   
first book of his history of ,babylonia1
 informs us  that he lived in the age of
 ,alexander1 the son of ,philip4 ,and he
  mentions that there were written      
accounts1 preserved at ,babylon with    
the greatest care1 comprehending a      
period of above fifteen myriads  of     
years2 and that these writings contained

 histories of the heaven  and of the    
sea2 of the birth of mankind2 and of the
 kings1 and of the  memorable actions   
which they had achieved4    ,and in the 
first place he describes ,babylonia as a
 country situated  between the ,tigris  
and the ,euphrates2 that it abounded    
with wheat1 and  barley1 and ocrus1 and 
sesame2 and that in the lakes were found
 the  roots called gong1 which are fit  
for food1 and in respect to nutriment   
similar to barley4 ,there were also     
palm-trees and apples1 and a variety  of
 fruits2 fish also and birds1 both those
 which are merely of flight1  and those 
which frequent the water4 ,those parts  
of the country which  bordered upon     
,arabia were without water1 and barren2 
but that which  lay on the other side   
was both hilly and fertile4    ,at      
,babylon there was 7in these times7 a   
great resort of people of  various      
races1 who inhabited ,chaldea1 and lived
 in a lawless manner  like the beasts of
 the field4    ,illustration3 ,,oannes  

,,and ,,other ,,babylonian              
,,mythological ,,figures ,,from         
,,cylinder4    ,in the first year there 
appeared1 from that part of the         
,erythran sea  which borders upon       
,babylonia1 an animal endowed with      
reason1 by name  ,oannes1 whose whole   
body 7according to the account of       
,apollodorus7  was that of a fish2 under
 the fish's head he had another head1   
with  feet also below similar to those  
of a man1 subjoined to the fish's  tail4
 ,his voice1 too1 and language were     
articulate and human2 and a             
representation of him is preserved even 
to this day4    ,this being was         
accustomed to pass the day among men1   
but took no  food at that season2 and he
 gave them an insight into letters and  
sciences1 and arts of every kind4 ,he   
taught them to construct houses1  to    
found temples1 to compile laws1 and     
explained to them the principles  of    
geometrical knowledge4 ,he made them    
distinguish the seeds of  the earth1 and

 showed them how to collect the fruits2 
in short1 he  instructed them in every  
thing which could tend to soften manners
 and  humanize their lives4 ,from that  
time1 nothing material has been added   
by way of improvement to his            
instructions4 ,and when the sun had set 
this being ,oannes used to retire again 
into the sea1 and pass the night  in the
 deep1 for he was amphibious4 ,after    
this there appeared other  animals like 
,oannes1 of which ,berosus proposes to  
give an account when  he comes to the   
history of the kings4 ,moreover1 ,oannes
 wrote concerning  the generation of    
mankind1 of their different ways of     
life1 and of  their civil polity2 and   
the following is the purport of what he 
said3--    8,there was a time in which  
there existed nothing but darkness and  
an abyss of waters1 wherein resided most
 hideous beings1 which were  produced of
 a two-fold principle4 ,there appeared  
men1 some of whom were  furnished with  
two wings1 others with four1 and with   

two faces4 ,they  had one body1 but two 
heads2 the one that of a man1 the other 
of a  woman2 they were likewise in their
 several organs both male and female4   
,other human figures were to be seen    
with the legs and horns of a goat2  some
 had horses' feet1 while others united  
the hind quarters of a horse  with the  
body of a man1 resembling in shape the  
hippocentaurs4 ,bulls  likewise were    
bred there with the heads of men2 and   
dogs with fourfold  bodies1 terminated  
in their extremities with the tails of  
fishes2  horses also with the heads of  
dogs2 men1 too1 and other animals1  with
 the heads and bodies of horses1 and the
 tails of fishes4 ,in  short1 there were
 creatures in which were combined the   
limbs of every  species of animals4 ,in 
addition to these1 fishes1 reptiles1    
serpents1  with other monstrous animals1
 which assumed each other's shape and   
countenance4 ,of all which were         
preserved delineations in the temple of 
,belus at ,babylon4    ,illustration3   

,,composite ,,animals ,,from ,,cylinder4
    8,the person who was supposed to    
have presided over them was a woman     
named ,omoroka1 which in the ,chaldean  
language is ,thalatth2 which in  ,greek 
is interpreted ,thalassa1 the sea2 but  
according to the most true              
interpretation it is equivalent to      
,selene the moon4 ,all things being in  
this situation1 ,belus came1 and cut the
 woman asunder1 and of one half  of her 
he formed the earth1 and of the other   
half the heavens1 and at  the same time 
destroyed the animals within her 7or in 
the abyss74    8,all this0 7he says7    
8was an allegorical description of      
nature4  ,for1 the whole universe       
consisting of moisture1 and animals     
being  continually generated therein1   
the deity above-mentioned 7,belus7 cut  
off his own head2 upon which the other  
gods mixed the blood1 as it  gushed out1
 with the earth1 and from thence men    
were formed4 ,on this  account it is    
that they are rational1 and partake of  

divine knowledge4  ,this ,belus1 by whom
 they signify ,hades 7,pluto71 divided  
the darkness1  and separated the heavens
 from the earth1 and reduced the        
universe  to order4 ,but the            
recently-created animals1 not being able
 to bear  the prevalence of light1 died4
 ,belus upon this1 seeing a vast space  
unoccupied1 though by nature fruitful1  
commanded one of the gods to  take off  
his head1 and to mix the blood with the 
earth1 and from thence  to form other   
men and animals1 which should be capable
 of bearing the  light4 ,belus formed   
also the stars1 and the sun1 and the    
moon1 and the  five planets40 7,such1   
according to ,alexander ,polyhistor1 is 
the account  which ,berosus gives in his
 first book47    7,in the second book   
was contained the history of the ten    
kings of the  ,chaldeans1 and the       
periods of the continuance of each      
reign1 which  consisted collectively of 
an hundred and twenty sari1 or four     
hundred  and thirty-two thousand years2 

reaching to the time of the ,deluge4    
,for  ,alexander1 enumerating the kings 
from the writings of the ,chaldeans1    
after the ninth1 ,ardates1 proceeds to  
the tenth1 who is called by them        
,xisuthrus1 in this manner73--          
8,after the death of ,ardates1 his son  
,xisuthrus reigned eighteen sari4  ,in  
his time happened the great deluge2 the 
history of which is thus  described4    
,the deity ,kronos appeared to him in a 
vision1 and warned  him that upon the   
fifteenth day of the month ,dsius there 
would be  a flood1 by which mankind     
would be destroyed4 ,he therefore       
enjoined  him to write a history of the 
beginning1 progress1 and conclusion of  
all things1 down to the present term1   
and to bury it in ,sippara1 the  city of
 the ,sun2 and to build a vessel1 and   
take with him into it his  friends and  
relations2 and to convey on board every 
thing necessary  to sustain life1       
together with all the different animals1
 both birds  and quadrupeds1 and trust  

himself fearlessly to the deep4 ,having 
asked  the ,deity whither he was to     
sail1 he was answered1 #8,to the ,gods2'
 upon  which he offered up a prayer for 
the good of mankind4 ,he then obeyed    
the divine admonition1 and built a      
vessel five stadia in length1 and  two  
in breadth4 ,into this he put everything
 which he had prepared1 and  last of all
 conveyed into it his wife1 his         
children1 and his friends4    ,after the
 flood had been upon the earth1 and was 
in time abated1  ,xisuthrus sent out    
birds from the vessel2 which not finding
 any food1  nor any place whereupon they
 might rest their feet1 returned to him 
again4 ,after an interval of some days1 
he sent them forth a second  time2 and  
they now returned with their feet tinged
 with mud4 ,he made  a trial a third    
time with these birds2 but they returned
 to him no  more3 from whence he judged 
that the surface of the earth had       
appeared  above the waters4 ,he         
therefore made an opening in the vessel1

 and upon  looking out found that it was
 stranded upon the side of some         
mountain2  upon which he immediately    
quitted it with his wife1 his daughter1 
and  the pilot4 ,xisuthrus then paid his
 adoration to the earth3 and1 having    
constructed an altar1 offered sacrifices
 to the gods1 and1 with those  who had  
come out of the vessel with him1        
disappeared4    ,they who remained      
within1 finding that their companions   
did not return1  quitted the vessel with
 many lamentations1 and called          
continually on  the name of ,xisuthrus4 
,him they saw no more2 but they could   
distinguish  his voice in the air1 and  
could hear him admonish them to pay due 
regard to the gods2 and he likewise     
informed them that it was upon  account 
of his piety that he was translated to  
live with the gods1 and  that his wife  
and daughter and the pilot had obtained 
the same honour4  ,to this he added that
 they should return to ,babylonia1 and1 
as it was  ordained1 search for the     

writings at ,sippara1 which they were to
 make  known to all mankind2 moreover1  
that the place wherein they then were   
was the land of ,armenia4 ,the rest     
having heard these words offered        
sacrifices to the gods1 and1 taking a   
circuit1 journeyed towards  ,babylonia4 
,the vessel being thus stranded in      
,armenia1 some part of it yet remains   
in the ,gordyan 7or ,kurdish7 mountains 
in ,armenia1 and the people  scrape off 
the bitumen with which it had been      
outwardly coated1 and  make use of it by
 way of an antidote and amulet4 ,in this
 manner they  returned to ,babylon and  
when they had found the writings at     
,sippara  they built cities and erected 
temples1 and ,babylon was thus inhabited
  again40--,syncel4 ,chron4 xxviii42    
,euseb4 ,chron4 v4 #h4      ,,berosus1  
,,from ,,apollodorus 7,,cory1 p4 #ea74  
,this is the history which ,berosus has 
transmitted to us4 ,he tells us  that   
the first king was ,alorus of ,babylon1 
a ,chaldean2 he reigned ten  sari       

7#cf1jjj years72 and afterwards         
,alaparus and ,amelon1 who came from    
,pantibiblon2 then ,ammenon the         
,chaldean1 in whose time appeared the   
,musarus ,oannes1 the ,annedotus from   
the ,erythran sea4 7,but ,alexander     
,polyhistor1 anticipating the event1 has
 said that he appeared in  the first    
year1 but ,apollodorus says that it was 
after forty sari2  ,abydenus1 however1  
makes the second ,annedotus appear after
 twenty-six  sari47 ,then succeeded     
,megalarus from the city of             
,pantibiblon1 and  he reigned eighteen  
sari2 and after him ,daonus1 the        
shepherd from  ,pantibiblon1 reigned ten
 sari2 in his time 7he says7 appeared   
again  from the ,erythran sea a fourth  
,annedotus1 having the same form with   
those above1 the shape of a fish blended
 with that of a man4 ,then  reigned     
,euedorachus 7or ,euedoreschus7 from    
,pantibiblon for the term of  eighteen  
sari2 in his days there appeared another
 personage from the  ,erythran sea like 

the former1 having the same complicated 
form between  a fish and a man1 whose   
name was ,odakon4 7,all these1 says     
,apollodorus1  related particularly and 
circumstantially whatever ,oannes had   
informed  them of2 concerning these     
,abydenus has made no mention47 ,then   
reigned  ,amempsinus1 a ,chaldean from  
,larancha2 and he being the eighth in   
order reigned ten sari4 ,then reigned   
,otiartes1#a a ,chaldean1 from          
,larancha2 and he ruled eight sari4     
,and1 upon the death of ,otiartes1 his  
son ,xisuthrus reigned eighteen sari2 in
 his time happened the great  ,deluge4  
,so that the sum of all the kings is    
ten2 and the term which  they           
collectively reigned an hundred and     
twenty sari4--,syncel4 ,chron4  xxxix42 
,euseb4 ,chron4 v4      ,,berosus1      
,,from ,,abydenus 7,,cory1 p4 #ec74     
,so much concerning the wisdom of the   
,chaldeans4    ,it is said that the     
first king of the country was ,alorus1  
and that he  gave out a report that ,god

 had appointed him to be the shepherd#b 
of  the people2 he reigned ten sari2 now
 a sarus is esteemed to be three        
thousand six hundred years1 a neros six 
hundred1 and a sossus sixty4    ,after  
him ,alaparus reigned three sari2 to him
 succeeded ,amillarus from  the city of 
,pantibiblon1 who reigned thirteen sari2
 in his time there  came up from the sea
 a second ,annedotus1 a demigod very    
similar in  form to ,oannes2 after      
,amillarus reigned ,ammenon twelve sari2
 who was  of the city of ,pantibiblon2  
then ,megalarus of the same place       
reigned  eighteen sari2 then ,daos the  
shepherd governed for the space of ten  
sari1 he was of ,pantibiblon2 in his    
time four double-shaped personages  came
 up out of the sea to land1 whose names 
were ,euedokus1 ,eneugamus1  ,eneubulus1
 and ,anementus2 afterwards in the time 
of ,euedoreschus  appeared another1     
,anodaphus4 ,after these reigned other  
kings1 and  last of all ,sisithrus1 so  
that in all the number amounted to ten  

kings1 and the term of their reigns to  
an hundred and twenty sari4  7,and among
 other things not irrelative to the     
subject he continues  thus concerning   
the ,deluge73 ,after ,euedoreschus some 
others reigned1  and then ,sisithrus4   
,to him the deity ,kronos foretold that 
on the  fifteenth day of the month      
,dsius there would be a deluge of rain3 
and  he commanded him to deposit all the
 writings whatever which were in  his   
possession in ,sippara the city of the  
sun4 ,sisithrus1 when he had  complied  
with these commands1 sailed immediately 
to ,armenia1 and was  presently inspired
 by ,god4 ,upon the third day after the 
cessation of  the rain ,sisithrus sent  
out birds by way of experiment1 that he 
might  judge whether the flood had      
subsided4 ,but the birds1 passing over  
an  unbounded sea without finding any   
place of rest1 returned again to        
,sisithrus4 ,this he repeated with other
 birds4 ,and when upon the third  trial 
he succeeded1 for the birds then        

returned with their feet stained  with  
mud1 the gods translated him from among 
men4 ,with respect to the  vessel1 which
 yet remains in ,armenia1 it is a custom
 of the inhabitants  to form bracelets  
and amulets of its wood4--,syncel4      
,chron4 xxxviii42  ,euseb4 ,prp4 ,evan4 
lib4 ix42 ,euseb4 ,chron4 v4 #h4        
,,of ,,the ,,tower ,,of ,,babel 7,,cory1
 p4 #ee74    ,they say that the first   
inhabitants of the earth1 glorying in   
their  own strength and size and        
despising the gods1 undertook to build a
  tower whose top should reach the sky1 
in the place where ,babylon now  stands2
 but when it approached the heaven the  
winds assisted the gods1  and overturned
 the work upon its contrivers1 and its  
ruins are said to  be still at ,babylon2
 and the gods introduced a diversity of 
tongues  among men1 who till that time  
had all spoken the same language2 and a 
war arose between ,kronos and ,titan4   
,the place in which they built the      
tower is now called ,babylon on account 

of the confusion of tongues1 for        
confusion is by the ,hebrews called     
,babel4--,euseb4 ,prp4 ,evan4 lib4  ix42
 ,syncel4 ,chron4 xliv42 ,euseb4 ,chron4
 xiii4      ,,of ,,the ,,dispersion1    
,,from ,,hesti,,us 7,cory1 p4 #gd74     
,the priests who escaped took with them 
the implements of the worship of  the   
,enyalian ,zeus1 and came to ,senaar in 
,babylonia4 ,but they were again  driven
 from thence by the introduction of a   
diversity of tongues2 upon  which they  
founded colonies in various parts1 each 
settling in such  situations as chance  
or the direction of ,god led them to    
occupy4--,jos4  ,ant4 ,jud4 i4  c4 #d2  
,euseb4 ,prp4 ,evan4 ix4      ,,of ,,the
 ,,tower ,,of ,,babel1 ,,from           
,,alexander ,,polyhistor 7,,cory1 p4    
#ge74    ,the ,sibyl says3 ,that when   
all men formerly spoke the same language
 some  among them undertook to erect a  
large and lofty tower1 that they might  
climb up into heaven4 ,but ,god sending 
forth a whirlwind confounded  their     

design1 and gave to each tribe a        
particular language of its own1  which  
is the reason that the name of that city
 is ,babylon4 ,after the  deluge lived  
,titan and ,prometheus1 when ,titan     
undertook a war against                 
,kronos4--,sync4 xliv42 ,jos4 ,ant4     
,jud4 i4 c4 #d42 ,euseb4 ,prp4 ,evan4   
ix4      ,,the ,,theogonies1 ,,from     
,,damascius 7,,cory1 p4 #ib74    ,but   
the ,babylonians1 like the rest of the  
barbarians1 pass over in  silence the   
,one principle of the universe1 and they
 constitute two3  ,tauthe#c and         
,apason1#d making ,apason the husband of
 ,tauthe1 and  denominating her the     
mother of the gods4 ,and from these     
proceeds an  only-begotten son1         
,moymis1#e which ,i conceive is no other
 than the  intelligible world proceeding
 from the two principles4 ,from them    
also  another progeny is derived1 ,dache
 and ,dachus2#f and again a third1      
,kissare and ,assorus1 from which last  
three others proceed1 ,anus 7,anu71  and

 ,illinus 7,elum71 and ,aus 7,hea74 ,and
 of ,aus and ,dauke 7,dav-cina1  8lady  
of the earth107 is born a son called    
,belus1 who1 they say1 is the           
fabricator of the world1 the ,demiurgus4
      ,,footnotes3    #a ,the native    
account of the ,deluge shows that this  
name must be  corrected to ,opartes1 the
 native name being ,ubara-,tutu4    #b  
,a common title of the early ,accadian  
kings is 8shepherd10 pointing  to the   
fact that the ,accadians had led a      
pastoral life before their  settlement  
and organization in the ,babylonian     
plain4    #c ,assyrian1 ,tiamtu1 8the   
deep40    #d ,assyrian1 ,apsu1 8the     
ocean40    #e ,assyrian1 ,mummu1        
8chaos40    #f ,assyrian1 ,lakhmu or    
,lakhvu2 and ,lakhama or ,lakhva4       
,,chapter ,,iv4    ,,babylonian         
,,mythology4     ,greek                 
accounts4--,mythology local in          
origin4--,antiquity4--,conquests4--,colo
nies4--,three great gods4--,twelve      
great                                   

gods4--,angels4--,spirits4--,anu4--,anat
u4--,rimmon4--,istar4--,equivalent   to 
,venus4--,hea4--,oannes4--,merodach4--,b
el or ,zeus4--,zirat-banit1 ,succoth    
,benoth4--,bel4--,sin the moon          
god4--,ninip4--,samas4--,nergal4--,anuni
t4--,table of   gods4      ,in their    
accounts of the ,creation and of the    
early history of the human  race the    
,babylonian divinities figure very      
prominently1 but it is often  difficult 
to identify the deities mentioned by the
 ,greek authors1  because the phonetic  
reading of many of the names of the     
,babylonian  gods is still very obscure1
 and the classical writers frequently   
replace them by the deities of their own
 mythology1 whom they imagined  to      
correspond with the ,babylonian names4  
,in this chapter it is proposed to give 
a general account only of  certain parts
 of the ,babylonian mythology1 in order 
to show the  relationship between the   
deities and their titles and work4      
,babylonian mythology was local in      

origin2 each of the gods had a          
particular city which was the special   
seat of his worship1 and it is  probable
 that the idea of weaving the gods into 
a system1 in which each  should have his
 part to play1 did not arise until after
 the ,semitic  occupation of the        
country4 ,the antiquity of this         
systematized mythology  may1 however1 be
 seen from the fact1 that two thousand  
years before  the ,christian era it was 
already completed1 and its deities      
definitely  connected into a system     
which remained with little change down  
to the  close of the kingdom4    ,in    
early times the gods were worshipped    
only at their original cities  or seats1
 the various cities or settlements being
 independent of  each other2 but it was 
natural as wars arose1 and some cities  
gained  conquests over others1 and kings
 gradually united the country into      
monarchies1 that the conquerors should  
impose their gods upon the  conquered4  
,thus arose the system of different     

ranks or grades among  the gods4        
,colonies1 again1 were sent out at      
times1 and the colonies1  as they       
considered themselves sons of the cities
 they started from1  also considered    
their gods to be sons of the gods of the
 mother cities4  ,political changes in  
early times led to the rise and fall of 
various  towns and consequently of their
 deities1 and gave rise to numerous     
myths relating to the different         
personages in the mythology4 ,in some   
remote age there appear to have been    
three great cities in the country1      
,erech1 ,eridu1 and ,nipur1 and their   
divinities ,anu1 ,hea1 and ,bel were    
considered the 8great gods0 of the      
country4 ,subsequent changes led to  the
 decline of these states1 but their     
deities still retained their  position  
to the end of the ,babylonian system4   
,these three leading deities formed     
members of a circle of twelve gods1     
also called 8great40 ,these gods and    
their titles are given as3    #a4 ,anu1 

meaning 8the sky0 in ,accadian1 king of 
angels and spirits1 lord  of the city of
 ,erech4    #b4 ,bel1 ,elum or ,mul in  
,accadian1 lord of the lower world1     
father of the  gods1 creator1 lord of   
the city of ,nipur4    #c4 ,hea1 8god of
 the house of water10 maker of fate1    
lord of the deep1  god of wisdom and    
knowledge1 lord of the city of ,eridu4  
#d4 ,sin1 the ,moon-god1 ,acu or ,agu in
 ,accadian1 lord of crowns1 maker of    
brightness1 lord of the city of ,ur4    
#e4 ,merodach1 8the glory of the ,sun10 
just prince of the gods1 lord of  birth1
 lord of the city of ,babylon4    #f4   
,rimmon1 the ,air-god1 ,mirmir in       
,accadian1 the strong god1 lord of      
canals and atmosphere1 lord of the city 
of ,muru4    #g4 ,samas1 the ,sun-god1  
,utuci in ,accadian1 judge of heaven and
 earth1  director of all1 lord of the   
cities of ,larsa and ,sippara4    #h4   
,ninip1 warrior of the gods1 destroyer  
of the wicked1 lord of the  city of     
,nipur4    #i4 ,nergal1 8illuminator of 

the great city0 7,hades71 giant king of 
war1  lord of the city of ,cutha4       
#aj4 ,nusku1 holder of the golden       
sceptre1 the lofty god4    #aa4 ,belat1 
wife of ,bel1 mother of the great gods1 
lady of the city of  ,nipur4    #ab4    
,istar1 ,gingir in ,accadian1 eldest of 
heaven and earth1 raising the  face of  
warriors4    ,below these deities there 
was a large body of gods forming the    
bulk of  the pantheon1 and below these  
were arranged the ,igigi1 or #cjj angels
  of heaven1 and the ,anunnaki1 or #fjj 
angels of earth4 ,below these again     
came various classes of spirits or genii
 called ,sedu1 ,vadukku1 ,ekimu1        
,gallu1 and others2 some of these were  
evil1 some good4    ,the relationship of
 the various principal gods and their   
names1 titles  and offices will appear  
from the following remarks4    ,at the  
head of the ,babylonian mythology stands
 a deity who was  sometimes identified  
with the heavens1 sometimes considered  
as the  ruler and god of heaven4 ,this  

deity is named ,anu1 his sign is the    
simple star1 the symbol of divinity1 and
 at other times the ,maltese  cross4 ,in
 the philosophic theology of a later    
age1 ,anu represents  abstract divinity1
 and he appears as an original          
principle1 perhaps as  the original     
principle of nature4 ,he represents the 
universe as the  upper and lower        
regions1 and when these were divided the
 upper region  or heaven was called     
,anu1 while the lower region or earth   
was called  ,anatu2 ,anatu being the    
female principle or wife of ,anu4 ,anu  
is termed  the old god1 and the god of  
the whole of heaven and earth2 one of   
the  manifestations of ,anu was under   
the two forms ,lakhmu and ,lakhamu1     
which probably correspond to the ,greek 
forms ,dache and ,dachus1 see p4  #dd4g 
,these forms are said to have sprung out
 of the original chaos1  and they are   
followed by the two forms ,sar and      
,kisar 7the ,kissare and  ,assorus of   
the ,greeks74 ,sar means the upper hosts

 or expanse1 ,kisar the  lower hosts or 
expanse2 these are also forms or        
manifestations of ,anu  and his wife4   
,anu is further called lord of the old  
city1 and bears the  name of ,alalu4    
,his titles generally indicate height1  
antiquity1 purity1  divinity1 and he may
 be taken as the general type of        
divinity4 ,anu was  originally          
worshipped at the city of ,erech1 which 
was called the city  of ,anu and ,anatu1
 and the great temple there was called  
the 8house of  ,anu10 or the 8house of  
heaven40    ,anatu1 the wife or consort 
of ,anu1 is generally only a female form
 of  ,anu1 but is sometimes contrasted  
with him2 thus1 when ,anu represents    
height and heaven1 ,anatu represents    
depth and earth2 she is also the  lady  
of darkness1 the mother of the god ,hea1
 the mother of heaven and  earth1 the   
female fish-god1 and is often identified
 with ,istar or  ,venus4 ,anatu1        
however1 had no existence in ,accadian  
mythology4 ,she is  the product of the  

imagination of the ,semites1 whose      
grammar drew a  distinction between the 
masculine and feminine genders4    ,anu 
and ,anatu had a numerous family2 among 
their sons are numbered  ,lugal-edin1   
8the king of the desert10 ,latarak1     
,ab-gula1 ,kusu1 and the  air-god1 whose
 name was ,ramman or ,rimmon1 in        
,accadian ,mirmir4 ,rimmon  is god of   
the region of the atmosphere1 or space  
between the heaven  and earth1 he is the
 god of rain1 of storms and whirlwind1  
of thunder  and lightning1 of floods and
 watercourses4 ,he was in high esteem in
  ,syria and ,arabia1 where he bore the 
name of ,dadda2 in ,armenia he was      
called ,teiseba4 ,rimmon is always      
considered an active deity1 and was     
extensively worshipped4    ,another     
important god1 a son of ,anu1 was the   
god of fire1 whose name  was ,gibil in  
,accadian4 ,the fire-god takes an active
 part in the  numerous mythological     
tablets and legends1 and is considered  
to be the  most potent deity in relation

 to witchcraft and spells generally4    
,the most important of the daughters of 
,anu was named ,istar2 she was in  some 
respects the equivalent of the classical
 ,venus4 ,her worship was  at first     
subordinate to that of ,anu1 and as she 
was goddess of love1  while ,anu was god
 of heaven1 it is probable that the     
first intention in  the mythology was   
only to represent love as heaven-born2  
but in time  a more sensual view        
prevailed1 and the worship of ,istar    
became one of  the darkest features in  
,babylonian mythology4 ,as the worship  
of this  goddess increased in favour1 it
 gradually superseded that of ,anu1     
until  in time his temple1 the house of 
heaven1 came to be regarded as the      
temple of ,venus4    ,the planet ,venus1
 as the evening star1 was identified    
with ,istar of  ,erech1 while the       
morning star was ,anunit1 goddess of    
,agan4    ,istar1 however1 was          
worshipped under a great variety of     
forms4 ,each  city1 each state1 had its 

own special ,istar and its own special  
worship of her4 ,in the syncretic age of
 ,babylonian theology1 these  various   
forms and modes of worship were         
amalgamated together1 and  epithets of  
the goddess which were originally       
peculiar to particular  localities1 were
 applied to the single goddess of the   
state religion4  ,thus1 according to the
 legends of one part of ,babylonia1     
,istar was  the daughter of the         
,moon-god1 according to those of another
 part of  the country she was the       
daughter of ,anu4 ,hence in the         
mythology of a  later period she appears
 sometimes as the daughter of the one   
deity1  sometimes as the daughter of the
 other4    ,a companion deity with ,anu 
is ,hea1 who is god1 of the sea and of  
,hades1  in fact of all the lower       
regions4 ,in some of his attributes he  
answers  to the ,kronos of the ,greeks1 
in others to their ,poseidon4 ,hea is   
called  god of the lower region1 he is  
lord of the sea or abyss2 he is also    

lord of generation and of all human     
beings and bears the titles3 lord  of   
wisdom1 of mines and treasures2 of      
gifts1 of music1 of fishermen  and      
sailors1 and of ,hades or hell4 ,it has 
been supposed that the  serpent was one 
of his emblems1 and that he was the     
,oannes of ,berosus2  but these         
conjectures have not yet been proved4   
,the wife of ,hea was  ,davkina1 the    
,davke of ,damascius1 who is the goddess
 of the lower  regions1 the consort of  
the deep2 and their principal son was   
,maruduk  or ,merodach1 the ,bel of     
later times4    ,merodach1 god of       
,babylon1 appears in all the earlier    
inscriptions  as the agent of his father
 ,hea2 he goes about the world          
collecting  information1 and receives   
commissions from his father to set right
  all that appears wrong4 ,he is called 
the redeemer of mankind1 the  restorer  
to life1 and the raiser from the dead4  
,he is an active agent  in creation1 but
 is always subordinate to his father    

,hea4 ,in later  times1 after ,babylon  
had been made the capital1 ,merodach1   
who was  god of that city1 was raised to
 the head of the ,pantheon4 ,merodach   
afterwards came to be identified with   
the classical ,jupiter1 but the  name   
,bel1 8the lord10 was only given to him 
in times subsequent to the  rise of     
,babylon1 when the worship of the older 
,bel1 the ,accadian ,elum1  was falling 
into decay4 ,the wife of ,merodach was  
,zirat-panit1 perhaps  the ,succoth     
,benoth of the ,bible4 ,besides         
,merodach1 ,hea had a numerous  progeny1
 his sons being principally river-gods4 
,nebo1 the god of knowledge and         
literature1 who was worshipped at the   
neighbouring city of ,borsippa1 was a   
favourite deity in later times1 as  was 
also his consort ,tasmit 8the ,hearer40 
,nebo1 whose name signifies  8the       
prophet10 was called ,timkhir in        
,accadian1 and had his temple  in the   
island of ,dilvun1 called 8the island of
 the gods0 by the  ,accadians1 now      

,bahrein4 ,here he was worshipped under 
the name of ,enzak4    ,a third great   
god was united with ,anu and ,hea1 named
 ,enu1 ,mul1 and ,elum  in ,accadian1   
and ,bel in ,semitic ,babylonian2 he was
 the original ,bel  of the ,babylonian  
mythology1 and was lord of the surface  
of the earth  and the affairs of men4   
,elum was lord of the city of ,nipur1   
and in the  ,semitic period had a       
consort named ,belat or ,beltis4 ,he was
 held to be  the most active of the gods
 in the general affairs of mankind1 and 
was  so generally worshipped in early   
times that he came to be regarded as    
the national divinity1 and his temple at
 the city of ,nipur was regarded  as the
 type of all others4 ,the extensive     
worship of ,bel1 and the high  honour in
 which he was held1 seem to point to a  
time when his city1  ,nipur1 was the    
metropolis of the country4    ,belat1 or
 ,beltis1 the wife of ,bel1 is a famous 
deity celebrated in all  ages1 but as   
the title ,belat only signified 8lady10 

or 8goddess10 it  was a common one for  
many goddesses1 and the notices of      
,beltis probably  refer to several      
different personages4    ,bel had1 like 
the other gods1 a numerous family2 his  
eldest son was  the moon-god1 called    
,agu or ,acu in ,accadian1 in later     
times generally  termed ,sin4 ,sin was  
presiding deity of the city of ,ur1 and 
early  assumed an important place in the
 mythology4 ,the moon-god figures       
prominently in some early legends1 and  
during the time when the city of  ,ur   
was capital of the country his worship  
became very widely-spread  and popular  
throughout the country4    ,ninip1 god  
of hunting and war1 was another         
celebrated son of ,bel2 he  was         
worshipped with his father at ,nipur4   
,ninip was also much worshipped  in     
,assyria as well as ,babylonia1 his     
character as presiding genius of  war   
and the chase making him a favourite    
deity with the warlike kings  of        
,assyria4 ,originally he was a form of  

the sun-god4    ,sin the moon-god had a 
son ,samas1 the sun-god4 ,samas is an   
active  deity in some of the ,izdubar   
legends and fables1 but he is generally 
subordinate to ,sin4 ,in the ,babylonian
 system the moon takes precedence  of   
the sun1 as befitted a nation of        
astronomers1 and the ,samas of ,larsa   
was probably considered a different     
deity from ,samas of ,sippara4    ,among
 the other deities of the ,babylonians  
may be counted ,nergal1 god  of ,cutha1 
who like ,ninip1 presided over hunting  
and war1 and ,anunit1  the goddess of   
one of the quarters of ,sippara1 and of 
the city of ,agan4    ,the following    
table will exhibit the relationship of  
the principal  deities as it had been   
drawn up by the native writers on the   
cosmogony2 but it must be noted that it 
belongs to a late age of  syncretic     
philosophy1 when the scholars of        
,assur-bani-pal's court  were           
endeavouring to resolve the old deities 
of ,accad into mere  abstractions1 and  

so explain the myths which described the
 creation of  the world4      ,tamtu or 
,tiamtu                                 
,absu 7,apason87       7the sea74       
7the deep74                             
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
--------------------                    
,mummu                                  
7chaos74                                
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
------------                            
,lakhmu                                 
,lakhamu                                
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
-------------------------               
,kisar 7,kissare7                       
,sar 7,assorus7      7lower expanse74   
7upper expanse74                        
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
-----------------                       
,anu             ,anatu      ,elum1 or  

,bel4            ,beltis4      7heaven74
                     7earth74           
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
---------------                         
,rimmon         ,gibil      ,hea        
7,saturn7         ,istar 7,venus74      
7atmosphere74  7fire-god74   7the deep74
        ,hea 7,saturn74    ,davkina     
7,davke74        ,elum4      ,beltis4   
---------------------------------       
--------------------------------------  
,merodach4      ,zirat-panit4     ,sin4 
,ningal4      ,ninip4                   
---------------------------------       
------------------------                
,nebo4               ,tasmit4   ,samas4 
,istar4      ,,footnotes3    #g ,though 
,lakhmu properly represented ,anu or    
,anatu1 he sometimes takes  the place of
 the ,solar hero ,ninip as husband of   
,gula1 8the great0  goddess4            
,,chapter ,v4    ,,babylonian ,,legend  
,,of ,,the ,,creation4     ,mutilated   
condition of tablets4--,list of         

subjects4--,description   of            
chaos4--,tiamat4--,generation of        
,gods4--,damascius4--,comparison   with 
,genesis4--,three great gods4--,doubtful
 fragments4--,fifth                     
tablet4--,stars4--,moon4--,sun4--,abyss 
or chaos4--,creation of moon4--,creation
   of animals4--,monotheism4--,hymn to  
,merodach4--,the black-headed race   or 
,adamites4--,garden of ,eden4--,the     
flaming sword4--,the fall4--,the        
,sabbath4--,sacred tree4--,hymn to the  
,creator4      ,it is extremely         
unfortunate that the legend of the      
,creation in days  has reached us in so 
fragmentary a condition4 ,it is evident1
 however1  that in its present form it  
is of ,assyrian1 not of ,babylonian1    
origin1  and was probably composed in   
the time of ,assur-bani-pal4 ,it        
breathes  throughout the spirit of a    
later age1 its language and style show  
no  traces of an ,accadian original1 and
 the colophon at the end implies  by its
 silence that it was not a copy of an   

older document4 ,no doubt  the story    
itself was an ancient one2 the number   
seven was a sacred  number among the    
,accadians1 who invented the week of    
seven days1 and  kept a seventhday      
,sabbath1 and excavations in ,babylonia 
may yet bring  to light the early       
,chaldean form of the legend4 ,but this 
we do not at  present possess4    ,so   
far as the fragments can be arranged1   
they seem to observe the  following     
order3--    #a4 ,part of the first      
tablet1 giving an account of the ,chaos 
and the  generation of the gods4    #b4 
,fragment of subsequent tablet1 perhaps 
the second on the foundation  of the    
deep4    #c4 ,fragment of tablet placed 
here with great doubt1 possibly         
referring  to the creation of land4     
#d4 ,part of the fifth tablet1 recording
 the creation of the heavenly  bodies4  
#e4 ,fragment of the seventh8 tablet1   
recording the creation of land  animals4
    ,these fragments indicate that the  
series included at least seven  tablets1

 the writing on each tablet being in one
 column on the front  and back1 and     
probably including over one hundred     
lines of text4    ,the first fragment in
 the story is the upper part of the     
first tablet1  giving the description of
 the void or chaos1 and part of the     
generation  of the gods4 ,the           
translation is as follows3    #a4 ,at   
that time above1 the heaven was unnamed3
    #b4 below the earth by name was     
unrecorded2    #c4 the boundless deep   
also 7was7 their generator4    #d4 ,the 
chaos of the sea was she who bore the   
whole of them4    #e4 ,their waters were
 collected together in one place1 and   
#f4 the flowering reed was not gathered1
 the marsh-plant was not grown4    #g4  
,at that time the gods had not been     
produced1 any one of them2    #h4 ,by   
name they had not been called1 destiny  
was not fixed4    #i4 ,were made also   
the 7great7 gods1    #aj4 the gods      
,lakhmu and ,lakhamu were produced 7the 
first71 and    #aa4 to growth           

they44444444    #ab4 the gods ,sar and  
,kisar were made next4    #ac4 ,the days
 were long2 a long 7time passed71 7and7 
#ad4 the gods ,anu 7,bel and ,hea were  
born of7    #ae4 the gods ,sar and      
7,kisar74444444    ,on the reverse of   
this tablet there are only fragments of 
the eight  lines of colophon1 but the   
restoration of the passage is easy2 it  
reads3--    #a4 ,first tablet of 8,at   
that time above0 7name of ,creation     
series74    #b4 ,palace of              
,assur-bani-pal king of nations1 king of
 ,assyria1    #c4 to whom ,nebo and     
,tasmit gave broad ears    #d4 7his7    
seeing eyes regarded the engraved       
characters of the tablets2    #e4 this  
writing which among the kings who went  
before me    #f4 none of them regarded1 
#g4 the secrets of ,nebo1 the literature
 of the library as much as is  suitable1
    #h4 on tablets ,i wrote1 ,i         
engraved1 ,i explained1 and    #i4 for  
the inspection of my people within my   
palace ,i placed4    ,this colophon will

 serve to show the value attached to the
 documents1  and the date of the present
 copies4    ,the fragment of the        
obverse1 broken as it is1 is precious as
 giving the  description of the chaos or
 desolate void before the ,creation of  
the  world1 and the first movement of   
creation4 ,this corresponds with the    
first two verses of the first chapter of
 ,genesis4    #a4 8,in the beginning    
,god created the heaven and the earth4  
#b4 ,and the earth was without form and 
void2 and darkness was upon the  face of
 the deep4 ,and the spirit of ,god moved
 upon the face of the  waters40    ,on  
comparing the fragment of the first     
tablet of the ,creation with the        
extract from ,damascius1 we do not find 
any statement as to there being  two    
principles at first called ,tauthe and  
,apason1 and these producing  ,moymis1  
but in the ,creation tablet the first   
existence is called  ,mummu ,tiamatu1 a 
name meaning 8the chaos of the deep40   
,the compound  ,mummu ,tiamatu1 in fact1

 combines the two names ,moymis and     
,tauthe of  ,damascius4 ,tiamatu must   
also be the same as the ,thalatth of    
,berosus1  which we are expressly told  
was the sea4 ,it should1 therefore1 be  
corrected to ,thavatth1 as ,m4          
,lenormant proposed some years ago4 ,it 
is  evident that1 according to the      
notion of the ,babylonians1 the sea was 
the origin of all things1 and this also 
agrees with the statement of  ,genesis  
i4 #b4 where the chaotic waters are     
called thm1 8the deep10  the same word  
as the ,tiamat of the ,creation text and
 the ,tauthe of  ,damascius4    ,the    
,assyrian word ,mummu is probably       
connected with the ,hebrew  mhmh1       
confusion1 its ,accadian equivalent     
being ,umun4 ,besides  the name of the  
chaotic deep called thm in ,genesis1    
which is1 as  has been said1 evidently  
the ,tiamat of the ,creation text1 we   
have in  ,genesis the word toh1 waste1  
desolate1 or formless1 applied to  this 
chaos4 ,the correspondence between the  

inscription and ,genesis is  complete1  
since both state that a watery chaos    
preceded the creation1  and formed1 in  
fact1 the origin and groundwork of the  
universe4 ,we have  here not only an    
agreement in sense1 but1 what is rarer1 
the same word  used in both narratives  
as the name of this chaos1 and given    
also in  the account of ,damascius4     
,next we have in the inscription the    
creation of the gods ,lakhmu and        
,lakhamu2 these are male and female     
personifications of motion and          
production1 and correspond to the ,dache
 and ,dachus of ,damascius1 and  the    
moving rakh1 the wind1 or spirit of     
,genesis4 ,the next stage  in the       
creation was the production of ,sar and 
,kisar1 representing  the upper expanse 
and the lower expanse1 and corresponding
 with the  ,assorus and ,kissare of     
,damascius4 ,the resemblance in these   
names is  probably even closer than is  
here represented1 since ,sar is         
generally  read ,assur as a deity in    

later times1 being an ordinary symbol   
for the  supreme god of the ,assyrians4 
,so far as can be made out from the     
mutilated text1 the next step in the    
creation of the universe was 7as in     
,damascius7 the generation of the  three
 great gods1 ,anu1 ,elum1 and ,hea1 the 
,anus1 ,illinus1 and ,aus of  that      
writer4 ,anu here symbolizes the heaven1
 ,elum the earth1 and ,hea  the sea4    
,it is probable that the inscription    
went on to relate the generation of  the
 other gods1 and then passed to the     
successive acts of creation by  which   
the world was fashioned4    ,the        
successive forms ,lakhmu and ,lakhamu1  
,sar and ,kisar1 are represented  in    
some of the lists of the gods as names  
or manifestations of ,anu and  ,anatu4  
,these lists were compiled at a time    
when a school of monotheists  had risen 
in ,chaldea1 and an attempt was made on 
the part of its  adherents to resolve   
the various deities of the popular creed
 into  forms of 8the one god0 ,anu4 ,in 

each case there appears to be a male    
and female principle1 which principles  
combine in the formation of the         
universe4    ,as has been already       
remarked1 the conception of a male and  
female  principle was due to the        
,semites4 ,hence it is clear that the   
system of  cosmology embodied in these  
,creation tablets was of ,semitic and   
not  ,accadian origin4    ,the          
resemblance between the extract from    
,damascius and the account  in the      
,creation tablet as to the successive   
stages or forms of the  ,creation1 is   
striking1 and leaves no doubt about the 
source of the  quotation from the ,greek
 writer4    ,the three next tablets in  
the ,creation series are absent1 there  
being  only two doubtful fragments of   
this part of the story4 ,judging from   
the  analogy of the ,book of ,genesis1  
we may conjecture that this part of the 
narrative contained the description of  
the creation of light1 of the           
atmosphere or firmament1 of the dry     

land1 and of plants4 ,one fragment      
which probably belonged to this space is
 a small portion of the top of  a tablet
 referring to the fixing of the dry     
land2 but it may belong to  a later part
 of the story1 since it is part of a    
speech to one of the  gods4 ,this       
fragment is--    #a4 ,at that time the  
foundations of the caverns of rock thou 
didst  make2    #b4 the foundations of  
the caverns thou didst call them 787    
#c4 the heaven was named 444444    #d4  
to the face of the heaven 444444    #e4 
thou didst give 444444    #f4 a man     
444444    ,there is a second more       
doubtful fragment which also may come in
 here1  and1 like the last1 relate to   
the creation of the dry land4 ,it is1   
however1 given under reserve--    #a4   
,the god ,khir 444 si 4444    #b4 ,at   
that time to the god 4444    #c4 ,so be 
it1 ,i concealed thee 4444              
,illustration3 ,,fight ,,between        
,,merodach 7,,bel7 ,,and ,,the ,,dragon4
    #d4 from the day that thou 4444     

#e4 angry thou didst speak 4444    #f4  
,the god ,assur his mouth opened and    
spake1 to the god 4444    #g4 ,above the
 deep1 the seat of 4444    #h4 in front 
of ,bit-,sarra which ,i have made 444   
#i4 below the place ,i strengthen 4444  
#aj4 ,let there be made also ,bit-,lusu1
 the seat 44    #aa4 ,within it his     
stronghold may he build and 44    #ab4  
,at that time from the deep he raised   
4444    #ac4 the place 4444 lifted up ,i
 made 4444    #ad4 above 4444 heaven    
4444    #ae4 the place 4444 lifted up   
thou didst make4    #af4 4444 the city  
of ,assur the temples of the great gods 
4444    #ag4 4444 his father ,anu 4444  
#ah4 the god 4444 thee and over all     
which thy hand has made    #ai4 4444    
thee1 having1 over the earth which thy  
hand has made    #bj4 4444 having1      
,assur which thou hast called its name4 
,this fragment is both mutilated and    
obscure1 and it is more than  doubtful  
whether it has anything to do with the  
,creation tablets4 ,it  seems rather to 

be a local legend relating to ,assur1   
the old capital of  ,assyria1 and       
possibly recording the legend of its    
foundation4 ,bit-,sarra  or ,e-,sarra1  
8the temple of the legions10 was        
dedicated to ,ninip1  and forms part of 
the name of ,tiglath-,pileser           
7,tuculti-pal-esara  8,servant of the   
son of ,bit-,sarra10 i4e4 ,ninip74 ,it  
seems to have  denoted the firmament1   
the 8legions0 or 8hosts0 referring to   
the  multitudinous spirits of heaven4   
,the ,biblical expression 8the ,lord of 
hosts0 may be compared4    ,the next    
recognizable portion of the ,creation   
legends is the upper part  of the fifth 
tablet1 which gives the creation of the 
heavenly bodies1  and runs parallel to  
the account of the fourth day of        
creation in  ,genesis4    ,this tablet  
opens as follows3--      ,fifth ,tablet 
of ,creation ,legend4    ,obverse4      
#a4 7,anu7 made suitable the mansions of
 the 7seven7 great gods4    #b4 ,the    
stars he placed in them1 the lumasi#h he

 fixed4    #c4 ,he arranged the year    
according to the bounds 7or signs of the
  ,zodiac1 ,heb4 mazzaroth7 that he     
defined4    #d4 ,for each of the twelve 
months three stars he fixed4    #e4     
,from the day when the year issues forth
 unto the close1    #f4 he established  
the mansion of the god ,nibiru1 that    
they might know  their laws 7or bonds74 
#g4 ,that they might not err or deflect 
at all1    #h4 the mansion of ,bel and  
,hea he established along with himself4 
#i4 ,he opened also the great gates in  
the sides of the world2    #aj4 the     
bolts he strengthened on the left hand  
and on the right4    #aa4 ,in its centre
 also he made a staircase4    #ab4 ,the 
moon-god he caused to beautify the thick
 night4    #ac4 ,he appointed him also  
to hinder 7or balance7 the night1 that  
the  day may be known1    #ad4 7saying73
 ,every month1 without break1 observe   
thy circle3    #ae4 at the beginning of 
the month also1 when the night is at its
 height4    #af4 7with7 the horns thou  

announcest that the heaven may be known4
    #ag4 ,on the seventh day 7thy7      
circle 7begins to7 fill1    #ah4 but    
open in darkness will remain the half on
 the right 7874#i    #ai4 ,at that time 
the sun 7will be7 on the horizon of     
heaven at thy  7rising74    #bj4 7,thy  
form7 determine and make a 7circle874   
#ba4 7,from hence7 return 7and7 approach
 the path of the sun4    #bb4 7,then7   
will the darkness return2 the sun will  
change4    #bc4 4444444 seek its road4  
#bd4 7,rise and7 set1 and judge         
judgment4    ,all that is left of the   
reverse is the latter half of the last  
line of  the narrative1 and the         
colophon1 which runs thus3--    44444   
the gods on his hearing4    ,fifth      
tablet of 7the series beginning7 ,at    
that time above4    ,property of        
,assur-bani-pal king of nations king of 
,assyria4    ,this fine fragment is a   
typical specimen of the style of the    
whole  series1 and shows a marked stage 
in the ,creation1 the appointment of    

the heavenly orbs4 ,it parallels the    
fourth day of ,creation in the first    
chapter of ,genesis1 where we read3     
8,and ,god said1 ,let there be lights   
in the firmament of the heaven to divide
 the day from the night2 and  let them  
be for lights in the firmament of the   
heaven to divide the day  from the      
night2 and let them be for signs1 and   
for seasons1 and for  days1 and years3  
8#ae4 ,and let them be for lights in the
 firmament of the heaven to give  light 
upon the earth3 and it was so4    8#af4 
,and ,god made two great lights2 the    
greater light to rule the day1  and the 
lesser light to rule the night2 he made 
the stars also4    8#ag4 ,and ,god set  
them in the firmament of the heaven to  
give light upon  the earth1    8#ah4    
,and to rule over the day and over the  
night1 and to divide the  light from the
 darkness3 and ,god saw that it was     
good4    8#ai4 ,and the evening and     
morning were the fourth day40    ,the   
fragment of the first tablet of the     

,creation series was  introductory1 and 
dealt with the generation of the gods   
rather than the  creation of the        
universe1 and when we remember that the 
fifth tablet  contains the ,creation    
given in ,genesis under the fourth day1 
while a  subsequent tablet1 probably the
 seventh1 gives the creation of the     
animals which1 according to ,genesis1   
took place on the sixth day1 it  would  
seem that the events of each of the days
 of ,genesis were recorded  on a        
separate tablet1 and that the numbers of
 the tablets generally  followed in the 
same order as the days of ,creation in  
,genesis1 thus3    ,genesis1 ,chap4 ,i4 
,v4  #a  #b   agree with ,tablet #a4    
,v4  #c to #e  #ast day    probably with
 tablet #b4    ,v4  #f to #h  #bnd day  
probably with tablet #c4    ,v4  #i to  
#ac #crd day    probably with tablet #d4
    ,v4 #ad to #ai #dth day    agree    
with tablet #e4    ,v4 #bj to #bc #eth  
day    probably with tablet #f4    ,v4  
#bd  #be #fth day     probably with     

tablet #g4    ,v4 #bf and following1    
#fth and #gth day1 probably with tablet 
#h4    ,the assertion with which the    
fifth tablet begins may be compared with
  the oft-repeated statement of         
,genesis1 after each act of creative    
power1 that 8,god saw that it was good40
 ,in fact1 the difference between  the  
expressions used by the ,hebrew and     
,assyrian writers seems greater  than it
 really is1 since the word rendered 8to 
make suitable0 comes  from a root which 
signifies 8pleasant0 or 8agreeable40 ,it
 may be noted  that the word yuaddi 8he 
arranged0 or 8appointed0 in the third   
line  has the same root as the ,hebrew  
mdhim1 which is used in the same        
connection ,gen4 i4 #ad in the sense of 
8seasons40    ,we next come to the      
creation of the heavenly orbs1 and just 
as the  book of ,genesis says they were 
set for signs and seasons1 for days and 
years1 so the inscription describes that
 the stars were set in courses  to      
define the year4 ,the twelve            

constellations or signs of the zodiac1  
and two other bands of constellations   
are referred to1 corresponding  with the
 two sets of twelve stars1 one to the   
north and the other to  the south of the
 zodiac1 which according to ,diodorus   
,siculus played a  prominent part in    
,babylonian astronomy4    ,the god      
,nibiru appears in the astronomical     
tablets as one of the stars4  ,here1    
however1 in the account of the          
,creation1 he seems to be the deity  who
 specially presided over the signs of   
the zodiac and the course  of the year1 
and in a hymn to the ,creator1 which    
will be translated  further on1 he takes
 the place of the classical ,fate1 and  
determines  the laws of the universe    
generally1 and of the stars in          
particular4 ,it  is evident1 from the   
opening of the inscription on the first 
tablet of  the great ,chaldean work on  
astrology and astronomy1 that the       
functions  of the stars were according  
to the ,babylonians to act not only as  

regulators of the seasons and the year1 
but to be also used as signs1  as in    
,genesis i4 #ad1 for in those ages it   
was generally believed that  the        
heavenly bodies gave1 by their          
appearance and positions1 signs of      
events which were coming on the earth4  
,the passage given in the eighth line of
 the inscription1 to the effect  that   
the ,god who created the stars fixed    
places or habitations for ,bel  and ,hea
 with himself in the heavens1 points to 
the fact that ,anu1 god  of the heavens1
 was considered to be the creator of the
 heavenly hosts2  for it is he who      
shares with ,bel and ,hea the divisions 
of the face of  the sky1 which was      
divided into three zones4 ,summer was   
the season of  ,bel1 autumn of ,anu1 and
 winter of ,hea1 the season of spring   
not being  recognized by the            
,babylonians4 ,the new moon also was    
called ,anu for the  first five days1   
,hea for the next five1 and ,bel for the
 third4    ,the ninth line of the tablet

 gives us an insight into the           
philosophical  beliefs of the early     
,babylonians4 ,they evidently considered
 that the  world was drawn together out 
of the waters1 and rested or reposed    
upon a vast abyss of chaotic ocean which
 filled the space below the  world4     
,this dark infernal lake was shut in by 
gigantic gates and strong  fastenings1  
which prevented the floods from         
overwhelming the world4 ,in  the centre 
was a staircase which led from the abyss
 below to the region  of light above4   
,the account then goes on to describe   
the creation of the moon for the        
purpose of beautifying the night and    
regulating the calendar4 ,the  phases of
 the moon are recorded3 its commencing  
as a thin crescent at  evening on the   
first day of the month1 and its         
gradually increasing  and travelling    
further into the night4 ,it will be     
noticed that it is  regarded as         
appointed1 in the language of the       
,bible1 8to divide the  day from the    

night10 and to be for a sign and a      
season4 ,the expression  8judge         
judgment0 may be compared with the      
expression of ,genesis 7i4  #ah47 that  
the sun and moon were set 8to rule over 
the day and over the  night40 ,an       
account of the creation of the sun      
probably followed upon  that of the     
creation of the moon4    ,the creation  
of the moon1 however1 is placed first in
 accordance with  the general views of  
the ,babylonians1 who1 as was natural in
 a people  of astronomers1 honoured the 
moon above the sun1 even making the     
sun-god the son of the moon-god4    ,the
 details of the creation of the planets 
and stars1 which would have  been very  
important to us1 are unfortunately lost1
 no further fragment  of this tablet    
having been recovered4    ,the colophon 
at the close of the tablet gives us1    
however1 part of  the first line of the 
sixth tablet1 but not enough to         
determine its  subject4 ,it is probable 
that this dealt with the creation of    

creatures  of the water and fowls of the
 air1 and that these were the creation  
of  ,bel1 the companion deity to ,anu4  
,the next tablet1 the seventh in the    
series1 is probably represented  by a   
curious fragment1 which was found by    
,mr4 ,smith in one of the  trenches at  
,kouyunjik4    ,this fragment is like   
some of the others1 the upper portion of
 a tablet  much broken1 and only        
valuable from its generally clear       
meaning4 ,the  translation is as        
follows3    #a4 ,at that time the gods  
in their assembly created 44444    #b4  
,they made suitable the strong monsters 
44444    #c4 ,they caused to come living
 creatures 44444    #d4 cattle of the   
field1 beasts of the field1 and creeping
 things of the  field 44444    #e4 ,they
 fixed for the living creatures 44444   
#f4 44444 cattle and creeping things of 
the city they fixed 44444    #g4 44444  
the assembly of the creeping things1 the
 whole which were  created 44444    #h4 
44444 which in the assembly of my family

 444    #i4 44444 and the god ,nin-si-ku
 7the lord of noble face7 joined the two
  together 44444    #aj4 44444 to the   
assembly of the creeping things ,i gave 
life 44444    #aa4 44444 the seed of    
,lakhamu ,i destroyed 44444    ,this    
tablet corresponds with the sixth day of
 ,creation in ,genesis 7i4  #bd-be73    
8,and ,god said1 ,let the earth bring   
forth the living creature  after his    
kind1 cattle1 and creeping thing1 and   
beast of the earth  after his kind3 and 
it was so4    8,and ,god made the beast 
of the earth after his kind1 and cattle 
after  their kind1 and everything that  
creepeth upon the earth after his kind3 
and ,god saw that it was good40    ,the 
,assyrian tablet commences with a       
statement of the satisfaction a  former 
creation1 apparently that of the        
monsters or whales1 had given2  here    
referring to ,genesis i4 #bc4 ,it then  
goes on to relate the creation  of      
living animals on land1 three kinds     
being distinguished1 exactly  agreeing  

with the ,genesis account1 and then we  
have in the ninth line a  curious       
reference to the god ,nin-si-ku 7one of 
the names of ,hea74 ,one  of ,hea's     
titles was 8the lord of mankind10 and   
,sir ,henry ,rawlinson has  endeavoured 
to show that ,eridu1 the city of ,hea1  
was identical with the  ,biblical       
,garden of ,eden4 ,we may here notice a 
tablet which refers to  the creation of 
man4 ,in this tablet1 ,k #fc1 the       
creation of the human  race is given to 
,hea1 and all the references in other   
inscriptions  make this his work4 ,as in
 ,genesis1 so in these cuneiform tablets
 the  ,creator is made to speak and to  
address the objects which he calls into 
existence4    ,the next fragment was    
supposed by ,mr4 ,smith to relate to the
 fall of  man and to contain the speech 
of the deity to the newly-created pair4 
,this1 however1 is extremely doubtful1  
as will appear from the revised         
translation below4 ,the fragment is in  
so broken a condition that almost       

anything may be made out of it4 ,it is  
possible that nothing more is  intended 
by it than instructions as to the       
construction of an image of  a household
 god or spirit and the correct mode of  
worshipping it4      ,k #ccfd obverse4  
7,many lines lost47    #a4 ,the whole   
day thy god thou shalt approach 7or     
invoke71    #b4 sacrifice1 the prayer of
 the mouth1 the image 444444    #c4 to  
thy god a heart engraved 44444 thou     
hast4    #d4 ,how long to the image of  
the divinity1    #e4 supplication1      
humility1 and bowing of the face1    #f4
 fire 787 dost thou give to him1 and    
bringest tribute1    #g4 and in         
reverence also with me thou goest       
straight8    #h4 ,in thy knowledge 787  
also behold2 in the tablets 7writing7   
#i4 worship and blessing thou exaltest4 
#aj4 ,sacrifice and the preservation 444
    #aa4 and prayer for sin 4444    #ab4
 the fear of the gods deserts thee 787  
not 4444    #ac4 the fear of the        
,anunnaci thou completest 4444    #ad4  

,with friend and comrade speech thou    
makest 4444    #ae4 ,in the under-world 
speech thou makest to the propitious    
genii4    #af4 ,when thou speakest also 
he will give 4444    #ag4 ,when thou    
trustest also thou 4444    #ah4 444 a   
comrade also 4444    #ai4 4444 thou     
trustest a friend 4444    #bj4 7,in7 thy
 knowledge 787 also      ,reverse4      
7,many lines lost47    #a4 in the       
presence of beauty 4444 thou didst speak
    #b4 thy beauty 4444    #c4 beauty   
also 4444 the female spirit 787    #d4  
,an age thou revolvest 44 his enemies8  
#e4 his rising 787 he seeks 4444 the man
 4444    #f4 with the lord of thy beauty
 thou makest fat 787    #g4 to do evil  
thou shalt not approach him1    #h4 at  
thy illness 4444 to him    #i4 at thy   
distress 4444    ,the next fragment is a
 small one2 it is the lower corner of a 
tablet  with the ends of a few lines4   
,mr4 ,smith connected it with the legend
 of  the fall of man1 but the mention of
 the god ,sar-tuli-elli1 8the king of   

the illustrious mound10 would rather    
indicate that it has to do with  the    
story of the ,tower of ,babel4 ,as1     
however1 the fragment is too small  and 
mutilated to decide the question1 it has
 been allowed to remain in  the place   
assigned to it by ,mr4 ,smith1 and not  
transferred to a later  chapter4        
,according to ,sir ,h4 ,rawlinson1 8the 
holy mound0 is now represented by  the  
ruins of ,amrn4 ,at any rate1 it stood  
on the site of the ,tower  of ,babel and
 was dedicated to the god ,anu4 ,along  
with the adjoining  buildings1 among    
which are to be numbered the royal      
palace and the  famous hanging gardens1 
it formed a particular quarter of       
,babylon1  enclosed within its own wall 
and known under the name of ,su-,anna1  
the  8,valley of ,anu10 which ,sir ,h4  
,rawlinson proposes to read ,khalann1   
and identify with the ,calneh of the    
,old ,testament4 ,in support of his     
reading he refers to the statement of   
the ,septuagint in ,isaiah x4 #i43      

8,have not ,i taken the region above    
,babylon and ,khalann1 where the  tower 
was built80      ,obverse4    #a4 4444  
seat her 787    #b4 4444 all the lords  
#c4 4444 his might    #d4 4444 the gods1
 lord of the mighty hour 787    #e4 4444
 lord of the kingdom magnified4    #f4  
4444 mightily supreme4      ,reverse4   
#a4 4444 ,hea called#aj to his men      
#b4 4444 the path of his greatness      
#c4 4444 any god    #d4 4444            
,sar-tuli-elli 7the king of the         
illustrious mound7 his  knowledge 787   
#e4 4444 his illustrious 444444    #f4  
4444 his fear 787 ,sar-tuli-elli    #g4 
4444 his might    #h4 4444 to them1 in  
the midst of the sea    #i4 4444 thy    
father battle    ,we may conclude this  
chapter with a fragment of some length1 
which ,mr4  ,smith erroneously supposed 
to refer to the ,fall4 ,his mistake     
arose from  the imperfect state in which
 the text of it has been preserved1 and 
the consequent obscurity of its         
reference and meaning4 ,dr4 ,oppert has 

shown that it really contains a hymn to 
the ,creator ,hea4 ,before the          
commencement of lines #a1 #e1 #aa1 #ai1 
#bg1 and #bi on the obverse1 there  are 
glosses stating that the divine titles  
commencing these lines all  apply to the
 same deity4 ,these explanatory glosses 
show that even in  the ,assyrian time   
the allusions in the original text were 
not all  intelligible without the help  
of a commentary4      ,obverse4    #a4  
,the god of 7propitious7 ,life 44444    
7secondly7    #b4 who established light 
44444    #c4 their precepts 44444    #d4
 ,never may they forsake 7their7        
boundaries 444    #e4 ,the god of       
illustrious ,life1 thirdly1 he was      
called1 the director of  the bright     
7firmament71    #f4 the god of good     
winds1 the lord of hearing and          
obedience1    #g4 the creator of lean   
787 and fat1 the establisher of         
fertility1    #h4 who has brought to    
increase them that were small at the    
outset4    #i4 ,in the mighty thickets  

we have smelt his good wind4    #aj4    
,may he command1 may he glorify1 may he 
hearken to his worshippers4    #aa4 ,the
 god of the illustrious ,crown1         
fourthly1 may he quicken the  dust6     
#ab4 ,lord of the illustrious charm1 who
 gives life to the dead1    #ac4 who to 
the hostile gods has granted return1    
#ad4 the homage they rendered he has    
caused the gods his foes to submit  to4 
#ae4 ,that they might obey 787 he has   
created mankind1    #af4 the merciful   
one with whom is life4    #ag4 ,may he  
establish1 and never may his word be    
forgotten    #ah4 in the mouth of the   
black-headed race whom his hands        
created4    #ai4 ,the god of the        
illustrious incantation1 fifthly1 may   
his foes 787  be overthrown 7or         
answered7 with hostile curse 787    #bj4
 ,he who with his illustrious           
incantation has removed the curse of    
the enemy4    #ba4 ,the ,god the        
,heart-knower1 who knows the hearts of  
the gods1 who fly  from the fear of him3

    #bb4 the doing of evil they caused  
not to come forth against him4    #bc4  
,he who establishes the assembly of the 
gods1 7who knows7 their  hearts1    #bd4
 who subdues the disobedient 44444      
#be4 who directs justice 44444    #bf4  
who 7defends87 sovereignty 44444    #bg4
 ,the god of prosperous life1 7sixthly7 
44444    #bh4 he who cuts off darkness  
787 44444    #bi4 ,the god ,sukhkhab    
7871 thirdly1 the flock 787 444    #cj4 
he who adds unto them 44444             
,reverse4    #a4 44444 the star 44444   
#b4 may he seize that which has the head
 in the tail 78 a comet7    #c4 since   
that in the midst of the sea he passed  
over 44444    #d4 ,his name accordingly 
7is7 ,nibiru 7the passer over71 the     
possessor  44444    #e4 may he 7confirm7
 the precepts 7or laws7 of the stars of 
heaven4    #f4 ,like sheep may he feed  
the gods all of them2    #g4 may he     
exorcise the sea1 its treasures may he  
hedge in and summon    #h4 among men    
hereafter through length of days4    #i4

 ,may he also remove mischief2 may he   
overcome it for the future4    #aj4     
,because 7all7 places he made1 he       
pierced1 he strengthened4    #aa4 ,lord 
of the world is his name called1 7even7 
father ,bel4    #ab4 ,the names of the  
angels he gave to them4    #ac4 ,hea    
also heard1 and his liver 7i4 e4 anger7 
was lulled1    #ad4 7saying7 8,since    
that his men he has quickened by his    
name1    #ae4 he like myself has the    
name of ,hea4    #af4 ,the bond of my   
command may he bring to them all1 and   
#ag4 all my tereti 7lots87 may he answer
 or throw down    #ah4 by the fifty     
names of the great gods40    #ai4 ,his  
fifty names they pronounced2 they       
restored his precepts4    #bj4 ,may they
 be observed and1 as formerly1 may he   
speak4    #ba4 ,unsearchable1 wise1     
triumphantly may he rule4    #bb4 ,may  
father to son repeat and exalt 7them74  
#bc4 ,may he open the ears of shepherd  
and flocks4    #bd4 ,may 7the shepherd7 
obey ,merodach1 ,bel among the gods4    

#be4 ,may his land be green1 may he     
himself be at peace4    #bf4            
,established 7is7 his word1 unyielding  
his command2    #bg4 the utterance of   
his mouth no god has ever despised4     
#bh4 ,he was called by name and         
withdraws not his neck4    #bi4 ,in the 
abundance of his strength there is no   
god1 that receives for  him his crown4  
#cj4 ,far-reaching 7is7 his heart1 an   
abyss 7is7 his stomach3    #ca4 ,sin and
 cursing before him disappear4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,in a second copy which presents several
 variations lines #ad to #ai are        
omitted4    ,it is evident that this    
hymn to the ,creator emanated from what 
,sir  ,henry ,rawlinson has termed the  
monotheistic party among the ancient    
,babylonians1 and that the speech of    
,hea in lines #ad to #ai has been       
inserted by a poet who did not belong to
 it4 ,the various deities of  the       
popular faith are all resolved into the 
one supreme ,god1 the maker  of the     

world and man1 who was worshipped at    
,babylon under the names  of ,bel1 8the 
,lord10 and ,merodach the sun-god1 at   
,eridu under that of  ,hea and at ,nipur
 under that of ,anu4 ,the gods of the   
multitude are said  to be only the fifty
 names of the ,creator4 ,to him is      
ascribed the  regulation of the stars1  
the naming of the angels1 and the       
subjection  of the subordinate          
demi-gods1 and marginal notes expressly 
state that  the several titles under    
which the ,creator is addressed on the  
obverse  of the tablets1 all belong to  
one and the same divinity4    ,in the   
popular mythology the part of the       
,creator was usually assigned  to       
,merodach4 ,thus we find the latter     
deity addressed as follows in a         
mutilated bilingual hymn 7,k #bifb      
,obv473--    #a4 ,king of the land1 lord
 of the world1    #b4 444 protector of  
heaven and earth1    #c4 firstborn of   
the god ,hea1    #d4 the restorer of    
heaven and earth1    #e4 444 mighty lord

 of mankind1 king of the world4    #f4  
444 the god of gods1    #g4 7lord7 of   
heaven and earth1 who hast no equal1    
#h4 companion of ,anu and ,bel1    #i4  
the merciful one among the gods1    #aj4
 the merciful who raisest the dead to   
life1    #aa4 ,merodach1 the king of    
heaven and earth1    #ab4 the king of   
,babylon1 the lord of ,bit-,saggil1     
#ac4 the king of ,bit-,zida1 the lord of
 the mighty temple of life1    #ad4     
heaven and earth are thine1    #ae4 the 
circuit of heaven and earth is thine1   
#af4 the charm 7to produce7 life is     
thine1    #ag4 the philtre of life is   
thine1    #ah4 the ,illustrious ,king1  
the mouth of the ,abyss1 is thine2      
#ai4 mankind1 7even7 the men with the   
black heads1    #bj4 living creatures1  
as many as are called by a name1 as     
exist in the  land1    #ba4 the four    
quarters of the world1 as many as there 
are1    #bb4 the angels of the hosts of 
heaven and earth1 as many as there are1 
7are thine74    ,in these references to 

the names of the living creatures made  
by the  ,creator at the beginning of the
 world1 we are irresistibly reminded of 
the passage in ,genesis ii4 #ai41 where 
we read that 8out of the ground  ,god   
formed every beast of the field and     
every fowl of the air2 and  brought them
 to ,adam to see what he would call     
them3 and whatsoever  ,adam called every
 living creature1 that was the name     
thereof40    ,one of the most curious   
statements made in these hymns is that  
the race  of men created by the deity   
was black-headed4 ,the same race of men 
is mentioned elsewhere in the ancient   
literature of the ,accadians4  ,thus in 
a hymn to the goddess ,gula1 the goddess
 is described as 8the  mother who bore  
the men of the black heads10 and in     
another hymn the  sun-god is declared to
 8direct the men of the black heads40   
,sargon of  ,agan is further described  
as ruling over 8all the men of the black
  heads10 and in imitation of this mode 
of expression ,sennacherib in  later    

days speaks of having overcome 8all the 
black-headed race40 ,the  black-headed  
race of ,sennacherib1 however1 was the  
,turanian population  of ,elam and the  
adjoining districts on the east of      
,babylonia1 whereas  it is plain that   
the ,accadian hymns mean by the         
black-headed race the  ,accadian people 
itself4 ,it was over them that ,sargon  
of ,agan1 the  ,semite1 boasts of having
 extended his sway1 though according to 
an old  geographical list it was ,sumer 
or ,shinar rather than ,accad1 which was
  inhabited by the people of 8the       
black-face40 ,but after all there is no 
contradiction between the statements of 
,sennacherib and of the hymns4  ,the    
,accadians belonged to the same race as 
the ,turanian inhabitants of  ,elam1 and
 spoke a similar language to theirs4    
,now we shall find in the account of the
 exploits of ,dibbara1 which will  be   
translated in a subsequent chapter1 that
 the black race1 which is  identified   
with the ,accadians1 is contrasted with 

the people of ,syria1  while in the     
bilingual tablets1 the black race is    
similarly contrasted  with the white    
race4 ,hence it is clear that the white 
race was the  same as the ,syrians1 and 
since the ,syrians were ,semites1 the   
white  race must have been synonymous in
 the language of the ,accadians with    
,semitic4 ,as a matter of fact1 the     
,semites belong to the white-skinned    
division of mankind1 and were           
accordingly painted yellow by the       
,egyptians4 ,the ,accadian population1  
on the other hand1 belonged to the      
dark-skinned division1 though it is not 
necessary to suppose them to  have been 
as black as the negro or the 8blameless 
,ethiopian40 ,in the  bilingual tablets1
 the black race is rendered in ,assyrian
 by the word  ,adamatu or 8red-skins40  
,a popular etymology connected this word
 ,adamatu with the word ,adamu  or admu1
 8man10 partly on account of the        
similarity of sound1 partly  because in 
the age of ,accadian supremacy and      

literature1 the men par  excellence1 the
 special human beings made by the       
,creator1 were the  dark-skinned race of
 ,accad4 ,the ,accadian ,adam or 8man0  
was dark2 it  was only when the culture 
of the ,accadians had been handed on to 
their  ,semitic successors that he      
became fair4    ,the discovery that the 
,biblical ,adam is identical with the   
,assyrian  ,adamu or 8man10 and that the
 ,assyrian ,adamu goes back to the      
first-created man of ,accadian tradition
 who belonged to the black1 that  is1 to
 the ,accadian race1 is due to ,sir     
,henry ,rawlinson4 ,he has also         
suggested that the contrast between the 
black and the white races1  between the 
,accadian and the ,semite1 is indicated 
in the sixth chapter  of ,genesis1 where
 a contrast is drawn between the        
daughters of men1 or  ,adamu1 and the   
sons of ,god4 ,it was owing to the      
intermarriage of the  sons of ,god with 
the ,adamites that the evils were spread
 which brought  down upon the world the 

punishment of the ,deluge4    ,it was   
,sir ,henry ,rawlinson who further      
pointed out that the ,biblical  ,gn     
,eden1 or 8,garden of ,eden10 is        
,gan-,duniyas 7also called ,gun-duni71  
a name under which ,babylonia is        
frequently known in the ,assyrian       
inscriptions4 ,gan-,duniyas signifies   
8the enclosure0 or 8fortress of the  god
 ,duniyas10 a deity whose nature and    
attributes are still obscure1  and who  
may have been merely a deified monarch  
of the country4 ,two  of the four rivers
 of ,paradise are the two great rivers  
that enclose  the fruitful plain of     
,babylonia1 the ,tigris1 and the        
,euphrates4 ,the  ,euphrates was called 
,purrat1 or 8the curving water0 in      
,accadian from  its shape2 the ,tigris  
was known under the name of ,masgugar1  
8the  current10 ,tiggar1 and ,idikna or 
,idikla1 from the latter of which comes 
the ,hiddekhel of ,genesis1 with        
prefixed ,accadian hid1 8river40 ,gihon 
is identified with the ,arakhtu or      

,araxes1 8the river of ,babylon10  which
 flowed westward into the desert of     
,arabia or ,cush1 though ,sir ,h4       
,rawlinson suggests its identity with   
the modern ,jukh1 which runs past  the  
site of ,eridu1 while ,sargon calls     
,elam the country of 8the four          
rivers40#aa    ,the tree of life was    
well known to the ,accadians and the    
,assyrians  after them1 and the         
bas-reliefs of ,nineveh frequently      
present us with  a representation of it1
 guarded on either side by a winged     
cherub who  has the head sometimes of a 
man1 sometimes of an eagle4 ,the tree   
always  assumes a conventional form1 and
 since it generally bears fir-cones  we 
may infer that the ,accadians brought   
the tradition of it with them  from     
their original seat in the colder       
mountainous land of ,media1 where  the  
fir was plentiful1 and identified it    
with the palm-tree only after  their    
settlement in ,chaldea4 ,an old name of 
,babylon1 or of a part of  ,babylon1 was

 ,din-,tir1 8the life of the forest10   
which may possibly have  some connection
 with the tree of life4 ,the special    
spot1 however1 in  which the site of the
 tree of life was localized was close to
 the city  of ,eridu1 now represented by
 ,dhib according to ,sir ,h4 ,rawlinson1
 where  the solar hero ,tammuz was      
supposed to have received the death-blow
  which obliged him to spend one half   
the year in the lower world4            
,illustration3 ,,sacred ,,tree1 ,,or    
,,grove1 ,,with ,,attendant ,,cherubim1 
,,from  ,,assyrian ,,cylinder4    ,a    
fragmentary bilingual hymn speaks thus  
of the sacred spot1 and of the  tree of 
life that grew therein3--    #a4 ,in    
,eridu a dark pine grew1 in an          
illustrious place it was planted4    #b4
 ,its 7root7 was of white crystal which 
spread towards the deep4    #c4 ,the    
7shrine87 of ,hea 7was7 its pasturage in
 ,eridu1 a canal full of  7water74      
#d4 ,its seat 7was7 the 7central7 place 
of this earth4    #e4 ,its shrine 7was7 

the couch of mother ,zicum1 7the mother 
of gods and  men74    #f4 ,the 7roof7 of
 its illustrious temple like a forest   
spread its shade2  there 7was7 none who 
within entered4    #g4 7,it was the     
seat7 of the mighty mother 7,zicum71 the
 begetter of ,anu4    ,eridu was the    
special seat of the worship of ,hea1 and
 was often known  as 8the good city40   
,the flaming sword1 which according to  
,genesis guarded the approach to  the   
tree of life is paralleled by the       
flaming sword of ,merodach1 which  is   
explained to be the lightning4 ,it was  
with this sword which is  represented on
 the monuments as having the form of a  
sickle like the  sword of the ,greek    
hero ,perseus1 that ,merodach overthrew 
the dragon and  the powers of darkness4 
,a hymn put into the mouth of ,merodach1
 thus  speaks of it3--    ,the sun of   
fifty faces1 the lofty weapon of my     
divinity1 ,i bear4    ,the hero that    
striketh the mountains1 the propitious  
sun of the  morning1 that is mine1 ,i   

bear4    ,my mighty weapon1 which like  
an orb smites in a circle the corpses of
  the fighters1 ,i bear4    ,the striker
 of mountains1 my murderous weapon of   
,anu1 ,i bear4    ,the striker of       
mountains1 the fish with seven tails1   
that is mine1 ,i  bear4    ,the terror  
of battle1 the destroyer of rebel lands1
 that is mine1 ,i  bear4    ,the        
defender of conquests1 the great sword1 
the falchion of my  divinity1 ,i bear4  
,that from whose hand the mountain      
escapes not1 the hand of the hero of    
battle1 which is mine1 ,i bear4    ,the 
delight 787 of heroes1 my spear of      
battle1 7,i bear74    ,my crown which   
strikes against men1 the bow of the     
lightning1 7,i bear74    ,the crusher of
 the temples of rebel lands1 my club and
 buckler of  battle1 7,i bear74    ,the 
lightning of battle1 my weapon of fifty 
heads1 7,i bear74    ,the feathered     
monster of seven heads1 like the huge   
serpent of seven  heads1 7,i bear74     
,like the serpent that beats the sea1   

7which attacks7 the foe in the  face1   
the devastator of forceful battle1 lord 
over heaven and earth1 the  weapon of   
7seven7 heads1 7,i bear74    ,that which
 maketh the light come forth like day1  
god of the ,east1 my  burning power1 7,i
 bear74    ,the establisher of heaven   
and earth1 the fire-god1 who has not his
  rival1 7,i bear74    ,illustration3   
,,sacred ,,tree1 ,,seated ,,figure ,,on 
,,each ,,side1 ,,and ,,serpent ,,in     
,,background1 ,,from ,,an ,,early       
,,babylonian ,,cylinder4    ,allusion is
 made in this hymn1 it will be noticed1 
to a fabulous  serpent with seven heads1
 which beats the sea into waves4 ,this  
serpent  was originally identical with  
the dragon of the deep1 combated  by    
,merodach1 as we shall learn from a     
fragment to be translated  hereafter1   
that is to say with the principle of    
chaos and darkness1  called ,mummu      
,tiamtu1 8the chaos of the deep10 in the
 account of the  creation4 ,it is also  
described as 8the serpent of night10    

8the serpent  of darkness10 8the wicked 
serpent10 and 8the mightily strong      
serpent10  epithets which show that it  
was on the one hand the embodiment of   
moral  evil1 and on the other was       
primitively nothing more than the       
darkness  destroyed by the sun1 the     
bright power of day4 ,it is difficult   
not  to compare the serpent of ,genesis 
with this serpent of ,babylonian        
mythology4 ,no ,chaldean legend of the  
,fall has as yet been found1 but  when  
we remember how few ,chaldean legends   
have been discovered1 and  that even for
 these we are dependent on the selection
 and copies of  ,assyrian scribes1 we   
need not be surprised that such should  
be the  case4 ,the ,babylonian colouring
 of the history in ,genesis1 the fact   
that  the rivers of ,paradise are       
,babylonian rivers1 and that the tree of
 life  was familiar to ,babylonian art  
and tradition1 make it probable that we 
shall yet discover the ,chaldean version
 of the ,fall of ,man as soon as  the   

libraries of ,babylonia have been       
explored4 ,indeed1 this is made  almost 
certain by the existence of an early    
,babylonian seal1 now in  the ,british  
,museum1 on which a tree is represented 
with a human figure  seated on either   
side of it1 with the hands stretched out
 towards the  fruit1 and a serpent      
standing erect behind one of them4 ,we  
know that  the devices on these early   
seals were taken from the popular       
legends  and myths4 ,it must be         
admitted1 however1 that the two figures 
seem both  to be males4    ,but if      
references to the ,fall are few and     
obscure1 there can be  no doubt that the
 ,sabbath was an ,accadian institution1 
intimately  connected with the worship  
of the seven planets4 ,the astronomical 
tablets have shown that the seven-day   
week was of ,accadian origin1  each day 
of it being dedicated to the sun1 moon1 
and five planets1 and  the word ,sabbath
 itself1 under the form of ,sabattu1 was
 known to the  ,assyrians1 and explained

 by them as 8a day of rest for the      
heart40 ,a  calendar of ,saint's days   
for the month of the intercalary ,elul  
makes  the #gth1 #adth1 #aith1 #bast1   
and #bhth days of the lunar month       
,sabbaths  on which no work was allowed 
to be done4 ,the ,accadian words by     
which  the idea of ,sabbath is denoted1 
literally mean1 8a day on which work is 
unlawful10 and are interpreted in the   
bilingual tablets as signifying  8a day 
of peace0 or 8completion of labours40   
,the calendar lays down the  following  
injunctions to the king for each of     
these sabbaths3--    ,a ,sabbath3 the   
prince of many nations the flesh of     
animals and cooked  food may not eat4   
,the garments of his body he may not    
change4 ,white robes he may not put  on4
    ,sacrifice he may not offer4 ,the   
king may not ride in his chariot4    ,in
 royal fashion he may not legislate4 ,a 
review of the army the general  may not 
hold4    ,medicine for his sickness of  
body he may not apply4    ,illustration3

 ,,merodach ,,attacking ,,the ,,serpent1
 ,,on ,,an ,,assyrian ,,cylinder1  ,,in 
,,the ,,possession ,,of ,,dr4 ,s4       
,,wells ,,williams1 ,,newhaven4    ,the 
antiquity of this text is evident not   
only from the fact that it  has been    
translated from an ,accadian original1  
but also from the word  rendered        
8prince10 which literally means 8a      
shepherd10 and takes us  back to the    
early times when the ,accadian monarchs 
still remembered  that their            
predecessors had been only              
shepherd-chieftains4    ,before         
concluding this chapter1 it must be     
noted that the word  translated 8the    
sea10 in lines three and seven of the   
reverse of the  hymn to the ,creator1 is
 ,tiamtu1 which1 as we have seen1 was   
the name  applied to the deep1 upon     
which the ,babylonians believed that the
 earth  rested1 and out of which it had 
been brought into existence4            
,,footnotes3    #h ,the seven 8sheep 7or
 oxen7 of the hero0 ,tammuz 7,orion71 of

 which  the first was 8the              
plough-handle10 perhaps ,benelnash4 ,one
 of the others  was 8the shepherd of the
 heavenly flock0 or ,arcturus4    #i    
,this is ,dr4 ,oppert's rendering of a  
line which is so mutilated as  to make  
any attempt at translation extremely    
doubtful4    #aj ,the word used here is 
,accadian 7ba-an-an-me74    #aa ,since1 
however1 a bilingual tablet states that 
the pronunciation  of the ,accadian word
 for 8the desert0 which lay on the west 
side of the  ,euphrates 7where ,ur was  
built7 was edinna1 it is possible that  
8the  ,garden of ,eden0 of ,genesis may 
be the cultivated portion of edinna1    
8the desert10 in the neighbourhood of   
,eridu4          ,,chapter ,,vi4        
,,other ,,babylonian ,,accounts ,,of    
,,the ,,creation4     ,cuneiform        
accounts originally                     
traditions4--,variations4--,account   of
 ,berosus4--,tablet from                
,cutha4--,translation4--,composite      
animals4--,eagle-headed men4--,seven    

brothers4--,destruction of men4--,seven 
wicked spirits4--,mythical explanation  
of lunar eclipses4--,hymn   to the ,god 
of ,fire4--,war in                      
heaven4--,tiamat-,merodach4--,the great 
dragon4--,parallel ,biblical account4   
,the traditions embodied by ,accadians  
and ,assyrians in the literature  of    
which specimens have been given in the  
preceding chapter1 had  been handed down
 by word of mouth through many          
generations1 and  committed to writing  
only at a comparatively late period4    
,when such  is the case1 traditions are 
naturally liable to vary1 sometimes very
  widely1 according to the period and   
condition of the country4 ,thus  many   
different versions of a story arise1 and
 there can be no doubt  that this was   
actually the case with the ,creation    
legends4 ,the account  of the ,creation 
in six days was not the only account of 
the ,creation  current among the        
inhabitants of ,assyria and ,babylonia4 
,it was but  one out of many which had  

slowly grown up among the people1 and   
been finally thrown into a literary     
form4 ,the story of the ,creation       
transmitted through ,berosus 7see       
chapter iii4 pp4 #cd-cf71 for example1  
supplies us with an account which       
differs entirely from the cuneiform     
account in the last chapter as well as  
from the ,genesis account1 and  some    
fragments of tablets from ,kouyunjik    
belonging to the library of             
,assur-bani-pal give a copy1 mutilated  
as usual1 of a third version  which has1
 however1 points of agreement with the  
account of ,berosus4  ,this legend1 of  
which the following is a translation1 is
 stated to be  copied from a tablet at  
,cutha4      ,legend of ,creation from  
,cutha tablet4    7,many lines lost at  
commencement47    #a4 4444 his lord1 the
 crown of the gods 4444    #b4 the      
spearmen of his host1 the spearmen of   
7his7 host 4444    #c4 lord of those    
above and those below1 lord of the      
angels 4444    #d4 who drank turbid     

waters and pure waters did not drink    
4444    #e4 who with his flame1 as a    
weapon1 that host enclosed1    #f4 has  
taken1 has devoured4    #g4 ,on a       
memorial-stone he wrote not1 he         
disclosed not1 and bodies and  produce  
#h4 in the earth he caused not to come  
forth1 and ,i approached him not4    #i4
 ,warriors with the bodies of birds of  
the desert1 men    #aj4 with the faces  
of ravens1    #aa4 these the great gods 
created1    #ab4 in the earth the gods  
created their city4    #ac4 ,tiamtu gave
 them suck1    #ad4 their life 787 the  
mistress of the gods created4    #ae4   
,in the midst of the earth they grew up 
and became strong1 and    #af4 increased
 787 in number1    #ag4 ,seven kings1   
brethren1 were made to come as          
begetters2    #ah4 six thousand in      
number were their armies4    #ai4 ,the  
god ,banini their father was king1 their
 mother    #bj4 the queen was ,melili1  
#ba4 their eldest brother who went      
before them1 ,memangab was his name1    

#bb4 their second brother ,medudu was   
his name1    #bc4 their third brother   
4444 pakh was his name1    #bd4 their   
fourth brother 4444 dada was his name1  
#be4 their fifth brother 4444 takh was  
his name1    #bg4 their sixth brother   
4444 ruru was his name1    #bh4 their   
seventh brother 4444 7rara7 was his     
name4      ,,column ,,ii4    7,many     
lines lost47    #a4 44444 the evil curse
 4444    #b4 ,the man his will turned   
4444    #c4 on a 4444 ,i arranged4      
#d4 ,on a 7tablet7 the evil curse       
7which7 in blood he raised    #e4 7,i   
wrote and the children of7 the generals 
,i urged on4    #f4 ,seven 7against     
seven in7 breadth ,i arranged them4     
#g4 7,i established7 the illustrious    
7ordinances87    #h4 ,i prayed to the   
great gods    #i4 ,istar1 44441 ,zamama1
 ,anunit1    #aj4 ,nebo 4444 and ,samas 
the warrior1    #aa4 the son of 7the    
moon-god71 the gods that go 7before me74
    #ab4 4444 he did not give and       
#ac4 thus ,i said in my heart1    #ad4  

that1 ,here am ,i and    #ae4 may ,i not
 go 4444 7beneath7 the ground4    #af4  
may ,i not go 444444 may the prayer     
#ag4 go when 4444 my heart1    #ah4 may 
,i renew1 the iron in my hand may ,i    
take4    #ai4 ,the first year in the    
course of it    #bj4 one hundred and    
twenty thousand soldiers ,i sent out1   
and among them    #ba4 not one returned4
    #bb4 ,the second year in the course 
of it1 ninety thousand ,i sent out1  and
 not one returned4    #bc4 ,the third   
year in the course of it1 sixty thousand
 seven hundred ,i  sent out1 and not one
 returned4    #bd4 ,they were rooted    
out1 they were smitten with sickness2 ,i
 ate1    #be4 ,i rejoiced1 ,i rested4   
#bf4 ,thus ,i said to my heart that1    
,here am ,i and    #bg4 for my reign    
what is left 7to rule over78    #bh4 ,i 
the king1 am not the replenisher of his 
country1      ,,column ,,iii4    #a4 and
 7,i71 the shepherd1 am not the         
replenisher of his people1    #b4 since 
,i established corpses1 and a desert is 

left4    #c4 ,the whole of the country  
7and7 men with night1 death 7and7 plague
 ,i  cursed it4    #d4 7,i afflicted    
them7 as many as exist4    #e4 444444   
there descended    #f4 444444 a         
whirlwind4    #g4 444444 its whirlwind4 
#h4 44444444444 all4    #i4 ,the        
foundations 7of the earth were shaken87 
#aj4 ,the gods 4444444    #aa4 ,thou    
didst bind and 44444    #ab4 and they   
were bound 787 4444    #ac4 ,thou       
protectedst 44444    #ad4 ,a memorial of
 44444444    #ae4 in supplication to    
,hea 4444    #af4 ,illustrious memorial 
sacrifices 4444    #ag4 ,illustrious    
tereti 444444    #ah4 ,i collected2 the 
children of the generals 7,i urged on74 
#ai4 ,seven against seven in breadth ,i 
arranged4    #bj4 ,i established the    
illustrious ordinances 787    #ba4 ,i   
prayed to 7the great7 gods1    #bb4     
,istar 4444 7,zamama1 ,anunit17    #bc4 
,nebo 444 7and the ,sun-god1 the        
warrior17    #bd4 the son 7of the       
,moon-god1 the gods who go before me74  

,,column ,,iv4    7,several lines lost  
at commencement47    #a4 ,thou ,o king1 
viceroy1 shepherd1 or any one else1     
#b4 whom ,god shall call to rule the    
kingdom1    #c4 this tablet ,i made for 
thee1 this record-stone ,i wrote for    
thee1    #d4 in the city of ,cutha1 in  
the temple of ,gallam1    #e4 in the    
sanctuary of ,nergal1 ,i leave for thee2
    #f4 this record-stone see1 and1     
#g4 to the words of this record-stone   
listen1 and    #h4 do not rebel1 do not 
fail1    #i4 do not fear1 and do not    
curse4    #aj4 ,thy foundation may he   
establish6    #aa4 ,as for thee1 in thy 
works may he make splendour4    #ab4    
,thy forts shall be strong1    #ac4 thy 
canals shall be full of water1    #ad4  
thy papyri1 thy corn1 thy silver1       
#ae4 thy furniture1 thy goods1    #af4  
and thy instruments1 shall be           
multiplied4    7,a few more mutilated   
lines47    ,illustration3 ,,sacred      
,,tree1 ,,attendant ,,figures ,,and     
,,eagle-,,headed ,,men1  ,,from ,,the   

,,seal ,,of ,a ,,syrian ,,chief1 ,,ninth
 ,,century ,b4,c4    ,this is a very    
obscure inscription1 the first column1  
however1 forms  part of a relation      
similar to that of ,berosus in his      
history of the  ,creation2 the beings   
who were killed by the light1 and those 
with men's  heads and bird's bodies1 and
 bird's heads and men's bodies1 agree   
with the composite monsters of ,berosus1
 while the goddess of chaos1  ,tiamtu1  
who is over them1 is the same as the    
,thalatth of the ,greek  writer4 ,it may
 be remarked that the doctrine of the   
,greek philosopher1  ,anaximander1 that 
man has developed out of creatures of   
various shape1  and once like the fish  
was an inhabitant of the water1 is but a
  reminiscence of the old ,babylonian   
legend4    ,the relation in the third   
column of the inscription is difficult1 
and  does not correspond with any known 
incident4 ,the fourth column contains   
an address to any future king who should
 read the inscription which  was        

deposited in the temple of ,nergal at   
,cutha4    ,it is possible that this    
legend was supposed to be the work of   
one of  the mythical kings of ,chaldea1 
who describes the condition and history 
of the world before his time4    ,the   
war carried on against the monstrous    
creations of ,tiamtu1 described  in this
 myth1 was but one version of the war   
waged against ,tiamtu1 or  ,chaos1      
herself by the sun-god ,merodach4 ,the  
most famous form taken by  the story of 
this war was that which described the   
attack of the seven  wicked spirits1 or 
storm-demons1 against the moon1 and     
their final  discomfiture by the bright 
power of day4 ,this attack was a        
primitive  attempt to account for lunar 
eclipses1 dressed up in poetry1 and may 
be  compared with the ,chinese belief   
that when the moon is eclipsed it has   
been devoured by the dragon of night4   
,similarly the ,egyptians told how  ,set
 or ,typhon pursued the moon1 the eye of
 ,horus1 how it waned week by  week as  

he struck it1 and finally passed into   
eclipse when he blinded  it altogether4 
,according to ,hindu legend1 the        
immortal head of the  serpent-demon     
,rhu1 cut off by ,vishnu who had been   
informed by the sun  and moon of his    
theft of the drink of immortality1      
incessantly pursues  the two informers  
in order to devour them1 and a          
,scandinavian myth  makes the sun and   
moon to be always pursued by two wolves1
 ,skll and  ,hati1 the latter of whom1  
also called ,mnagarmr or dog of the     
moon1  will at the end of the times     
swallow up the chief luminary of night4 
,tablet with the story of the ,seven    
,wicked ,spirits4    ,,column ,i4    #a4
 ,the recurring days#ab are the wicked  
gods4    #b4 ,the rebellious spirits1   
who in the lower part of heaven    #c4  
had been created1    #d4 wrought their  
evil work    #e4 devising with wicked   
heads 7at7 sunset2    #f4 7like7 a      
sea-monster to the river 7they marched74
    #g4 ,among the seven of them the    

first was a scorpion 7or fiery sting7   
of rain4    #h4 ,the second was a       
thunderbolt which no man could face4    
#i4 ,the third was a leopard 4444       
#aj4 ,the fourth was a serpent 4444     
#aa4 ,the fifth was a watch-dog which   
7rages7 against 7his foes74    #ab4 ,the
 sixth was a raging tempest which to god
 and king submits not4    #ac4 ,the     
seventh was the messenger of the evil   
wind which 7,anu7 made4    #ad4 ,the    
seven of them 7are7 messengers of the   
god ,anu their king4    #ae4 ,in city   
after city they set their returning     
feet4    #af4 ,the raging wind which    
7is7 in heaven1 fiercely hath been bound
 to  them4    #ag4 ,the fleecy          
rain-clouds 7are they7 which in heaven  
establish cloudy  darkness4    #ah4 ,the
 lightning of the tempest1 the raging   
tempests which in the  bright day       
#ai4 establish gloom1 are they4    #bj4 
,with evil tempest1 baleful wind1 they  
began3    #ba4 the storm of ,rimmon1    
that was their might1    #bb4 at the    

right hand of ,rimmon did they march2   
#bc4 from the foundations of heaven like
 lightning 7they darted71    #bd4 7like7
 a sea-monster to the river in front    
they marched4    #be4 ,in the wide      
heavens the seat of ,anu the king       
#bf4 with evil purpose did they abide1  
and a rival they had not4    #bg4 ,then 
,bel of this matter heard and    #bh4   
the word sank into his heart4    #bi4   
,with ,hea the supreme adviser of the   
gods he took counsel1 and    #cj4 ,sin  
7the moon71 ,samas 7the sun71 and ,istar
 7,venus7 in the lower  part of heaven  
to direct it he had appointed4    #ca4  
,with ,anu the lordship of the hosts of 
heaven he made them share4    #cb4 ,the 
three of them1 those gods his children1 
#cc4 night and day he had established2  
that they break not apart1    #cd4 he   
urged them4    #ce4 ,then those seven1  
the evil gods1    #cf4 in the lower part
 of heaven commencing1    #cg4 before   
the light of ,sin fiercely they came1   
#ch4 the hero ,samas and ,rimmon 7the   

god of the atmosphere7 the warrior  to  
their quarters returned and    #ci4     
,istar with ,anu the king a noble seat  
#dj4 chooses and in the government of   
heaven is glorious4    ,illustration3   
,,merodach ,,delivering ,,the           
,,moon-,,god ,,from ,,the ,,evil        
,,spirits2  ,,from ,a ,,babylonian      
,,cylinder4      ,,column ,,ii4    ,the 
second column1 which is much mutilated  
at the beginning1 goes on to  describe  
8the trouble0 of the moon-god1 how      
8night and day in eclipse1  in the seat 
of his dominion he sat not40 ,but    #a4
 ,the wicked gods the messengers of ,anu
 their king    #b4 devising with wicked 
heads assisted one another4    #c4 ,evil
 they plotted together4    #d4 ,from the
 midst of heaven like the wind on       
mankind they swooped4    #e4 ,bel the   
eclipse of the hero ,sin    #f4 in      
heaven saw and    #g4 the god to his    
messenger the god ,nusku 7,nebo7 said3  
#h4 8,my messenger1 ,nebo1 my word to   
the deep carry3    #i4 the news of my   

son ,sin who in heaven is grievously    
eclipsed    #aj4 to the god ,hea in the 
deep repeat40 ,then    #aa4 ,nebo the   
word of his lord obeyed1 and    #ab4 to 
,hea in the deep descended and went4    
#ac4 ,to the prince1 the supreme        
councillor1 the lord1 the lord of       
mankind1    #ad4 ,nebo the message of   
his lord in that quarter at once        
repeated4    #ae4 ,hea in the deep that 
message heard1 and    #bh4 his lips he  
bit1 and with outcry his mouth he       
filled4    #bi4 ,hea his son the god    
,merodach called1 and the word he spake3
    #cj4 8,go1 my son ,merodach6    #ca4
 the light of the sky1 my son ,sin1 whom
 heaven is grievously  eclipsed1    #cb4
 7in7 his eclipse from heaven is        
departing4    #cc4 ,those seven wicked  
gods1 serpents#ac of death1 having no   
fear1    ,illustration3 ,,eagle-,,headed
 ,,man4 ,,from ,,nimroud ,,sculpture4   
#cd4 those seven wicked gods1 who like a
 whirlwind    #ce4 7destroy7 the life of
 mankind1    #cf4 against the earth like

 a storm they come down4    #cg4 ,in    
front of the bright one ,sin fiercely   
they came1    #ch4 the hero ,samas and  
,rimmon the warrior1 to their quarters  
7returned71    #ci4 7,istar1 with ,anu  
the king1 an illustrious seat chooses1  
and in the  dominion of heaven is       
glorious74    ,most of the remainder of 
the legend1 consisting of some forty    
lines1 is  unfortunately lost1 owing to 
a fracture of the tablet4 ,what is left1
  however1 shows that ,merodach1 8the   
brilliance of the sun10 for such is  the
 meaning of his name1 who always appears
 in the ,accadian hymns as a  kind of   
,babylonian ,prometheus and universal   
benefactor1 comes to the  help of the   
8labouring0 moon1 and 8awe0 goes before 
him4 ,dressed in  8glistening armour of 
unsoiled cloths and broad garments10 he 
enters  8the gate of the palace10 8a    
king1 the son of his god1 who1 like the 
bright one1 the moon-god1 sustains the  
life of the land10 and there  with a    
helmet of 8light like the fire0 upon his

 head1 successfully  overthrows the     
seven powers of darkness4 ,the poem     
concludes with a  prayer that they may  
never descend into the land1 and        
traverse its  borders4    ,in this      
story1 which differs again from all the 
others1 ,bel is supposed  to place in   
the heaven the ,moon1 ,sun1 and ,venus1 
the representative of  the stars4 ,the  
details have no analogy with the other  
stories1 and this  can only be          
considered a poetical myth of the       
,creation4    ,this legend is part of   
the sixteenth tablet of the series on   
evil  spirits2 but the tablet contains  
other matters as well1 the legend       
apparently being only quoted in it4     
,there is another remarkable legend  of 
the same sort in praise of the fire-god1
 on another tablet of this  series      
published in 8,cuneiform ,inscriptions10
 vol4 iv4 p4 #ae4 ,the  whole of this   
series concerns the wanderings of the   
god ,merodach1  who goes about the world
 seeking to remove curses and spells1   

and in  every difficulty applying to his
 father ,hea to learn how to combat the 
influence of the evil spirits1 to whom  
all misfortunes were attributed4    ,the
 seven evil spirits illustrate well the 
way in which a moral  signification may 
come to be attached to what was         
originally a purely  physical myth4     
,they are frequently mentioned in the   
literature of  ancient ,accad4 ,thus the
 twenty-third book1 on eclipses of the  
moon1  of the great work on astronomy   
compiled for ,sargon of ,agan1 states   
that3 8,when the moon shall describe a  
section 7in7 the upper circle  7of its  
revolution71 the gods of heaven and     
earth bring about dearth  of men 7and7  
their overthrow2 and 7there is7 eclipse1
 inundation1  sickness1 7and7 death2 the
 seven great spirits before the moon are
  broken40 ,elsewhere1 an ,accadian     
hymn1 which has an interlinear ,assyrian
  translation attached to it1 speaks as 
follows of these dreaded spirits3--     
#a4 ,seven 7they7 are1 seven they 7are74

    #b4 ,in the abyss of the deep seven 
they 7are74    #c4 ,the splendours of   
heaven 7are7 those seven4    #d4 ,in the
 abyss of the deep1 7in7 a palace1 7was7
 their growth4    #e4 ,male they 7are7  
not1 female they 7are7 not4 ,the        
,accadian text1  in accordance with the 
respect paid to women in ,accad1        
reverses this  order4    #f4 ,as for    
them1 the deep 7is7 their binder4    #g4
 ,wife they have not1 son is not born to
 them4    #h4 ,reverence 7and7 kindness 
know they not4    #i4 ,prayer and       
supplication hear they not4    #aj4     
7,among7 the thorns 787 on the mountain 
7was7 their growth4    #aa4 ,to ,hea are
 they foes4    #ab4 ,the throne-bearers 
of the gods 7are7 they4    #ac4         
,destroying the roads on the paths are  
they set4    #ad4 ,wicked 7are7 they1   
wicked 7are7 they2    #ae4 seven 7are7  
they1 seven 7are7 they1 seven twice     
again 7are7 they4    ,another ,accadian 
poet1 who lived at ,eridu1 the supposed 
site of  ,paradise1 at the junction of  

the ,tigris and ,euphrates1 has left    
another  account of the ,seven wicked   
spirits in the hymn to the fire-god     
mentioned above4 ,he says of them3--    
#a4 ,o god of fire1 those seven how were
 they begotten1 how grew they up8    #b4
 ,those seven in the mountain of the    
sunset were born2    #c4 those seven in 
the mountain of the sunrise grew up4    
#d4 ,in the deep places of the earth    
have they their dwelling4    #e4 ,in the
 high places of the earth have they     
their name4    #f4 ,as for them1 in     
heaven and earth wide is their          
habitation4    #g4 ,among the gods their
 couch they have not4    #h4 ,their name
 in heaven 7and7 earth exists not4      
#i4 ,seven they 7are72 in the mountain  
of the sunset do they rise4    #aj4     
,seven they 7are72 in the mountain of   
the sunrise did they set4    #aa4 ,in   
the deep places of the earth did they   
rest their feet4    #ab4 ,on the high   
places of the earth do they lift up     
their head4    #ac4 ,as for them1 goods 

they know not1 in heaven 7and7 earth are
 they  not learned4    ,merodach is then
 ordered to fetch 8the laurel1 the      
baleful tree that  breaks in pieces the 
incubi1 the name whereof ,hea remembers 
in his  heart1 in the mighty enclosure1 
the girdle of ,eridu10 in order that the
  seven evil spirits may be driven away4
 ,can this laurel-tree be the tree  of  
the knowledge of good and evil8 ,it must
 be remembered that ,hea was  8the lord 
of wisdom10 and under the form of a fish
 as ,oannes or ,hea  ,khan was supposed 
to have ascended from the ,persian      
,gulf1 and taught  the primitive        
,babylonians the elements of culture and
 civilization4    ,at the head of the   
seven evil spirits stood ,tiamtu1 the   
representative  of chaos and darkness4  
,one of the most remarkable ,babylonian 
legends  yet discovered is one which    
tells of the primval struggle between   
,tiamtu and ,merodach1 between light and
 darkness or good and evil1  and which  
does but embody in a new shape the      

conception which found  expression in   
the myth of the war against the moon4   
,the tablets which  contain this legend 
are unfortunately in a very fragmentary 
condition4    ,the first of these is ,k 
#dhcb1 too mutilated to translate2 it   
contains  speeches of the gods before   
the war4    ,the second fragment1 ,k    
#cdgc1 contains also speeches1 and shows
 the gods  preparing for battle4 ,it is 
so terribly broken that translation is  
impossible1 and all that can be made out
 is a line here and there4    ,the third
 fragment1 ,k #cich1 is on the same     
subject2 some lines of this  give the   
following general meaning3--    #a4     
winged thunderbolts 4444    #b4 fear he 
made to carry 4444    #c4 their sight   
very great 787 4444    #d4 their bodies 
may he destroy and 4444    #e4 he       
raised2 it was suitable1 the strong     
serpent 4444    #f4 ,udgallum1 ,urbat#ad
 and the god 4444    #g4 days arranged1 
five 787 4444    #h4 carrying weapons   
unyielding 4444    #i4 her breast1 her  

back 4444    #aj4 flowing 787 and first 
4444    #aa4 among the gods collected   
4444    #ab4 the god ,kingu subdued 4444
    #ac4 marching in front before 4444  
#ad4 carrying weapons thou 444    #ae4  
upon war 4444    #af4 his hand appointed
 4444    ,there are many more similar   
broken lines1 and on the other side     
fragments of a speech by some being who 
desires ,tiamtu to make war4    ,all    
these fragments are not sufficiently    
complete to allow us to  translate them 
with certainty1 or even to ascertain    
their order4    ,the fourth fragment1 ,k
 #cddi1 relates to the making of weapons
 to arm  the god who should meet in war 
the dragon4    ,this reads with some    
doubt on account of its mutilation3     
#a4 ,the scimitar he had made the gods  
saw    #b4 and they saw also the bow how
 it had been stored up4    #c4 ,the work
 he had wrought 7on his shoulder7    #d4
 he raised and ,anu in the assembly of  
the gods    #e4 kissed the bow2 it 7he  
addressed71    #f4 and he spake of the  

bow thus 7and said7    #g4 ,the         
illustrious wood ,i have drawn out once 
and twice1    #h4 thrice also1 her      
punishment the star of the bow in heaven
 7shall  effect7    #i4 and ,i have made
 7it7 the protection 7of mankind74      
#aj4 ,from the choice of 4444    #aa4   
and place his throne 4444               
,illustration3 ,,bel ,,encountering     
,,the ,,dragon2 ,,from ,,babylonian     
,,cylinder4    ,the next fragment or    
collection of fragments gives the final 
struggle  between ,tiamtu and ,bel      
,merodach4 ,the saparu1 or sickle-shaped
 sword1  is always represented both in  
the sculptures and inscriptions as a    
weapon of ,bel ,merodach in this war4   
,sixth ,fragment4    #a4 4444 he fixed  
it 4444    #b4 the weapon with his right
 hand he took    #c4 4444 and the quiver
 from his hand he hung1    #d4 and he   
hurled the lightning before him1    #e4 
heat filled his body4    #f4 ,he made   
also the scimitar 7to produce7 calm in  
the midst of the sea  7,tiamtu74    #g4 

,the four winds he imprisoned that they 
might come forth from its  calm1    #h4 
the ,south1 the ,north1 the ,east1 and  
the ,west winds4    #i4 ,his hand caused
 the scimitar to approach the bow of his
 father ,anu4    #aj4 ,he created the   
evil wind1 the hostile wind1 the        
tempest1 the storm1    #aa4 the four    
winds1 the seven winds1 the whirlwind1  
the unceasing wind4    #ab4 ,he sent    
forth also the winds he had created1    
seven of them2    #ac4 into the midst of
 the sea 7,tiamtu7 they were launched to
 disturb1  they came after him4    #ad4 
,he lifted up the weapon1 the           
thunderbolt1 his mighty weapon2    #ae4 
in a chariot that sweeps away all in    
front1 which gives rest1 he  rode4      
#af4 ,he fixed it and four yoke-thongs  
on its pole he hung1    #ag4 4444 the   
unyielding1 the overwhelming1 he that   
pursues her4    #ah4 4444 with their    
sting bringing poison    #ai4 4444      
sweeping away knowledge 787    #bj4 4444
 destruction and fighting4    7,several 

other fragmentary lines47      ,reverse4
    #a4 ,unprevailing 7is7 thy troop2   
may thy arms strike their bodies6    #b4
 ,i also stand firm1 and with thee make 
battle4    #c4 ,tiamtu 7the sea7 on     
hearing this    #d4 as before used      
spells1 she changed her resolution4     
#e4 ,tiamtu also raised herself2 warily 
she ascended4    #f4 ,at the roots fully
 she grounded 7her7 foundations4    #g4 
,she told over the spell2 she determined
 return 7to chaos71    #h4 and the gods 
for the war asked for themselves their  
weapons4    #i4 ,then ,tiamtu attacked  
the prince of the gods1 ,merodach1      
#aj4 who had made charms as for combat  
for the conflict in battle4    #aa4     
,then ,bel made sharp his scimitar2 he  
smote her4    #ab4 ,the evil wind that  
seizes behind from before him fled4     
#ac4 ,and ,tiamtu opened her mouth to   
swallow him4    #ad4 ,the evil wind he  
made to descend so that she could not   
close her  lips2    #ae4 the force of   
the wind her stomach filled1 and    #af4

 she was sickened in heart1 and her     
mouth it distorted4    #ag4 ,she bit the
 shaft 7of the sword72 her stomach      
failed2#ae    #ah4 her inside it cut    
asunder1 it conquered the heart2    #ai4
 it consumed her1 and her life it ended4
    #bj4 ,her death he completed1 over  
her he fixes 7it74    #ba4 ,when ,tiamat
 their leader he had conquered1    #bb4 
her ranks he broke1 her assembly was    
scattered2    #bc4 and the gods her     
helpers who went beside her    #bd4     
returned in fear1 they fled back behind 
them4    #be4 ,they fled and feared for 
their life4    #bf4 ,they are companions
 in flight1 powerless4    #bg4 ,he      
trampled on them and their weapons he   
broke4    #bh4 ,like a scimitar are they
 laid1 and as in darkness they sat4     
#bi4 7,they seek7 their quarters1 they  
are full of grief2    #cj4 what was left
 they take away1 they pull back like a  
rope1    ,illustration3 ,,merodach1 ,,or
 ,,bel1 ,,armed ,,for ,,the ,,conflict  
,,with ,,the  ,,dragon2 ,,from          

,,assyrian ,,cylinder4    #ca4 and      
elevenfold offspring from fear they     
produce    #cb4 7,through7 the flood the
 demons go 7all of them874    #cc4 ,he  
laid the hostility1 his hand 4444       
#cd4 part of their opposition under him 
4444    #ce4 and the god ,kingu again   
4444    ,again the main difficulty      
arises from the fragmentary state of the
  documents1 it being impossible even to
 decide the order of the  fragments4 ,it
 appears1 however1 that the gods have   
fashioned for them a  scimitar and a bow
 to fight the dragon ,tiamtu1 and ,anu  
proclaims great  honour 7fourth         
fragment1 lines #g to #aa7 to any of the
 gods who will  engage in battle with   
her4 ,bel or ,merodach volunteers1 and  
goes forth  armed with these weapons to 
fight the dragon4 ,tiamtu is encouraged 
by one of the gods who has become her   
husband1 and meets ,merodach in  battle4
 ,the description of the fight and the  
subsequent triumph of the  god are very 
fine1 and remarkably curious in their   

details1 but the  connection between the
 fragments is so uncertain at present   
that it is  better to reserve comment   
upon them until the text is more        
complete4  ,the scimitar with which     
,merodach is armed is shown by the      
cylinders and  bas-reliefs to have been 
of the shape of a sickle1 and is        
therefore  the same as the harp or      
khereb with which the ,greek hero       
,perseus  was armed when he went forth  
to fight against the dragon of the sea  
at ,joppa4 ,the dragon itself1 according
 to the representations of the          
monuments1 was a composite monster1 with
 the tail1 horns1 claws1 and  wings of  
the medival devil4 ,the whole war       
between the powers of good  and evil1   
chaos and order1 finds its parallel in  
the war between  ,michael and the dragon
 in ,revelation xii4 #g to #i1 where the
 dragon is  called 8the great dragon1   
that old serpent1 called the devil and  
,satan1  which deceiveth the whole      
world40 ,this description is strikingly 

like  the impression gathered from the  
fragments of the cuneiform story2 the   
dragon ,tiamtu who fought against the   
gods1 and whose fate it was to be       
conquered in a celestial war1 closely   
corresponds in all essential  points    
with the dragon conquered by ,michael4  
,that the dragon originally  symbolized 
the sea is one proof out of many that   
the ,accadians were a  seafaring people1
 well acquainted with the terrors of the
 deep1 when  the waves conspire with the
 storm-clouds1 those seven evil spirits1
 to  throw all nature once more into its
 primeval anarchy4    ,illustration3    
,,fight ,,between ,,bel ,,and ,,the     
,,dragon1 ,,from ,,babylonian           
,,cylinder4      ,,footnotes3    #ab    
,the seven mustakridht of ,syria1 the   
seven days between ,february  the #beth 
and ,march #crd1 when evil spirits are  
supposed to have special  power4    #ac 
,this is the ,assyrian translation4 ,the
 ,accadian original has simply  8men of 
death40 ,the lightnings are still       

regarded as serpents by the  ,canadian  
,indians who call the thunder their     
hissing 7,baring-,gould1  8,curious     
,myths10 ii4 p4 #adf74    #ad ,a        
constellation which rose heliacally in  
,marchesvan or ,october4  ,the word     
means 8,dog of death40    #ae ,compare  
,jer4 li4 #cd4          ,,chapter ,,vii4
    ,,the ,,sin ,,of ,,the ,,god ,,zu4  
,god ,zu4--,obscurity of                
legend4--,translation4--,sin of         
,zu4--,anger of the   gods4--,speeches  
of ,anu to ,rimmon4--,rimmon's          
answer4--,speech of ,anu   to           
,nebo4--,answer of                      
,nebo4--,lugal-turda4--,changes to a    
bird4--,the ,zu   bird4--,bird of       
prey4--,lugal-turda lord of             
,amarda4--,prometheus4      ,among the  
legends of the gods1 companion stories  
to the accounts of the  ,creation and   
,deluge1 one of the most curious is the 
legend of the sin  committed by the god 
,zu4    ,this legend stands quite alone1
 its incidents and its principal actor  

being otherwise almost unknown from     
cuneiform sources4 ,only one copy  of   
the story has at present been detected1 
and this is in so mutilated  a condition
 that it cannot be connected with any   
other of the legends4  ,it belongs to   
the same cycle of myths as the myth of  
the exploits of  ,dibbara1 which will be
 given in the next chapter4    ,the     
principal actor in the legend is a god  
named ,zu1 the name being  found in all 
the three cases of an ,assyrian noun    
,zu1 ,za1 and ,zi4  ,analogy would lead 
us to infer that the name had been      
borrowed by the  ,assyrians from the    
,accadians1 as well as the story with   
which it is  connected4    ,mr4 ,smith  
compared the legend with that of the    
mutilation of ,uranus  by his son       
,kronus1 and with the history of the    
outrage of ,ham on his  father ,noah2   
but its real analogue is the myth of    
,prometheus1 the  benefactor of men1 who
 stole the fire of heaven for their     
sake1 and  brought upon himself the     

anger and punishment of ,zeus4 ,it      
contains two  difficult words1 partsi   
and tereti4 ,the first is ambiguous1    
meaning  either 8oracles0 or 8shrines10 
but since it is coupled with dup-simi1  
8tablets of destiny10 it is probably to 
be rendered 8oracles40 ,tereti  is very 
obscure4 ,the sun-god is called 8the    
lord of tereti0 and the  word occurs in 
the hymn to the ,creator1 ,rev4 #ag 7p4 
#gi71 where also it  is united with     
partsi1 8command0 or 8oracle40 ,it may  
signify 8lots40  ,the tablets of        
destiny1 stolen by ,zu1 for the benefit1
 apparently1 of  mankind1 formed the    
vault of the palace of the under-world4 
,we may  compare the books which are to 
be opened on the day of judgment in     
,dan4  vii4 #aj1 and ,rev4 xx4 #ab4     
,the tablet containing the account of   
the sin of ,zu1 ,k #cded1 in the        
,museum collection1 originally contained
 four columns of text1 each  column     
having about sixty lines of writing4    
,the first and fourth  columns are      

almost entirely lost1 there not being   
enough anywhere to  translate from4 ,the
 mutilation of the text seriously adds  
to the  difficulties of translation4    
,the single fragment preserved1         
belonging to the first column1 mentions 
some being who was the seed or firstborn
 of ,bel1 with a number of  titles1 such
 as 8warrior1 soldier of the temple of  
,bel10 and the name  of the god ,zu     
occurs1 but not so as to prove these    
titles to be his4    ,the following is a
 partial translation of the remains of  
this tablet3--      ,k4 #cded4          
,,column ,i4 lost4    ,,column ,,ii4    
#a4 4444 of the gods all of them he     
urged on4    #b4 44444444 the image1 ,zu
 grew old 7and7    #c4 ,zu8 like 4444   
,bel seized his heel4    #d4 ,three     
streams8 of water in front also    #e4  
the work of ,bel in 44444444 he dreams  
of 7or ponders7 in himself4    #f4 ,the 
crown of his majesty1 the clothing of   
his divinity1    #g4 the tablets of     
destiny1 himself1 ,zu1 he dreams of1 and

    #h4 he dreams that he is the father 
of the gods also1 the protector of      
heaven and earth4    #i4 ,the desire to 
be ,bel is taken in his heart1    #aj4  
,zu dreams that he is also the father of
 the gods1 the protector of  heaven and 
earth4    #aa4 ,the desire to be ,bel is
 taken in his heart3    #ab4 ,let me too
 seize the tablets of destiny of the    
gods1    #ac4 and the tereti of the gods
 all of them let me kindle1    #ad4 may 
my throne also be established1 let me   
lift up the oracles1    #ae4 let me urge
 on the whole of all of them1 even the  
angels4    #af4 ,so he lifted up his    
heart in opposition1    #ag4 in the     
lower part of the forest where he was   
dreaming he kept his  head away from the
 day4    #ah4 ,when ,bel pours out the  
bright waters1    #ai4 spread out also  
on the throne his crown was placed1     
#bj4 the tablets of doom his hand took1 
#ba4 the attributes of ,bel he seized1  
he laid hold of the oracles4    #bb4 ,zu
 fled away and a rugged mountain        

concealed 7him74    #bc4 ,he spread     
darkness1 and made a commotion 7874     
#bd4 ,the father1 their king1 the ruler 
,bel    #be4 44444 outpoured the glory  
of the gods4    #bf4 444444444    #bg4  
,anu his mouth opened1 he speaks    #bh4
 and says to the gods his sons3    #bi4 
,whoever will1 let him slay ,zu1 and    
#cj4 among all men may his name be      
renowned4                               
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ca4 7,to ,rimmon7 the powerful         
firstborn the son of ,anu    #cb4 his   
will also to him he declares3    #cc4   
,to ,rimmon the powerful firstborn the  
son of ,anu    #cd4 his will to him he  
declares4    #ce4 7,o mighty7 ,rimmon1  
companion1 may thy power of fighting    
never fail4    #cf4 7,slay7 ,zu with thy
 weapon4    #cg4 7,may thy name7 be     
renowned in the assembly of the great   
gods1    #ch4 4444 a rival have thy     
brothers    #ci4 may they supply and    
build of brick 7thy7 altars1    #dj4 in 

the four regions may they establish thy 
stronghold4    #da4 ,may thy stronghold 
be exalted to become a shrine4    #db4  
,they shall cry 787 in the presence of  
the gods and blessed be thy  name4      
#dc4 ,rimmon answered the speech1       
#dd4 to his father ,anu a word he       
speaks2    #de4 ,my father1 to an       
impenetrable mountain do thou consign   
7him74    #df4 ,let ,zu never associate 
among the gods thy sons4    #dg4 ,the   
tablets of destiny his hand took2       
#dh4 the attributes of ,bel he seized1  
laying hold of the oracles1    #di4 ,zu 
fled away and a rugged mountain         
concealed 7him74    #ej4 4444 the       
opening of 7his7 mouth    #ea4 44444444 
like mud    #eb4 4444 the gods sweep    
away    #ec4 4444 ,i will not go he     
said4                                   
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
7,sixteen lines lost here1 part on this 
column1 part on ,column ,,iii47         
,,column ,,iii4    #a4 ,zu fled away and

 a rugged mountain concealed 7him74     
#b4 4444 the opening of his mouth 444   
the protector of heaven and earth    #c4
 44444444 like mud    #d4 4444 the gods 
sweep away    #e4 4444 ,i will not go he
 said4                                  
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#f4 ,to ,nebo the powerful 4444 the     
eldest son of ,istar1    #g4 7,anu his  
will7 to him also declares3    #h4 ,o   
mighty ,nebo1 companion1 may thy power  
of fighting never fail6    #i4 7,slay7  
,zu with thy weapon4    #aj4 ,may 7thy  
name7 be renowned in the assembly of the
 great gods1    #aa4 44444 among the    
gods thy brothers a rival have 787      
#ab4 ,may they supply and build 7thy7   
altars2    #ac4 in the four regions may 
they establish thy stronghold4    #ad4  
,may thy stronghold be exalted to become
 a shrine4    #ae4 ,they shall cry 787  
in the presence of the gods and blessed 
be thy  name4    #af4 ,nebo answered the
 speech1    #ag4 to his father ,anu a   

word he speaks3    #ah4 ,my father1 to a
 trackless mountain do thou consign him4
    #ai4 ,let ,zu never associate with  
the gods thy sons4    #bj4 ,the tablets 
of destiny his hand took1    #ba4 the   
attributes of ,bel he seized1 laying    
hold of the oracles4    #bb4 ,zu fled   
away and a rugged mountain concealed    
him4    #bc4 4444 the opening of his    
mouth 444 the protector of heaven and   
earth    ,the rest1 including ,column   
,,iv41 is lost4    ,such are the        
fragments of the story so far as they   
can be translated at  present4 ,the     
divine ,zu here mentioned1 whose sin is 
spoken of1 is never  counted among the  
gods1 and there would be no clue to his 
nature were  it not for a curious tablet
 printed in 8,cuneiform ,inscriptions10 
vol4  iv4 p4 #ad1 which throws light on 
his origin and character4 ,this tablet  
gives the following curious relation3   
#a4 ,the god ,lugal-turda 7the valiant  
king7 fled to the mountains1 a  place   
remote2    #b4 in the mountains of ,sabu

 he dwelt4    #c4 ,no mother gave him   
life#af or 7suckled him74    #d4 ,no    
father gave him life or with him        
7associated74    #e4 ,no noble who knew 
him 7helped him74    #f4 ,of the        
resolution of his heart the resolution  
he 7changed7 not4    #g4 ,in his own    
heart the resolution 7he kept74    #h4  
,into the likeness of a bird was he     
transformed2    #i4 into the likeness of
 the divine storm bird 7or ,zu bird7 was
 he  transformed4    #aj4 ,the face of  
his wife who has faced8    #aa4 ,the    
wife of the ,divine ,zu bird1 the son of
 the divine ,zu bird1    #ab4 in        
companionship he made sit4    #ac4 ,the 
goddess ,enna1 the lady of ,tigenna1    
#ad4 in the mountain he brought back4   
#ae4 ,a woman fashioned was her mother  
according to likeness made1    #af4 the 
goddess of perfumes a woman fashioned   
was her mother according  to likeness   
made4    #ag4 ,her hair was white       
crystal2    #ah4 ,her navel was pure    
with silver and gold1    #ai4 brightness

 was fixed in the womb2    #bj4 in the  
womb dwelt perfection 7874    ,many     
lines are lost here1 and the story      
recommences on reverse4    #a4 4444 a   
turban he placed on his head    #b4     
7when7 from the nest of the god ,zu he  
came4                                   
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
,this ,zu bird is plainly the same as   
the god ,zu of the former legend1  and  
his nature is shown by a passage in the 
annals of ,assur-nazir-pal  78,cuneiform
 ,inscriptions10 vol4 i4 p4 #bb1 col4   
ii4 l4 #ajg71 who says  that his        
warriors 8like the divine ,zu bird upon 
them darted40 ,this bird  is called the 
cloud or storm-bird1 the flesh-eating   
bird1 the lion or  giant bird1 the bird 
of prey1 the bird with sharp beak2 and  
it is not  difficult to see what the    
deified bird really was4 ,it was clearly
 the  storm-cloud1 which appears in     
,aryan folklore under the varying forms 
of the eagle1 the woodpecker1 and the   

robin redbreast1 the bird of  ,thor2    
while in ,chinese mythology the         
storm-bird is described as 8a  bird     
which1 in flying1 obscures the sun1 and 
of whose quills are made  water-tuns40  
,the roc of the 8,arabian ,nights10 with
 its wings of ten  thousand fathoms in  
width1 and its egg1 which it was a sin  
in ,aladdin  to wish to take from the   
place where it hung1 is but an echo of  
the  ,chinese storm-bird2 and the       
identity of the ,chaldean ,zu with the  
latter  is demonstrated by its ,accadian
 name1 which signifies 8the bird of the 
divine storm-cloud40 ,just as           
,prometheus brought the lightning from  
heaven to earth1 and suffered the       
penalty of enchainment to a desert      
rock1 so1 too1 the storm-bird of ,accad 
stole the secrets of the gods1  and was 
punished by exile from them1 and        
transformation into a bird4  ,when once 
the storm-cloud had been likened to a   
bird1 it was easy  enough to identify it
 with an actual bird of similar name    

which swooped  upon its prey with sharp 
beak4 ,that the lightning which darted  
from  the bosom of the black tempest    
really formed the tablets of destiny    
was a ready conclusion to a people who  
read the future in the message  sent    
through the lightning from heaven to    
earth4 ,even the ,hebrews saw  in the   
thunder 8the voice of ,god40            
,lugal-turda1 it may be added1 was  the 
patron of the city of ,amarda or ,marad1
 and is said to have been the  deity    
worshipped by ,izdubar4    ,in the story
 of the offence of ,zu there is another 
instance of the  variations which       
constantly occur in the ,assyrian       
inscriptions with  respect to the       
relationship of the gods4 ,nebo is      
usually called son of  ,merodach1 but in
 this inscription he is called son of   
,anu4 ,the part  that he plays in it is 
due to the fact that he was identified  
with the  8meridian sun40               
,,footnotes3    #af ,this is the reading
 of the original ,accadian text4 ,the   

,assyrian  translation has1 8was his    
establisher40          ,,chapter ,,viii4
    ,,the ,,exploits ,,of ,,dibbara4    
,dibbara4--,god of                      
,pestilence4--,itak4--,the              
,plague4--,seven warrior                
gods4--,destruction of                  
people4--,anu4--,goddess of             
,karrak4--,speech of   ,bel4--,sin and  
destruction of                          
,babylonians4--,samas4--,sin and        
destruction   of ,erech4--,istar4--,the 
great god and                           
,duran4--,cutha4--,internal wars4--,itak
   goes to ,syria4--,power and glory of 
,dibbara4--,song of                     
,dibbara4--,blessings   on his          
worship4--,god ,ner4--,prayer to arrest 
the ,plague4--,antiquity of the         
legend4--,itak4      ,the tablets       
recording this story are five in number1
 but a few  fragments only of them have 
as yet been found4 ,from the indications
  presented by these fragments the first
 four tablets seem each to have  had    

four columns of writing1 while the fifth
 tablet was a smaller one  of two       
columns containing the remainder of the 
story4    ,the god whose exploits are   
principally recorded was the leader of  
the  plague-demons1 and bears the name  
of ,dibbara4 ,he has the title of  8the 
darkening one10 which recalls the       
passage in ,psalm xci4 #f1 8the         
pestilence that walketh in darkness40   
,he has a companion deity named ,itak   
who marches before him1 and seven  gods 
who follow him in his destructive       
course4 ,the latter are the seven  evil 
spirits in a new form4    ,the point of 
the story in these tablets appears to   
be1 that the people  of the world had   
offended ,anu the god of heaven1 and    
accordingly that  deity ordered ,dibbara
 to go forth and strike the people with 
the pest4  ,it is evident here that     
exactly the same views prevailed in     
,babylonia  as among the ,jews1         
visitations from pestilence or famine   
being always  supposed to be sent by the

 deity in punishment for some sin4 ,in  
fact1  the account of the pestilence    
inflicted upon the ,israelites on       
account  of ,david's sin in numbering   
the people is a striking parallel to the
  ,accadian legend which follows4 ,the  
angel of the pestilence seen by  ,david1
 with his sword drawn1 may be compared  
with ,dibbara1 the ,accadian            
personification of the pest4    ,the    
whole of this series of tablets may be  
described as a poetical  picture of the 
destruction caused by a plague1 sweeping
 over district  after district1 and     
destroying everything before it4    ,the
 fragment which appears to come first in
 the series is a very  mutilated portion
 of a tablet1 containing parts of three 
columns of  writing4 ,only a fragment of
 the first column is perfect enough to  
translate1 and the characters on this   
are so worn that the translation  cannot
 be other than doubtful4 ,it seems to   
read    #a4 ,against the paling he      
struck and 4444    #b4 the fifth time he

 smote 787 above and below seeking 44444
    #c4 seven 444444    #d4 ,the words  
of the account of the seven gods all of 
them ,anu had heard4    #e4 ,he 4444    
them also to ,dibbara the warrior of the
 gods3 ,may thy hands  go    #e7sic474  
whenever the people of the nations their
 shame or alliance  have destroyed4     
#g4 ,i have set thy heart also to make  
darkness4    #h4 ,the people of the     
black heads to ruin thou shalt strike   
with the  desolation of the god ,ner2   
#i4 may thy weapons 7overthrow7 them1   
and may thy hands go4    #aj4 ,as for   
them 44444 their weapons4    #aa4 ,he   
said to ,dibbara3 444444    ,the speech 
of ,anu which follows is written in     
characters so broken and  indistinct as 
to make any attempt at translation      
impossible4    ,the next fragment is of 
a different character1 but appears from 
its  style to belong to the same series4
    #a4 4444 he 4444    #b4 44 spake to 
him and he explained 787 4444    #c4 44 
spake to him and he learned 787 4444    

#d4 ,anu at the doing of ,hea shouted   
for joy and 4444    #e4 the gods of     
heaven and earth as many as exist       
whosoever thus  answered2    #f4 his    
command which was like the command of   
,anu whosoever appointed    #g4 4444    
extending from the horizon of heaven to 
the top of heaven    #h4 4444 he looked 
and his fear he saw    #i4 4444 ,anu who
 4444 over him 4444 made    #aj4 4444 of
 ,hea his calamity 787 made    #aa4 4444
 a fierce lord to later days to 4444    
#ab4 4444 seed of mankind    #ac4 4444  
triumphantly the net 787 44 he broke    
#ad4 4444 to heaven he had ascended1 she
 thus    #ae4 4444 #d1jba people he had 
placed    #af4 4444 the illness which   
was on the body of the people he had    
placed    #ag4 4444 the illness the     
goddess of ,karrak made to cease4       
,the next portion of the legend is a    
considerable part of one of the         
tablets1 probably the fourth1 all four  
columns of writing being  represented4  
,there are many curious points in this  

tablet1 beside the  special purpose of  
the legend1 such as the peoples         
enumerated in the  fourth column1 the   
action of the gods of the various       
cities1 c4      ,,column ,i4    #a4 ,bel
 4444 his yokes and    #b4 7in his7     
heart he says3    #c4 ,dibbara is       
crouching at his gate1 among the corpses
 of chiefs and  slaves2    #d4 ,dibbara 
is crouching at his gate2 thou knowest  
his seat4    #e4 ,babylon their foes    
besieged1 and    #f4 their curse art    
thou4    #g4 ,to the floor thou didst   
trample them and thou didst make a      
passage1    #h4 ,o warrior ,dibbara4    
#i4 ,thou didst leave the land1 thou    
didst go forth against others2    #aj4  
the destruction of the nobles wast thou 
made1 and thou didst  descend into the  
palace4    #aa4 ,the people also saw    
thee2 their weapons were shattered4     
#ab4 ,the high priest the avenger of    
,babylon sets his heart1    #ac4 when   
the ranks of the enemies to spoil he    
urges on his soldiers4    #ad4 ,before  

the face of the people they did evil4   
#ae4 ,to that city whither ,i shall send
 thee1 thou a man    #af4 shalt not     
fear1 shalt not respect a man4    #ag4  
,small and great as one man cast down   
and    #ah4 of that evil race thou shalt
 not save any one4    #ai4 ,the         
collection of the goods of ,babylon thou
 spoilest2    #bj4 the people of the    
king 7which7 is gathered together1 and  
entered  into the city1    #ba4 shaking 
the bow1 planting the sword 787    #bb4 
of the soldiers the help1 the           
transgression 7transgressors7 against   
,anu and ,dagon1    #bc4 their weapons  
thou plantest1    #bd4 their corpses    
like the pouring down of rain thou dost 
cast down in  the streets of the city1  
#be4 and their treasures 787 thou       
openest1 and dost sweep into the river4 
#bf4 ,the spell ,merodach saw and       
angrily 787 spoke1    #bg4 his heart was
 taken1    #bh4 an unsparing curse in   
his mouth was formed1    #bi4 4444 the  
river he did not 4444      ,,column     

,,ii4    ,many lines lost4    #a4 4444  
that city which the lord of the earth   
444    #b4 a whirlwind he did not 7make7
 4444    #c4 without ,samas his tower   
thou crossest1 the land thou givest 787 
#d4 of ,erech the seat of ,anu and      
,istar1    #e4 the city of 7the         
handmaids7 ,samkhati and ,kharimati1 the
 choirs of    #f4 ,istar4 ,death they   
fear 7and7 they are delivered into thy  
hands 7874    #g4 ,the ,suti 7,arab     
nomads7 with the ,suti are placed in    
4444    #h4 they are slain2 the temple  
of ,anu the priests1 the festival       
makers1    #i4 who1 to make the people  
of ,istar worship1 their manhood        
devoted1    #aj4 carrying swords1       
carrying razors1 dupe1 and knives1      
#aa4 who to rejoice the glory of ,istar 
trusted1    #ab4 ,o fierce high priest1 
the bowing-down of the face over them   
thou  hast made4    #ac4 ,their         
foundations also1 their shrines 4444    
#ad4 ,istar cried out and was troubled  
over the city of ,erech1    #ae4 the    

enemy she strikes and like corn on the  
face of the waters she  scatters4       
#af4 ,dwelling in his 4444 ,bit-,parra  
4444    #ag4 444 she rests not from the 
war4    #ah4 ,the enemy whom thou hast  
stricken obeys not 4444    #ai4 ,the    
great god answered the speech3    #bj4  
,the city of ,duran to streams of blood 
4444    #ba4 the people who dwell in the
 midst of it like reeds 7are trembling72
    #bb4 4444 before the waters their   
alliance 4444    #bc4 and 444 thou dost 
not 4444    #bd4 to the ,suti 44444444  
#be4 ,i in my city ,duran judge         
uprightly    #bf4 ,i do not 44444444    
#bg4 evil 787 ,i do not give and 4444   
#bh4 the upright people ,i leave 4444   
,five other broken lines4      ,,column 
,,iii4    ,many lines lost4    #a4 4444 
the house he had built 4444    #b4 this 
he did1 and ,i 4444    #c4 the day he   
brought me my fate ,i 4444    #d4 him1  
his camp 787 also he caused to destroy  
44    #e4 ,afterwards may they destroy1 
and to another    #f4 ,o warrior        

,dibbara1 the established also in       
,gutium1    #g4 the unestablished also  
in ,gutium1    #h4 who sin against thee 
also in ,gutium1    #i4 who do not sin  
against thee also in ,gutium1    #aj4   
4444 the destroyer 787 of the clothes of
 the god of ,gutium1    #aa4 4444 the   
mover of the head of the king4    ,two  
other mutilated lines4      ,,column    
,,iv4    #a4 ,may the planet ,mercury   
cause his splendour to wane2    #b4 to  
his resolutions 787 is he bound3    #c4 
he rejoices not the mouth of his        
7worshippers7    #d4 who the structure  
4444444    #e4 to the seat of the king  
of the gods may he urge and 4444    #f4 
,the warrior ,dibbara heard it also1    
#g4 the word 7which7 the god ,itak spake
 to him 44    #h4 and thus spake the    
warrior ,dibbara3    #i4 ,sea against   
sea1 ,subartu 7,syria7 against ,subartu1
 ,assyria against  ,assyria1    #aj4    
,elam against ,elam1    #aa4 ,kossan    
against ,kossan1    #ab4 ,sutu against  
,sutu1    #ac4 ,gutium against ,gutium1 

#ad4 ,lullubu against ,lullubu1    #ae4 
country against country1 house against  
house1 man against man1    #af4 brother 
against brother also1 may they destroy  
each other1    #ag4 and afterwards may  
,accad come and    #ah4 the whole of    
them destroy1 and fight against them4   
#ai4 ,the warrior ,dibbara to ,itak who 
goes before him a word speaks3    #bj4  
,go also ,itak1 in the word thou hast   
spoken do according to all thy  heart4  
#ba4 ,itak against the land of ,khikhi  
7,phnicia7 set his face1    #bb4 and the
 seven warrior gods unequalled    #bc4  
marched after him4    #bd4 ,to the      
country of ,khikhi to the mountains the 
warrior went1    #be4 his hand he also  
lifted and destroyed the land1    #bf4  
the land of ,khikhi he counted as his   
own country4    ,the next fragments of  
the story are on a mutilated copy of the
 last  tablet1 ,k4 #abhb4 ,this tablet1 
as has been before stated1 is only a    
smaller supplemental one to include the 
end of the story1 which could  not be   

written on the fourth tablet4      ,k4  
#abhb4    ,obverse4    #a4 ,from        
,dibbara 4444    #b4 the gods all of    
them 4444    #c4 the angels and spirits 
all 4444    #d4 ,dibbara his mouth      
opened and 4444    #e4 a voice also the 
whole of you 4444    #f4 ,i also in the 
first sin 4444    #g4 in heart ,i cried 
out and 4444    #h4 like a flock of     
sheep may 4444    #i4 without the       
planting of boundaries against 444      
#aj4 like the spoiling of the country   
steadfast and 44    #aa4 in the mouth of
 the high noble 4444    #ab4 and the    
place 4444    ,fifteen lines much broken
 here4    #bh4 4444 the land of ,accad  
its strength 4444    #bi4 ,may one slay 
seven like 4444    #cj4 his cities to   
ruins and mounds thou dost reduce 4444  
#ca4 his great spoil thou dost spoil1 to
 the midst of 4444    #cb4 the gods of  
the country 4444 thou removest afar off 
4444    #cc4 the god ,ner and the ,god  
,serakh thou directedst 4444    #cd4 the
 countries their productions1 the sea   

thou 44    #ce4 its interior they       
destroyed 4444    ,four mutilated lines 
here4      ,reverse4    #a4 ,for years  
untold the glory of the great lord the  
god 4444    #b4 ,when ,dibbara had cried
 out and to sweep the countries 4444    
#c4 had set his face    #d4 ,itak his   
adviser had quieted him and stayed 444  
#e4 gathering together his forces to the
 glorious one of the gods1  ,merodach   
the son of 7,hea74    #f4 ,in the hour  
of night he sent him1 and when in the   
year 4444    #g4 ,not any one 4444      
#h4 4444 and sent not down against 4444 
#i4 his 4444 also ,dibbara received     
before 4444    #aj4 4444 ,itak who goes 
before him1 the illustrious god 4444    
#aa4 are all of them laid with him4     
#ab4 ,any one who speaks of the warrior 
,dibbara    #ac4 and that song shall    
glorify1 in his place thou wilt keep    
7his7  canals1    #ad4 4444 never may he
 fall 787 4444    #ae4 the heavens have 
caused the borders of 7his7 regions to  
increase4    #af4 ,whoever the glory of 

my heroism shall recount1    #ag4 an    
adversary never may he have4    #ah4    
,the musician who shall sing1 shall not 
die by the chastisement2    #ai4 higher 
than king and prince may that man       
ascend4    #bj4 ,the tablet writer who  
studies it 7and7 flees from the hostile1
  shall be great in the land4    #ba4   
,if in the places of the people1 the    
established place1 my name they         
proclaim1    #bb4 their ears ,i open4   
#bc4 ,in the house1 the place where     
their goods are placed1 if ,i ,dibbara  
am angry    #bd4 may the seven gods turn
 him aside1    #be4 may the chastising  
sword not touch him whose face thou     
establishest4    #bf4 ,that song for    
ever may they establish and may they fix
 the part 4444    #bg4 may all the world
 hear1 and glorify my heroism2    #bh4  
may the men of all nations see1 and     
exalt my name4    ,fifth tablet of the  
exploits of the god 7,dibbara74         
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     

,here we see a picture of ,oriental     
feeling with reference to natural       
phenomenon or disaster to mankind4 ,it  
is supposed that some deity or  angel   
stands with a sword over the devoted    
people and sweeps them into  eternity4  
,the first fragment shows the anger of  
,anu at the sin of some doomed  race1   
and his command to ,dibbara to take his 
weapon1 slay the people1  and desolate  
the land like the god ,ner4 ,this god   
,ner was one of the  mythical kings of  
,babylon who reigned after the flood1   
and is mentioned  as having a terrible  
name and being with ,etana a dweller in 
,hades4 ,the  allusion to him in this   
passage seems to imply that he was      
believed to  have once rescued ,babylon 
from a hostile attack4    ,the next     
fragment exhibits the goddess of ,karrak
 as healing the illness  of some of the 
people1 #d1ajb being mentioned as struck
 with disease4    ,in the next and      
largest fragment the story becomes a    
little more  connected2 it commences    

with a description of preparation for   
battle1  and goes on through speeches   
and actions to describe the course of   
,dibbara and his plague that he inflicts
 upon ,babylon1 and its besiegers  where
 he spares neither chief nor slave1 and 
enters even the palace4  ,it would seem 
that the sin of the ,babylonians arose  
from the chief  priest or governor of   
the city arming the troops and sending  
them out  to plunder the enemy4 ,for    
this the plague is sent1 and its        
progress  is graphically described4     
,merodach the special protector of      
,babylon  at last interferes1 and the   
god of pestilence is checked in his     
course4 ,the next city visited belongs  
to ,samas1 being either ,larsa1 or      
,sippara1 and then the plague reaches   
,erech4 ,the character of this city  is 
described1 the worship of ,venus1 with  
her handmaids ,samkhati and  ,kharimati1
 or 8,joy0 and 8,seduction10 the priests
 and ceremonies1 and  the progress of   
the plague over the place4 ,then the    

great god the deity  of ,duran comes    
forward and pleads for his city1 calling
 to mind its  uprightness and justice1  
and praying for its exemption from the  
plague4    ,in the third column mention 
is made of ,gutium1 under which name the
  ,accadians designated the whole tract 
of country which extended from  the     
,tigris to the eastern borders of       
,media1 including the district          
afterwards known as ,assyria4 ,the land 
of ,nizir1 in which rose the  mountain  
of ,elwend1 on the top of which the     
,accadians supposed the  ark to have    
rested1 also formed part of this vast   
tract4 ,sir ,henry  ,rawlinson long ago 
pointed out that ,gutium must be the    
,goyim of the  #adth chapter of         
,genesis1 ruled by ,tidal1 or rather1   
according to the  reading of the        
,septuagint1 ,tur-gal 8the great ,son40 
,the fourth column next describes a     
prophecy of ,dibbara that there  should 
be internal war among the peoples of the
 ,persian ,gulf1 of  ,syria1 ,assyria1  

,elam1 ,gutium1 ,lullubu and the        
,kossans1 from all which  troubles      
benefit should come to the ,accadians or
 northern ,babylonians4  ,the ,kossans  
or ,cassi inhabited the northern part of
 ,elam1 and under  ,khammuragas         
conquered ,babylonia and founded there a
 dynasty which  lasted a long time4     
,lullubu lay northward of ,mesopotamia  
and ,nizir4    ,then according to his   
wish ,dibbara sends the god ,itak his   
servant1 with  the seven warrior gods1  
to devastate1 and ,itak sweeps over the 
country  and destroys it4#ag    ,the    
last tablet deals in generalities       
pointing out the action of  ,dibbara    
when his praise was neglected1 and      
telling all the glories  and good that  
should come to those who should         
celebrate this deity in  song4 ,on the  
spread of a plague it is evident that   
the ,babylonians had  no better means of
 arresting it than to pray and praise   
the supposed  terrible deity of the     
scourge1 that he might sheathe his sword

 of anger4    ,the antiquity of the     
legend is evident from the geographical 
names  which occur in it4 ,a            
geographical list which seems based on  
an ,accadian  original is the only other
 document which speaks of ,phnicia1 or  
rather  a part of ,phnicia1 under the   
name of ,khikhi2 and the fact that no   
reference is made to the ,hittites shows
 that the poem is earlier than  the     
sixteenth century ,b4,c41 when the      
,hittites first rose into power  in     
western ,asia4 ,subartu is derived from 
the ,accadian subar 8high10  applied by 
the ,accadians to the highlands of ,aram
 or ,syria4      ,,footnotes3    #ag    
,itak had his worshippers as well as    
,dibbara4 ,thus an ,accadian  seal in   
the possession of ,dr4 ,huggins bears a 
legend stating that it  belonged to     
8,ruru-lukh1 the servant of ,itak1 the  
street-traverser40 ,the  god is         
represented on this seal as a man in a  
flounced dress1 to whom  a kid is being 
offered1 and is symbolized by two       

animals one of which  looks like a      
locust1 the other like a monkey4        
,,chapter ,,ix4    ,,babylonian         
,,fables4     ,fables4--,common in the  
,east4--,description4--,power of speech 
in   animals4--,story of the            
eagle4--,serpent4--,samas4--,the eagle  
caught4--,eats   the serpent4--,anger of
 ,birds4--,etana4--,seven gods4--,third 
tablet4--,speech   of eagle4--,story of 
the fox4--,his cunning4--,judgment of   
,samas4--,his   show of sorrow4--,his   
punishment4--,speech of fox4--,fable of 
the   horse and ox4--,they consort      
together4--,speech of the ox4--,his good
   fortune4--,contrast with the         
horse4--,hunting the ox4--,speech of the
   horse4--,offers to recount           
story4--,story of ,istar4--,further     
tablets4      ,combined with these      
stories of the gods1 traditions of the  
early  history of man1 and accounts of  
the ,creation1 are fragments of a       
series in which various animals speak   
and act4 ,as these resemble the         

beast-fables of other races1 more       
especially the ,african1 they may be    
conveniently classed under the general  
heading of 8,fables40 ,the idea  that   
animals can speak1 or have spoken in    
some former age of the world1  even     
occurs in ,genesis1 where we have a     
speaking serpent2 in ,numbers1  where   
,balaam's ass reproves his master2 and  
in the stories of ,jotham  and ,joash1  
where the trees are made to talk2 as    
also in the ,izdubar  legends1 where the
 trees answer ,hea-bani4    ,four fables
 have been preserved among the          
fragmentary records of                  
,assur-bani-pal's library4    ,the first
 contained at least four tablets each   
having four columns of  writing4 ,two of
 the acting animals in it are the eagle 
and the serpent4    ,the second is      
similar in character1 the leading animal
 being the fox or  jackal1 but there are
 only four fragments of it2 it may      
belong to the  same series as the fable 
of the eagle4    ,the third is a single 

tablet with two columns of writing1 and 
contains  a discussion between the horse
 and ox4    ,the fourth is a single     
fragment in which a calf speaks1 but    
there is  nothing to show the nature of 
the story4      ,i4 ,,the ,,story ,,of  
,,the ,,eagle4    ,this story appears to
 be the longest and most curious of the 
fables1  but the very mutilated         
condition of the various fragments gives
 as  usual considerable difficulty in   
attempting a translation of it4 ,one  of
 the actors in the story is an ancient  
monarch named ,etana1 who1  like ,ner1  
ruled over ,babylon in the mythical     
period that followed the  ,deluge1 and  
whose phantom was believed to sit1      
crowned1 on a throne  in ,hades along   
with the shades of the other heroes of  
old time4 ,the  story of ,etana was     
supposed to have been written by an     
early poet named  ,nis-,sin4    ,it is  
impossible to determine the proper order
 of the fragments of  the story owing to
 their mutilated condition2 they must   

therefore be  translated as they come4  
,k #bebg4    ,many lines lost at the    
commencement4    #a4 ,the serpent in 444
    #b4 ,i gave a command 787 44444     
#c4 to the eagle 44444    #d4 ,again the
 nest 44444    #e4 my nest ,i have left 
in 44444    #f4 the assembly8 of my     
people 44444    #g4 ,i went down and    
entered3    #h4 the sentence which      
,samas has pronounced on me 44444    #i4
 the ear of corn 787 which ,samas thy   
field the earth 4444    #aj4 this thy   
fruit 4444    #aa4 in thy field let me  
not 4444    #ab4 the doing of evil the  
goddess ,bahu 7,gula7 4444    #ac4 ,the 
sorrow of the serpent ,samas saw and    
#ad4 ,samas opened his mouth and a word 
he spoke3    #ae4 ,go1 along the way    
pass 4444    #af4 he covered thee 4444  
#ag4 open also his heart 4444    #ah4   
4444 he placed 787 4444    #ai4 4444    
birds of heaven 4444      ,reverse4     
#a4 ,the eagle with them 4444    #b4 the
 god8 had known 4444    #c4 he          
descended1 the flesh he 4444    #d4 to  

cover the 4444    #e4 to the midst at   
his entering 4444    #f4 the cutting off
 of the feathers of his wings 4444      
#g4 his claws8 and his pinions to 4444  
#h4 death by hunger and thirst 4444     
#i4 for the work of ,samas the warrior1 
the serpent 4444    #aj4 he took also   
the serpent 4444    #aa4 he opened also 
his heart 4444    #ab4 seat he placed   
4444    #ac4 peace the birds of heaven  
4444    #ad4 ,may the eagle 4444    #ae4
 with the young of the birds 4444       
#af4 ,the eagle opened his mouth 4444   
,five other mutilated lines4    ,on     
another fragment are the following few  
words3--      ,obverse4    #a4 4444     
fierce to him also 4444    #b4 4444 the 
god 787 my father 4444    #c4 like      
,etana thy death 4444    #d4 like thee  
4444    #e4 the god ,etana the king 4444
    #f4 they stripped him in 4444       
,reverse4    #a4 ,within the gate of    
,anu1 ,bel 7and ,hea7    #b4 they are   
established 4444    #c4 within the gate 
of ,sin1 ,samas1 ,rimmon1 and 4444      

#d4 4444 ,i opened 4444    #e4 its 444  
,i devastated 4444    #f4 4444 in the   
midst 4444    #g4 the king 4444    #h4  
the god also 4444    #i4 ,i overshadowed
 the throne 4444    #aj4 ,i took 787    
also 4444    #aa4 to the great one also 
,i have explained 787 4444    #ab4 ,the 
eagle to him also even to ,etana 4444   
#ac4 his 4444 the mouth 4444    #ad4 may
 thy city submit 4444    ,the next      
fragment1 ,k #bfjf1 is curious1 as      
containing an account of  some early    
legendary story in ,babylonian history4 
,this tablet formed  the third in the   
series1 and from it we gain part of the 
title of the  tablets4      ,k #bfjf4   
#a4 4444444 the god had placed 4444     
#b4 of the city he had fixed its        
brickwork 4444    #c4 he had shepherded 
them 4444    #d4 ,etana gave them 4444  
#e4 4444 corn 4444    #f4 the seven     
spirits of earth 4444    #g4 4444 they  
took their counsel 4444    #h4 4444 the 
world 4444    #i4 4444 all of them the  
angels 4444    #aj4 4444 they 4444      

#aa4 ,in those days also 4444    #ab4   
and a sceptre of crystal 4444    #ac4   
the bowing down of the world 4444       
#ad4 the seven gods over the people     
raised 4444    #ae4 over the men they   
raised 4444    #af4 the city of the     
angels ,surippak    #ag4 ,istar the     
streets 4444    #ah4 and the king flew  
4444    #ai4 the god ,inninna the       
streets 4444    #bj4 and the king flew  
4444    #ba4 ,bel encircled 787 the     
sanctuary of the god 4444    #bb4 he    
worshipped also 4444    #bc4 in the wide
 country 4444    #bd4 the kingdom 4444  
#be4 he brought and 4444    #bf4 the    
gods of the country 4444      ,reverse4 
,many lines lost4    #a4 from of old he 
caused him to wait 4444                 
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#b4 ,third tablet of 8,the city he left 
787 44440                               
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#c4 ,the eagle his mouth opened and to  

,samas his lord he spake4    ,the next  
fragment is a small portion probably of 
the fourth tablet4    #a4 ,the eagle his
 mouth 7opened7 4444    #b4 4444444444  
#c4 the people of the birds 4444    #d4 
4444444444    #e4 peace he speaks 4444  
#f4 peace ,i speak 4444    #g4 in the   
mouth of ,samas the warrior 4444    #h4 
the people of the birds 4444    #i4 ,the
 eagle his mouth opened and 4444    #aj4
 ,why do ,i go 4444    #aa4 the god     
,etana his mouth opened and 4444        
,such are the principal fragments of    
this curious legend4 ,according to  the 
fragment ,k #bebg1 the serpent had      
committed some sin for which it  was    
condemned by the god ,samas to be eaten 
by the eagle2 but the eagle  declined   
the repast4    ,after this1 some one1   
whose name is lost1 baits a trap for the
 eagle1  and the bird going to get the  
meat1 falls into the trap and is caught4
  ,now the eagle is left1 until dying   
for want of food it is glad to  eat the 
serpent1 which it takes and tears open4 

,the other birds then  interfere1 but   
the tablet is too mutilated to allow us 
to discover for  what purpose4    ,the  
other fragments concern the building of 
some city1 ,etana being  king1 and in   
these relations the eagle again appears2
 there are seven  spirits or angels     
principal actors in the matter1 but the 
whole story  is obscure at present1 and 
a connected plot cannot be made out4    
,this fable has evidently some direct   
connection with the mythical  history of
 ,babylonia1 for ,etana is mentioned as 
an ancient ,babylonian  monarch in the  
,izdubar legends4 ,he seems to be the   
,titan of the ,greek  writers1 who lived
 after the ,deluge and made war against 
,kronos or ,hea  shortly after the      
confusion of tongues4 ,the city built by
 ,etana may  be the city mentioned in   
,gen4 xi4 #d as built at the same time  
as the  ,tower of ,babel4 ,if the ,sibyl
 can be trusted ,titan was a            
contemporary  of ,prometheus1 in whom we
 may perhaps see the ,inninna of the    

cuneiform  inscription4 ,that ,etana was
 closely associated with the story of   
the  ,deluge appears plain from the fact
 that he ruled at ,surippak1 the home   
and kingdom of the ,chaldean ,noah4 ,the
 legend of ,etana seems in the  fable to
 be put into the mouth of the eagle4    
,,ii4 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,fox4    ,the 
next fable1 that of the fox1 was        
ascribed to an author called            
,lal-,merodach1 the son of              
,eri-,turnunna1 but the fragments are so
  disconnected that they must be given  
without any attempt at arrangement4     
,k #cfda4    ,,column ,i4    #a4 he had 
raised life 4444    #b4 thou in that day
 also didst establish 4444    #c4 thou  
knowest plots 7and7 the making of snares
 4444    #d4 of 4444 chains1 his command
 he 4444    #e4 from the time the fox   
approaches he urged me2 let not 4444    
#f4 in treading down 4444 he had        
established on my feet1    #g4 again by 
command is the fecundity of life4    #h4
 ,samas by thy judgment is ruler2 never 

may he go forth2    #i4 if need be1 with
 the making of snares let them put to   
death the fox4                          
----------------------------------------
------------------------------  #aj4    
,the fox on hearing this1 raised his    
head in the presence of ,samas  and     
weeps4    #aa4 ,to the presence of the  
splendour of ,samas his tears went3     
#ab4 by this judgment ,o ,samas thou    
dost not make me fecund4      7,columns 
,,ii4 and ,,iii4 lost47    ,,column     
,,iv4    #a4 ,i went to my forest1 ,i   
turned not back after him    #b4 and in 
peace ,i came not forth1 and the sun    
sees not4    #c4 ,as for thee1 never may
 man imprison 7thee71    #d4 since in   
the pride of my heart and the strength  
of my face thou  goest straight before  
7me74    #e4 ,may ,i confine thee and   
not send 7thee7 away4    #f4 ,may ,i    
take hold of thee and thou lacerate not 
4444    #g4 ,may ,i seize thee and not  
tear 7thee7 to pieces4    #h4 ,may ,i   
tear thy limbs to pieces and 7not7 4444 

#i4 ,the fox weeps 4444    #aj4 he bowed
 his face 4444    #aa4 ,i went and 4444 
,five other mutilated lines4    ,the    
next fragment has lost the commencements
 and ends of all the lines4    #a4 4444 
he carries 787 in the mouth 4444    #b4 
4444 the face of his 4444    #c4 4444   
thou knowest wisdom all 4444    #d4 4444
 in the pathway the fox they are 4444   
#e4 4444 in the field the fox a         
combatant 4444    #f4 4444 was decided  
under the ruler 4444    #g4 4444 all    
7871 the lying down of his feet at dawn 
4444    #h4 4444 a sign he set up and he
 fled 4444    #i4 4444 no one 4444      
#aj4 4444 may it become old to thee 4444
 and take 4444    #aa4 4444 in those    
days also the fox carried 4444    #ab4  
4444 to the people he spoke4 ,why 4444  
#ac4 4444 the dog is removed and 4444   
,the following fragment is in a similar 
condition4    #a4 4444 ,the limbs ,i did
 not 4444    #b4 4444 ,i did not weave  
and against the unclothed 787 ,i did not
 4444    #c4 4444 a stranger ,i cover   

4444    #d4 4444 ,i caught and ,i       
surrounded 787 4444    #e4 4444 from of 
old also the dog was my brother 4444    
#f4 4444 he begot me1 a firm place 4444 
#g4 4444 of the city of ,nisin2 ,i of   
,bel 4444    #h4 4444 limbs and the     
bodies did not stand 444    #i4 4444    
life ,i did not end 787 4444    ,the    
fourth fragment contains only five      
legible lines4    #a4 4444 was placed   
also right 7and left7 4444    #b4 4444  
their shepherd was prostrate 4444    #c4
 4444 let it not be 4444    #d4 4444    
they guarded and did not throw down his 
spoil 444                               
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#e4 444444 the fox in the trap 787 4444 
,the last fragment is a small scrap1 at 
the end of which the fox  petitions     
,samas to spare him4    ,the incidental 
allusions in these fragments show that  
the fox was even  then considered       
cunning1 and the animal in the story was
 evidently a  watery specimen1 as he    

brings tears to his assistance whenever 
anything  is to be gained by it4 ,he had
 offended ,samas by some means and the  
god  sentenced him to death1 a sentence 
which he escaped through powerful       
pleading on his own behalf4      ,,iii4 
,,fable ,,of ,,the ,,horse ,,and ,,ox4  
,the next fable1 that of the horse and  
the ox1 is a single tablet with  only   
two columns of text4 ,the date of the   
tablet is in the reign of               
,assur-bani-pal1 and there is no        
statement that it is copied from an     
earlier text4 ,there are altogether four
 portions of the text1 but only  one is 
perfect enough to be worth translating4 
,this largest fragment1 ,k  #cdef1      
contains about one-third of the story4  
,k #cdef4    7,several lines are lost at
 the commencement47    #a4 44444 the    
river 4444    #b4 of food 787 4444 rest 
4444    #c4 full flood 4444 the ,tigris 
4444    #d4 they restrained 4444 they   
had the face 444    #e4 the water-lily  
4444 not in the neighbourhood    #f4 the

 high place 4444 appearance    #g4 the  
valley 4444 the mountain 7was           
perishing71    #h4 at the appearance    
4444 the timid fled 7not71    #i4 a     
boundless place 4444 he turned    #aj4  
in the side 4444    #aa4 of the waste   
4444 earth was free within it2    #ab4  
the tribes of cattle rejoiced in        
companionship and friendship1    #ac4   
the ox and the horse made friendship1   
#ad4 their maw rejoiced when to         
friendship    #ae4 it inclined1 and     
their heart was glad2 they made         
agreement  together4                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#af4 ,the ox opened his mouth1 and      
speaks2 he says to the horse glorious   
in war3    #ag4 ,i am pondering now upon
 the good fortune at my hand4    #ah4   
,at the beginning of the year and the   
end of the year ,i dream 7or  ponder7 of
 fodder4    #ai4 ,the abundant floods   
had been dried up1 the waters of the    
canals  were reduced1    #bj4 the       

water-lily had drooped1 it was suffering
 the summer-heat1    #ba4 the valleys   
were stony1 my mountain was perishing1  
#bb4 the high places had perished1 the  
zambatu languished1    #bc4 at the sight
 of my horn the timid fled not4    #bd4 
,a boundless place is portioned for his 
4444    #be4 the man 4444 who knew      
ceased 4444    #bf4 he smote the ropes  
787 and waited 4444    #bg4 and the     
horse 4444    #bh4 cut off thyself thy  
4444    #bi4 he ascends also 4444       
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
,here the ox describes the state of the 
country during the drought of  summer1  
and makes a league with the horse1      
apparently for the purpose  of sharing  
with him the same pastures4 ,most of the
 speeches1 however1  made by the two    
animals are lost or only present in     
small fragments1  and the story         
recommences on the reverse with the end 
of a speech from  the horse4    #a4 fate
 4444    #b4 strong brass8 4444    #c4  

as with a cloak ,i am clothed 4444      
#d4 over me a child not suited 4444     
#e4 king1 high priest1 lord and prince  
do not seek the plain 4444              
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#f4 ,the ox opened his mouth and spake  
and says to the horse glorious 7in      
war73    #g4 ,thee they strike and thou 
alliest 4444    #h4 in thy fighting why 
4444    #i4 the lord of the chariot 4444
    #aj4 in my body firmness 4444       
#aa4 in my inside firmness 4444    #ab4 
the warrior draws out the quiver 4444   
#ac4 strength carries a curse 4444      
#ad4 the weapon 787 of thy masters over 
4444    #ae4 he causes to see servitude 
like 4444    #af4 shudder and in thee is
 not 4444    #ag4 he causes to go on the
 path over 7the marsh7 44               
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ah4 ,the horse opened his mouth and    
spake 7and said to the ox7 4444    #ai4 
,in my hearing 4444    #bj4 the weapon  

787 4444    #ba4 the swords 4444    #bb4
 444444    #bc4 strength8 of the heart  
which 4444    #bd4 in crossing that     
river 4444    #be4 in the path of thy   
mountains 4444    #bf4 ,i reveal8 and   
the ox the story 4444    #bg4 in thy    
appearance1 it is not 4444    #bh4 thy  
offspring is subdued8 4444    #bi4 when 
thou runnest1 ,o horse 4444             
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#cj4 ,the ox opened his mouth and spake 
and says to 7the horse glorious  in war7
 4444    #ca4 ,in addition to the       
stories which thou hast told    #cb4    
open first 7that of7 8,behold ,istar the
 noble 44440        7,colophon7         
,palace of ,assur-bani-pal1 king of     
nations1 king 7of ,assyria74    ,it     
appears from these fragments that the   
story described a time when  the animals
 associated together1 and the ox and    
horse fell into a  friendly             
conversation4 ,the ox1 commencing the   
discussion1 praised  himself2 the answer

 of the horse is lost1 but where the    
story  recommences it appears that the  
ox objects to the horse drawing the     
chariot from which he himself is hunted1
 and the horse ultimately  offers to    
tell the ox a story1 the ox choosing the
 story called 8,behold  ,istar10        
probably some story of the same         
character as that of ,istar's  descent  
into ,hades4    ,it is uncertain if any 
other tablet followed this2 it is1      
however1  probable that there was one   
containing the story told by the horse4 
,although there is no indication to show
 the date of this fable1 the  fact that 
it is not stated to have been copied    
from an older document  seems to show   
that it is not earlier than the time of 
,assur-bani-pal4  ,the loss of the      
tablet containing the story of ,istar1  
told by the horse  to the ox1 is        
unfortunate4 ,the last fable is a mere  
fragment similar to  the others1        
containing a story in which the calf    
speaks4 ,there is not  enough of it to  

make it worth translation4              
,,chapter ,x4    ,,fragments ,,of       
,,miscellaneous ,,texts4                
,atarpi4--,punishment of world4--,riddle
 of wise man4--,nature and   universal  
presence of air4--,sinuri4--,divining by
 fracture of reed4--,the                
foundling4--,tower of                   
,babel4--,obscurity of legend4--,not    
noticed by   ,berosus4--,fragmentary    
tablet4--,destruction of                
,tower4--,dispersion4--,site of   the   
,tower4--,meaning of                    
,babel4--,chedor-laomer4--,the          
destruction of ,sodom   and ,gomorrah4  
,a number of stories of a similar       
character to those of ,genesis1 though  
not directly connected with the latter1 
have been included in this  chapter1    
together with two fragments which       
probably relate1 the one to  the ,tower 
of ,babel1 the other to the destruction 
of the cities of the  ,plain4 ,the first
 and principal text is the story of     
,atarpi1 or ,atarpi  nisu1 8,atarpi the 

man40 ,this story is on a tablet in six 
columns1 and  there is only one copy of 
it4 ,it is terribly mutilated1 very     
little  being preserved except ,column  
,,iii41 but there are numerous          
repetitions  throughout the text4 ,the  
inscription has originally been a long  
one1  probably extending to about #djj  
lines of writing1 and the text differs  
from the generality of these            
inscriptions1 being very obscure and    
difficult4 ,in consequence of this and  
other reasons1 only an outline of  most 
of the story is given here4    ,we are  
first told of a quarrel between a mother
 named ,zibanit and her  daughter1 and  
that the mother shuts the door of the   
house1 and turns  her daughter adrift1  
the words of the original being 8the    
mother to  the daughter opens not her   
door40 ,the doings of a man named ,zamu 
have  some connection with the affair1  
his 8descending into the street on      
getting0 something being mentioned      
immediately before the expulsion of  the

 daughter2 and at the close we are told 
of ,atarpi1 sometimes called            
,atarpi-nisu1 or ,atarpi the 8man0 who  
had his couch beside the river  of the  
north1 and was pious to the gods1 but   
took no notice of these  things4 ,when  
the story next opens1 we find the god   
,bel calling together  an assembly of   
the gods his sons1 and relating to them 
that he is angry  at the sin of the     
world1 stating also that he will bring  
down upon it  disease1 tempest1         
distress1 madness1 burning and sickness4
 ,this is  followed by the statement    
that these things came to pass1 and     
,atarpi  then invoked his god ,hea to   
remove these evils4 ,for a whole year1  
it  would seem1 he interceded for the   
people1 and at last ,hea answered1 and  
announced his resolve to destroy the    
people4 ,after this the story reads3    
#a4 7,hea called7 his assembly 7by the  
river7 of the north2 he said to  the    
gods his sons3    #b4 444444 ,i made    
them    #c4 4444 shall not stretch until

 before he turns4    #d4 ,their famine  
,i observe1    #e4 their shame the woman
 takes not2    #f4 ,i will look to judge
 the people8    #g4 in their stomach let
 famine dwell1    #h4 above let ,rimmon 
drink up his rain1    #i4 let him drink 
up below1 let not the flood be carried  
in the canals1    #aj4 let it remove    
from the field its inundations1    #aa4 
let the corn-god give over increase1 let
 blackness overspread the  corn1    #ab4
 let the plowed fields bring forth      
thorns1    #ac4 let the growth of their 
fruit perish1 let food not come forth   
from  it1 let bread not be produced1    
#ad4 let distress also be spread over   
the people1    #ae4 may favour be shut  
up1 and good not be given4              
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#af4 ,he looked also to judge the       
people1    #ag4 in their stomach dwelt  
famine1    #ah4 above ,rimmon drank up  
his rain1    #ai4 he drank it up below1 
the flood was not carried in the canals1

    #bj4 it removed from the field its  
inundations1    #ba4 the corn-god gave  
over increase1 blackness spread over the
 corn1    #bb4 the plowed fields brought
 forth thorns1 the growth of their fruit
  perished1    #bc4 food came not forth 
from it1 bread was not produced1    #bd4
 distress was spread over the people1   
#be4 favour was shut up1 good was not   
given4                                  
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
,this will serve to show the style of   
the tablet4 ,the instrument of          
punishment was apparently famine from   
want of rain4    ,here the story is     
again lost1 and where it recommences    
,hea is making a  speech1 directing     
another person to cut something into    
portions1 and  place seven on each side1
 and then to build brickwork round them4
 ,after  this comes a single fragment1  
the connection of which with the former 
part is obscure4    #a4 ,seated was the 
goddess 4444    #b4 to her face also he 

gave 4444                               
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#c4 ,anu opened his mouth and speaks2 he
 said to 7,nusku72    #d4 ,nusku open   
thy gate2 thy weapons 7take7    #e4 in  
the assembly of the great gods when 4444
    #f4 their speech8 4444    #g4 ,anu  
sent m 4444    #h4 your king sent 4444  
,at present no satisfactory story can be
 made out of the detached  fragments of 
this tablet1 but it evidently belongs to
 the mythical  portion of ,babylonian   
history1 and it is impossible not to    
compare  the unsuccessful intercession  
of the righteous man ,atarpi with the   
pleadings of ,abraham on behalf of the  
cities of the plain4    ,the next text  
is a single fragment1 ,k #bdjg1         
belonging to a curious  story of a wise 
man who puts a riddle to the gods4      
,k #bdjg4    7,many lines lost47    #a4 
,the clothing of the god 4444    #b4    
,what in the house is 7fixed7 4444      
#c4 ,what in the secret place is 4444   

#d4 what is in the foundation of the    
house 4444    #e4 what on the floor of  
the house is fixed1 what 444    #f4 what
 the lower part 4444    #g4 what by the 
sides of the house goes down 4444    #h4
 what in the ditch of the house broad   
nigitstsi 4444    #i4 what roars like a 
bull1 what brays like an ass1    #aj4   
what flutters like a sail1 what bleats  
like a sheep1    #aa4 what barks like a 
dog1    #ab4 what growls like a bear1   
#ac4 what into the fundament of a man   
enters1 what into the fundament of  a   
woman enters4    #ad4 ,then ,lugal-girra
 7,nergal7 heard the wise word the son  
of the people    #ae4 asked1 and all the
 gods he urged 7to solve it73    #af4   
,let your solution be produced1 that ,i 
may bring back your answer4    ,after   
this there is a mutilated passage       
containing the names1 titles1  and      
actions of the gods who consider the    
riddle4 ,it is evident that it  is air  
or wind which the wise man means in his 
riddle1 for this is  everywhere1 and in 

its sounds imitates the cries of        
animals4    ,next we have another single
 fragment about a person named ,sinuri1 
who  uses a divining rod to ascertain   
the meaning of a dream4    #a4 ,sinuri  
with the cut reed pondered 4444    #b4  
with his right hand he broke it1 and    
,sinuri speaks and thus says3    #c4    
,now the plant of ,nusku1 the shrub8 of 
,samas art thou4    #d4 ,judge1 thou    
judgest 7or divinest71 divine concerning
 this dream1    #e4 which in the        
evening1 at midnight1 or in the morning1
    #f4 has come1 which thou knowest1   
but ,i do not know4    #g4 ,if it be    
good may its good not be lost to me1    
#h4 if it be evil may its evil not      
happen to me4    ,there are some more   
obscure and broken lines1 but no        
indication as to  the story to which it 
belongs4    ,a specimen of early        
,babylonian folklore may fitly be added 
here4 ,it is  a bilingual fragment which
 treats of a foundling who was picked up
 in  the streets and finally became a   

great scholar4 ,unfortunately both the  
beginning and the end of the story are  
wanting4    #a4 ,he who father and      
mother had not1    #b4 who his father   
7and7 his mother knew not1    #c4 in the
 gutter 7was7 his going1 in the street  
7his7 entering4    #d4 ,from the mouth  
of the dogs one took him1    #e4 from   
the mouth of the ravens one put him     
away4    #f4 ,in the presence of the    
soothsayer the 4444 of his mouth one    
took4    #g4 ,the sole of his feet with 
the seal the soothsayer has marked4     
#h4 ,to a nurse he gave him4    #i4 ,to 
his nurse for three years1 corn1 a      
cradle 787    #aj4 7and7 clothing he    
guaranteed4    #aa4 ,then and ever he   
hid from him how he was taken 7from the 
streets74    #ab4 ,his rearer he rooted 
out 7874    #ac4 ,the 44444 of the milk 
of mankind he gave him1 and    #ad4 as  
his own son he made him4    #ae4 ,as his
 own son he inscribed him4    #af4 ,a   
knowledge of writing he made him        
possess4    #ag4 ,for his education 7he 

cared74    ,one of the most obscure     
incidents in the ,book of ,genesis is   
undoubtedly  the building of the ,tower 
of ,babel4 ,so far as we can judge from 
the  fragments of his copyists1 there   
was no reference to it in the work  of  
,berosus1 and early writers had to quote
 from writers of more than  doubtful    
authority in order to confirm it4       
,illustration3 ,,men ,,engaged ,,in     
,,building ,,columns2 ,,from            
,,babylonian  ,,cylinder4    ,there is  
also no representation on any of the    
,babylonian gems which can  with any    
certainty be described as belonging to  
this story4 ,mr4 ,smith1  however1      
picked out three from a series of these 
carvings which he  thought might be     
distorted representations of the event4 
,in these and  some others of the same  
character1 figures have their hands on  
tall  piles1 as if erecting them2 and   
there is a god always represented near  
in much the same attitude4 ,there is no 
proper proportion between the  supposed 

structure and the men1 and no stress can
 consequently be laid  on the           
representations4 ,the ,babylonian origin
 of the story is1 however1              
self-evident4 ,according to ,genesis1   
mankind after the flood travelled  from 
the east1 that is from ,kharsak-kurra1  
8the mountain of the ,east10  now       
,elwend1 where the ,accadians believed  
the ark to have rested1 to  the plain of
 ,shinar or ,sumir4 ,both ,alexander    
,polyhistor and ,abydenus  state that   
the building of the ,tower of ,babel was
 known to ,babylonian  history1 ,babel1 
in fact1 being the native form of the   
name which the  ,greeks changed into    
,babylon4 ,the legend of ,etana given in
 the last  chapter seems to imply that  
the ,tower was supposed to have been    
built  under the superintendence of this
 mythical hero4 ,however that may be1 a 
fragment of the native story of its     
construction was discovered by ,mr4     
,smith1 and though shockingly mutilated1
 is sufficient to show what the         

,babylonians themselves believed on the 
matter4    ,it is evident from the      
wording of the fragment that it was     
preceded  by at least one tablet1       
describing the sin of the people in     
building  the tower4 ,the fragment      
preserved belongs to a tablet containing
 from  four to six columns of writing1  
of which portions of four remain4 ,the  
principal part is the beginning of      
,column ,i4      ,,column ,i4    #a4    
4444 them the father 4444    #b4 the    
thought of his heart was evil1    #c4   
4444 he the father of all the gods had  
repudiated2    #d4 the thought of his   
heart was evil1    #e4 4444 of ,babylon 
he hastens to the submission 7871    #f4
 small and great he confounded 7on7 the 
mound4    #g4 4444 of ,babylon he       
hastens to the submission1    #h4 small 
and great he confounded 7on7 the mound4 
#i4 ,their walls all the day he founded2
    #aj4 for their destruction          
7punishment7 in the night    #aa4 4444  
he did not leave a remainder4    #ab4   

,in his anger also 7his7 secret counsel 
he pours out3    #ac4 to confound       
7their7 speeches he set his face4       
#ad4 ,he gave the command1 he made      
strange their counsel    #ae4 4444 the  
going he inspected it4    #af4 4444 he  
took 7selected7 a shrine4    ,there is a
 small fragment of ,column ,,ii41 but   
the connection with ,column  ,i4 is not 
apparent4      ,,column ,,ii4    #a4    
,sar-tuli-elli 7the king of the         
illustrious mound1 i4e4 ,anu7  destroys 
7or punishes74    #b4 ,in front had ,anu
 lifted up 4444    #c4 to ,bel-esir his 
father 4444    #d4 ,since his heart also
 4444    #e4 who carried the command    
4444    #f4 ,in those days also 4444    
#g4 he lifted him up 4444    #h4 ,the   
goddess ,dav-kina 4444    #i4 ,my son ,i
 rise and 4444    #aj4 his number 787   
4444    #aa4 he did not 4444    ,there  
is a third portion on the same tablet   
belonging to a column on  the other     
side1 either the third or the fifth4    
,,reverse ,,column ,,iii4 ,,or ,v4      

#a4 ,in 4444    #b4 they blew and 4444  
#c4 for future times 4444    #d4 ,the   
god of no government went 4444    #e4   
,he said1 like heaven and earth 4444    
#f4 his path they went 4444    #g4      
fiercely they fronted his presence 4444 
#h4 ,he saw them and the earth 4444     
#i4 ,since a stop they did not 7make7   
4444    #aj4 of the gods 4444    #aa4   
the gods they revolted against 4444     
#ab4 offspring 4444    #ac4 ,they weep  
hot tears for ,babylon2    #ad4 bitterly
 they wept 7for ,babylon72    #ae4 their
 heart also 4444    ,these fragments are
 so remarkable that it is most          
unfortunate we have  not the remainder  
of the tablet4    ,in the first part we 
have the anger of ,bel1 the father of   
the gods1 at  the sin of those who were 
building the walls of ,babylon and the  
mound  of tower or palace4 ,this mound  
is termed 8the illustrious10 and the god
  ,anu who destroyed the builders is    
accordingly called ,sar-tuli-elli1  8the
 king of the illustrious mound40 ,since 

the ,accadian name of the  month ,tisri1
 our ,october1 was 8the month of the    
illustrious mound10 it  would appear    
that the construction of it was believed
 to have taken  place at the time of the
 autumnal equinox4 ,the builders were   
punished  by the deity1 and the walls   
that had been set up in the day were    
destroyed at night4 ,prof4 ,delitzsch   
has drawn attention to a possible       
reference to this legend in an ,accadian
 hymn in which the poet says  to        
,merodach1 8found during the day1       
destroy during the night40 ,it is  plain
 from the first lines that the whole    
attempt was directed against  the gods2 
in fact1 that like the giants and       
,titans in ,greek mythology1  whose     
assault on ,zeus is probably but an echo
 of the old ,babylonian  tale1 conveyed 
to ,greece through the hands of the     
,phnicians1 the  builders of the ,tower 
of ,babylon intended to scale the sky4  
,they were1  however1 confounded on the 
mound1 as well as their speech          

7tammasle74  ,it is interesting to find 
the very same word signifying 8to       
confound0  used in the ,babylonian as in
 the ,hebrew account1 namely blal1 or   
rather blh4 ,we may also notice that the
 ,hebrew writer once 7,gen4  xi4 #g47   
adopts the polytheistic language of the 
,accadian scribe2 the  ,lord being made 
to say 8,let us go down1 and there      
confound their  language40              
,illustration3 ,,view ,,of ,,the ,,birs 
,,nimrud1 ,,the ,,supposed ,,site ,,of  
,,the ,,tower  ,,of ,,babel4    ,the    
last column shows that the winds finally
 destroyed the impious work  of the     
,babylonians4 ,this fully accords with  
the legend reported by  ,alexander      
,polyhistor4 ,for a time ,babylon was   
given over to the god of  lawlessness2  
but at last the gods repented of the    
evil they had done1  and order was once 
more restored4 ,the shrine mentioned in 
the sixteenth  line of the first column 
may receive some light from the fact    
that the  ,accadian name of ,nisan or   

,march was 8the month of the upright    
altar10  or 8of the altar of ,bel10 and 
that ,nisan corresponded with the vernal
  equinox just as ,tisri did with the   
autumnal equinox4    ,illustration3     
,,view ,,of ,,the ,,babil ,,mound ,,at  
,,babylon1 ,,the ,,site ,,of ,,the      
,,temple ,,of ,,bel4    ,the etymology  
of the name of ,babel from balbel1 8to  
confound10  suggested in ,genesis is one
 of those 8popular etymologies0 or plays
  on words of which the ,old ,testament 
writers are so fond4 ,thus1 for         
instance1 the name of ,joseph is        
connected first with 'saph 8to  take    
away10 and then with ysaph 8to add0     
7,gen4 xxx4 #bc1 #bd471 and  the name of
 the ,moabite city ,dibon is changed    
into ,dimon by ,isaiah  7xv4 #i7 to     
indicate that its 8waters shall be full 
of blood10 ,hebrew  dm4 ,babel is the   
,assyrian ,bab-ili 8the gate of ,god0   
7or1 as it  is occasionally written in  
the plural1 ,bab-ili 8,gate of the      
gods071  which was the ,semitic         

translation of the old ,accadian name of
 the town  ,ca-dimirra with the same    
meaning4 ,this is not the only instance 
in  which the original ,accadian names  
of ,babylonian cities were literally    
translated into ,semitic ,babylonian    
after the ,semitic conquest of  the     
country4 ,it is possible that the name  
had some reference to the  building of  
the ,tower4 ,babylon was first made a   
capital by ,khammuragas1  the leader of 
the ,cossan dynasty1 a position which it
 never  afterwards lost2 but the first  
antediluvian king of ,chaldea1 ,alorus1 
according to ,barosus1 was a native of  
the place4    ,illustration3 ,,tower    
,,in ,,stages1 ,,from ,,an ,,assyrian   
,,bas-,,relief4    ,the actual site of  
the ,tower of ,babel1 beyond the mere   
fact that it  was somewhere in ,babylon1
 has not yet been settled4 ,it is       
generally  considered to be represented 
by the great pile of ,birs ,nimrud1     
which  stood in ,borsippa1 the suburb of
 ,babylon1 and was dedicated to ,nebo   

and called 8the ,temple of the ,seven   
,lights0 or planets4 ,this ruin has     
been examined by ,sir ,henry ,rawlinson2
 details of his operations here  are    
given in the 8,journal of the ,royal    
,asiatic ,society10 vol4 xviii41  and   
,rawlinson's 8,ancient ,monarchies10 p4 
#edd4 ,sir ,henry discovered  by        
excavation that the tower consisted of  
seven stages of brickwork  on an earthen
 platform1 each stage being of a        
different colour4 ,this  is explained by
 the fact that it was devoted to the    
seven planets4  ,the height of the      
earthen platform was not ascertained1   
but the first  stage1 which was an exact
 square1 was #bgb feet each way1 and #bf
 feet  high1 the bricks being blackened 
with bitumen2 this stage is supposed  to
 have been dedicated to the planet      
,saturn4 ,the second stage was a  square
 of #bcj feet1 #bf feet high1 faced with
 orange-coloured bricks2  supposed to   
have been dedicated to ,jupiter4 ,the   
third stage1 #ahh feet  square1 and #bf 

feet high1 faced with red bricks1 was   
probably dedicated  to ,mars4 ,the      
fourth stage1 #adf feet square1 and #ae 
feet high1 was  probably dedicated to   
the ,sun1 and is thought by ,sir ,h4    
,rawlinson to  have been originally     
plated with gold4 ,the fifth stage is   
supposed to  have been #ajd1 the sixth  
#fb1 and the seventh #bj feet square1   
but the  top was too ruinous to decide  
these measurements4 ,these stages were  
probably dedicated to ,venus1 ,mercury1 
and the ,moon4 ,each stage of the       
building was not set in the centre of   
the stage on which it rested1  but was  
placed #cj feet from the front1 and #ab 
feet from the back4 ,the  ruin at       
present rises #aed feet above the level 
of the plain1 and is the  most imposing 
pile in the whole country4 ,according to
 ,nebuchadnezzar  it had been built to  
the height of #db cubits by 8a former   
king10 who  however had not completed   
its summit1 and it had long been in a   
ruinous  condition when ,nebuchadnezzar 

undertook to restore and finish it4     
,prof4  ,schrader imagines that the long
 period during which it had remained  an
 unfinished ruin caused the growth of   
the legend which saw in it  a monument  
of the overthrow of human presumption1  
the diversity of  languages in          
,babylonia being sufficient to account  
for the localization  of the confusion  
of tongues in the country4    ,sir      
,henry ,rawlinson now proposes to place 
the ,tower or tul ellu at  the ruins now
 called ,amrn1 within the city of       
,babylon itself4 ,here  he thinks were  
the temple of ,anu1 on the site of the  
ruined ,tower1 a  chapel dedicated to   
,nebo1 an altar of ,merodach1 the royal 
palace 7now  represented by the mound of
 the ,kasr71 and the hanging gardens1   
all  enclosed by a common wall4 ,the    
quarter of ,babylon thus enclosed he    
would identify with the ,calneh of the  
,bible1 principally on the ground  that 
the ,septuagint rendering of ,isaiah x4 
#i is1 8,have ,i not taken the  region  

above ,babylon and ,chalanne where the  
tower was built80    ,a third site has  
been claimed for the ,tower on the      
,babil or ,mujellibeh  mound on the     
north side of ,babylon4 ,this represents
 the famous temple  of ,belus or ,bel1  
whose great festival marked the         
beginning of the year  and the vernal   
equinox4 ,but there is no evidence to   
support this third  opinion4    ,in the 
,babylonian and ,assyrian sculptures    
there are occasionally  representations 
of towers similar in style to the       
supposed ,tower of  ,babel2 one of these
 is given on the stone of ,merodach     
,baladan ,i41  opposite p4 #bcf of ,mr4 
,smith's 8,assyrian ,discoveries20      
another occurs  on the sculptures at    
,nineveh1 representing the city of      
,babylon2 this  tower1 however1 cannot  
represent the ,borsippa pile1 since it  
consists  of only five stages4          
,besides the ,tower of ,babel1 the      
destruction of ,sodom and ,gomorrah by  
fire from heaven may also have been     

known to the ,accadians4 ,we learn  from
 ,genesis xiv4 that the cities of the   
plain were among the conquests  of      
,chedor-laomer and his allies1 and there
 is some reason for thinking  that the  
history of ,chedor-laomer's campaign may
 have been derived  from the ,babylonian
 state archives4 ,at all events         
,amraphel or ,amarpel1  the king of     
,sumir1 is mentioned first1 although    
,chedor-laomer was the  paramount       
sovereign and the leader of the         
expedition4 ,the expedition  must have  
taken place during the period when1 as  
we learn from the  inscriptions1        
,babylonia was subject to the monarchs  
of ,elam1 though  subordinate princes   
were ruling over the states into which  
it was  divided at the time4 ,though the
 name of ,chedor-laomer has not been    
found1 ,laomer or ,lagamar appears as an
 ,elamite god1 and several of  the      
,elamite kings bore names compounded    
with ,kudur 8a servant10 as             
,kudur-,nankhunte1 8the servant of the  

god ,nankhunte10 ,kudur-,mabug1  8the   
servant of ,mabug10 and the like4       
,arioch1 king of ,ellasar1 which        
probably stands for al ,larsa1 8the city
 of ,larsa10 has the same name  as      
,eri-,acu 78the servant of the          
moon-god071 the son of the ,elamite     
monarch ,kudur-,mabug1 who reigned over 
,larsa during his father's  lifetime1   
and was eventually overthrown by the    
,cossan conqueror  ,khammuragas4    ,the
 text which perhaps relates to the      
destruction of the guilty cities  is a  
bilingual one1 much mutilated1 and runs 
as follows3--    #a4 ,an overthrow came 
from the midst of the deep 7the waters  
above the  firmament74    #b4 ,the fated
 punishment from the midst of heaven    
descended4    #c4 ,a storm like a       
plummet the earth 7overwhelmed74    #d4 
,towards the four winds the destroying  
flood like fire burnt4    #e4 ,the      
inhabitants of the city it had caused to
 be tormented2 their  bodies it         
consumed4    #f4 ,in city and country it

 spread death1 and the flames as they   
rose  overthrew4    #g4 ,freeman and    
slave were equal1 and the high places it
 filled4    #h4 ,in heaven and earth    
like a thunderstorm it had rained2 a    
prey it  made4    #i4 ,to a place of    
refuge the gods hastened1 and in a      
throng collected4    #aj4 ,its mighty   
7onset7 they fled from1 and like a      
garment it concealed  7the guilty74     
#aa4 ,they 7feared71 and death 7overtook
 them74    #ab4 7,their7 feet and hands 
7it embraced74    #ac4 4444444444       
#ad4 ,their body it consumed4    #ae4   
44444 as for the city1 its foundations  
it defiled4    #af4 4444 with 7glory87  
and breadth his mouth he filled4    #ag4
 ,this man the voice 7of the thunder7   
called2 the thunderbolt  descended2     
#ah4 during the day it flashed2         
grievously 7it fell74    ,here the      
fragment breaks off4 ,it is possible    
that the person referred  to in line #ag
 was the pious man who like ,lot escaped
 the destruction  that befell his       

neighbours4          ,illustration3     
,,izdubar ,,strangling ,a ,,lion4 ,,from
 ,,khorsabad ,,sculpture4               
,,chapter ,,xi4    ,,the ,,izdubar      
,,legends4     ,izdubar4--,meaning of   
the name4--,a solar hero4--,prototype of
   ,herakles4--,age of                  
,legends4--,babylonian                  
cylinders4--,notices   of               
,izdubar4--,surippak4--,ark             
,city4--,twelve tablets4--,extent of    
,legends4--,description4--,introduction4
--,meeting of ,hea-bani   and           
,izdubar4--,destruction of tyrant       
,khumbaba4--,adventures   of            
,istar4--,illness and wanderings of     
,izdubar4--,description   of ,deluge and
 conclusion4--,first ,tablet4--,kingdom 
of                                      
,nimrod4--,traditions4--,identifications
4--,translation4--,elamite              
conquest--,dates4      ,we now come to  
the great ,epic of early ,chaldea1 first
 discovered by ,mr4  ,smith in #ahgb4   
,the hero of this ,epic is provisionally

 called ,izdubar1  though this is       
certainly not the right reading of his  
name4 ,the first  and last characters   
which compose it together form a        
compound ideograph  signifying 8fire10  
and pronounced gibil in ,accadian1 isatu
 in  ,assyrian1 while the middle        
character1 dhu or dhun1 meant 8a  mass0 
or 8a going40 8,a mass of fire0 would   
have been by no means an  inappropriate 
name for a hero1 who1 as we shall see1  
was originally  the ,accadian fire-god1 
and then a personified form of the      
sun-god4  ,the two last characters of   
the name1 however1 when used as a       
compound  ideograph1 denoted 8the       
under-lip10 and the first character     
symbolizes  8wood40    ,mr4 ,smith      
believed that ,izdubar was the ,biblical
 ,nimrod1 and was almost  inclined to   
think that this was the way in which the
 name ought to be  phonetically         
rendered4 ,one passage1 however1 in     
which the last syllable  is followed by 
the syllable ra seems to imply that the 

final letter  was r4    ,the originally 
solar character of the hero was still   
remembered at the  time when the great  
,epic of the ,accadians was put         
together4 ,as was  pointed out by ,sir  
,henry ,rawlinson shortly after ,mr4    
,smith's first  discovery of it1 it is  
arranged upon an astronomical principle1
 its  twelve books or tablets           
corresponding with the twelve signs of  
the  ,zodiac1 through which the sun     
passes in his yearly course4 ,thus the  
eleventh tablet1 which contains the     
episode of the ,deluge1 answers to      
,aquarius the eleventh sign of the      
,zodiac1 and the eleventh month of the  
,accadian year called 8the rainy20 and  
the sixth tablet1 describing his        
courtship by ,istar1 answers to ,virgo  
the sixth sign of the ,zodiac1 and  the 
sixth ,accadian month called that 8of   
the errand of ,istar40 ,it is in  the   
second month1 that of 8the directing    
bull10 and under the sign of  ,taurus1  
that ,hea-bani1 half-man1 half-bull1 is 

brought to ,izdubar in  the second      
tablet2 the lion is slain by ,izdubar   
under the ,zodiacal ,leo1  and the      
lamentation he makes over the corpse of 
his friend and seer  ,hea-bani is made  
in 8the dark month0 of ,adar1 as it was 
termed1 at the  end of the year4 ,like  
the autumnal sun1 too1 ,izdubar sickens 
in the  eighth book corresponding with  
the month of ,october1 and only recovers
  his health and brilliance after       
bathing in the waters of the eastern    
ocean at the beginning of the new year4 
,if anything were needed to confirm the 
solar character of ,izdubar and  his    
history1 it would be afforded by a      
comparison with the legends of  the     
,greek solar hero1 ,herakles4 ,like much
 else of ,greek mythology1 the  twelve  
adventures of ,herakles were brought to 
,greece from ,babylonia  through the    
hands of the ,phnicians1 and it has long
 been recognized  that ,herakles is but 
a form of ,baal ,melkarth1 the sun-god  
of ,tyre4  ,hea-bani reappears in       

,cheiron1 the centaur1 the friend and   
instructor  of ,herakles1 and just as   
,hea-bani was created by ,hea1 ,cheiron 
was said  to be the son of ,kronos1 who 
is identified by ,berosus with ,hea in  
the  account of the ,deluge4 ,the lion  
slain by ,izdubar is the lion of ,nemea 
slain by ,herakles2 the winged bull made
 by ,anu is the famous bull of  ,krete2 
the tyrant ,khumbaba is the tyrant      
,geryon2 the gems borne by the  trees of
 the forest beyond the gateway of the   
sun are the apples of the  ,hesperides2 
and the deadly sickness of ,izdubar     
himself is but the fever  of ,herakles1 
caused by the poisoned tunic of ,nessus4
    ,a very slight inspection of the    
,epic is sufficient to show that it  has
 been pieced together out of a number of
 previously existing and  independent   
materials4 ,thus the history of the     
,deluge1 which is itself  but an episode
 somewhat violently foisted into the    
legend of ,izdubar  in order to preserve
 the astronomical arrangement of the    

,epic1 may be  shown to have consisted  
of at least two older poems on the      
subject2 and  a careful examination of  
other portions of the ,epic brings the  
same  fact to light elsewhere4    ,as1  
however1 there is clear proof that the  
,epic was originally composed  in       
,accadian1 our present text being merely
 the ,semitic translation of  the       
,accadian original1 it must have existed
 in the form in which we now  have it   
before the age of ,sargon and the       
extinction of the ,accadian  language in
 ,chaldea4 ,we shall not be far wrong1  
therefore1 in ascribing  its composition
 to about ,b4,c4 #bjjj1 or a little     
earlier4 ,the older  lays or poems out  
of which it was formed must therefore   
date before  this period4 ,there seems  
to have been a considerable number of   
them1  each incident in the cycle of    
ancient ,accadian mythology having been 
the subject of various poems4 ,many of  
these originated in different  parts of 
the country1 so that a long period of   

time must be allowed for  their growth  
and subsequent reduction to a literary  
form4 ,but as the  legends they         
celebrated were traditions in the       
country before they were  embodied in   
poems and committed to writing1 we must 
go back to quite a  remote epoch for    
their first starting-point4    ,the     
earliest evidence we have of them is in 
the carvings on early  ,babylonian      
cylindrical seals4 ,among the earliest  
known devices on  these seals we have   
scenes from the legends of ,izdubar1 and
 from the  story of the ,creation4 ,the 
seals mostly belong to the age of the   
kings  of ,ur1 and some of them are a   
good deal older than ,b4,c4 #bjjj4 ,the 
principal incidents represented on them 
are the struggles of ,izdubar  and his  
companion ,hea-bani with the lion and   
the bull1 the journey of  ,izdubar in   
search of ,xisuthrus1 ,noah or          
,xisuthrus in his ark1 and the  war     
between ,tiamtu the sea-dragon and the  
god ,merodach4 ,there is a  fragment of 

a document in the ,british ,museum which
 claims to be copied  from an omen      
tablet belonging to the time of ,izdubar
 himself1 but it  is probably not       
earlier than ,b4,c4 #afjj1 when many    
similar tablets were  written4    ,there
 is an incidental notice of the ship or 
ark of 8the god ,izdubar0  in a tablet  
printed in 8,cuneiform ,inscriptions10  
vol4 ii4 p4 #df4  ,he is here called    
8the king who bears the sceptre40 ,this 
tablet1  which contains lists of wooden 
objects1 was written in the time of     
,assur-bani-pal1 but is copied from an  
original1 which must have been  written 
at least eighteen hundred years before  
the ,christian era4  ,the geographical  
notices on this tablet suit the period  
before the  rise of ,babylon4 ,surippak 
is called in it the ship or ark city1   
this  name forming another reference to 
the ,flood legends4 ,izdubar is also    
mentioned in a series of tablets        
relating to witchcraft1 and on a  tablet
 containing prayers to him as a god2    

this last showing that  he was deified1 
which1 however1 was an honour also given
 to several  ,babylonian kings4    ,as  
already stated1 the legends of ,izdubar 
are inscribed on twelve  tablets1 of    
which there are remains of at least four
 editions4 ,all  the tablets are in     
fragments1 and none of them are         
complete2 but  it is a fortunate        
circumstance that the most perfect      
tablet is the  eleventh1 which describes
 the ,deluge1 this being the most       
important  of the series4 ,in the first 
chapter the successive steps in the     
discovery of these legends have been    
already described1 and we may now       
therefore pass on to the description and
 translation of the various  fragments4 
,all the fragments of our present copies
 belong to the reign  of                
,assur-bani-pal1 king of ,assyria1 in   
the seventh century ,b4,c4 ,from  the   
mutilated condition of many of them it  
is impossible at present  to gain an    
accurate idea of the whole scope of the 

legends1 and many  parts which are lost 
have to be supplied by conjecture2 the  
order even  of some of the tablets      
cannot be determined1 and it is         
uncertain if  we have fragments of the  
whole twelve in what follows4 ,mr4      
,smith has1  however1 conjecturally     
divided the fragments into groups       
corresponding  roughly with the subjects
 of the tablets4 ,each tablet when      
complete  contained six columns of      
writing1 and each column had generally  
from  forty to fifty lines of writing1  
there being in all about #c1jjj lines   
of cuneiform text4 ,the divisions       
adopted by ,mr4 ,smith will be seen by  
the following summary1 which exhibits   
our present knowledge of the  fragments4
      ,part ,i4--,introduction4         
,tablet ,i4--,number of lines uncertain1
 probably about #bdj4 ,first column     
initial line preserved1 second column   
lost1 third column twenty-six  lines    
preserved1 fourth column doubtful       
fragment inserted1 fifth and  sixth     

columns lost4    ,probable subjects3    
conquest of ,babylonia by the ,elamites1
 birth and  parentage of ,izdubar4      
,part ,,ii4--,meeting of ,hea-bani and  
,izdubar4    ,tablet ,,ii4--,number of  
lines uncertain1 probably about #bdj4   
,first and  second columns lost1 third  
and fourth columns about half-preserved1
  fifth and sixth columns lost4         
,tablet ,,iii4--,number of lines about  
#bgj4 ,first column fourteen lines      
preserved1 second1 third1 fourth1 and   
fifth columns nearly perfect1  sixth    
column a fragment4    ,probable         
subjects3 dream of ,izdubar1 ,hea-bani  
invited comes to ,erech1  and explains  
the dream4      ,part                   
,,iii4--,destruction of the tyrant      
,khumbaba4    ,tablet ,,iv4--,number of 
lines probably about #bfj4 ,about       
one-third of  first1 second1 and third  
columns1 doubtful fragments of fourth1  
fifth1  and sixth columns4    ,tablet   
,v4--,number of lines about #bfj4 ,most 
of first column1 and part  of second    

column preserved1 third1 fourth1 and    
fifth columns lost1  fragment of sixth  
column4    ,probable subjects3 contests 
with wild animals1 ,izdubar and         
,hea-bani  slay the tyrant ,khumbaba4   
,part ,,iv4--,adventures of ,istar4     
,tablet ,,vi4--,number of lines about   
#baj4 ,most of first column preserved1  
second column nearly perfect1 third and 
fourth columns partly  preserved1 fifth 
and sixth columns nearly perfect4       
,tablet ,,vii4--,number of lines        
probably about #bdj4 ,first line of     
first  column preserved1 second column  
lost1 third and fourth column partly    
preserved1 fifth and sixth columns      
conjecturally restored from tablet  of  
descent of ,istar into ,hades4          
,probable subjects3 ,istar loves        
,izdubar1 her amours1 her ascent to     
heaven1 destruction of her bull1 her    
descent to ,hades4      ,part           
,v4--,illness and wanderings of         
,izdubar4    ,tablet ,,viii4--,number of
 lines probably about #bgj4 ,conjectured

 fragments  of first1 second1 and third 
columns1 fourth and fifth columns lost1 
conjectured fragments of sixth column4  
,tablet ,,ix4--,number of lines about   
#aij4 ,portions of all six columns      
preserved4    ,tablet ,x4--,number of   
lines about #bgj4 ,portions of all six  
columns  preserved4    ,probable        
subjects3 discourse to trees1 dreams1   
illness of ,izdubar1  death of          
,hea-bani1 wanderings of ,izdubar in    
search of the hero of the  ,deluge4     
,part ,,vi4--,description of ,deluge1   
and conclusion4    ,tablet              
,,xi4--,number of lines #bid4 ,all six  
columns nearly perfect4    ,tablet      
,,xii4--,number of lines about #bjj4    
,portions of first four columns         
preserved1 two lines of fifth column1   
sixth column perfect4    ,probable      
subjects3 description of ,deluge1 cure  
of ,izdubar1 his  lamentation over      
,hea-bani4      ,,tablet ,i4    ,the    
opening words of the first tablet are   
preserved1 and form as usual  the title 

of the series1 but the expressions used 
are obscure from want  of any context to
 explain them4 ,there are two principal 
or key-words1  naqbi and kugar2 the     
first of which means 8a channel10 and is
 more  particularly applied to the      
canals with which ,babylonia was        
intersected  and watered1 while the     
second is the compound ideograph which  
literally  signifies 8minister0 or      
8servant of work40 ,it was the special  
title  of ,izdubar1 who1 like his ,greek
 double ,herakles1 was celebrated for   
#8the twelve labours' he successfully   
undertook4 ,the title had no doubt  been
 originally given to the fire-god1 in   
whom primitive man sees his  most useful
 servant and workman4 ,the first line of
 the ,epic would  consequently have run3
 8,the canals1 the toiling hero1 the god
 ,izdubar1  had seen40 ,elsewhere1      
however1 the title of ,izdubar is       
written ,zicar1  that is1 8the male0 or 
8hero40    ,after the heading and       
opening line there is a considerable    

blank in the  story1 two columns of     
writing being entirely lost4 ,it is     
probable that  this part contained the  
account of the parentage and previous   
history  of ,izdubar1 forming the       
introduction to the story4 ,in the      
subsequent  portions of the history     
there is very little information to     
supply the  loss of this part of the    
inscription2 but it appears that the    
mother  of ,izdubar was named ,dannat1  
which signifies 8the powerful lady40    
,his  father is not named in any of our 
present fragments1 but he is referred   
to in the third tablet4 ,he was no doubt
 a deity1 possibly the ,sun-god1  who is
 supposed to interfere very much in his 
behalf4 ,when ,izdubar1  the old god of 
fire1 after first becoming a form of the
 solar deity1  was finally personified  
and regarded as a mighty leader1 strong 
in war  and hunting1 he was turned into 
a giant1 one of the mythical monarchs   
who had ruled in ,babylonia in long-past
 days1 and had subdued the many  petty  

kingdoms into which the valley of the   
,euphrates was then divided4    ,the    
centre of the empire of ,izdubar is laid
 in the region of ,shinar1  or ,sumir1  
,erech 8the lofty0 being the chief seat 
of his power1 and  thus agrees with the 
site of the kingdom of ,nimrod1         
according to  ,genesis x4 #h1 #i1 #aj1  
where we read3 8,and ,cush begat        
,nimrod3 he began  to be a mighty one in
 the earth4 ,he was a mighty hunter     
before the  ,lord3 wherefore it is said1
 even as ,nimrod the mighty hunter      
before  the ,lord4 ,and the beginning of
 his kingdom was ,babel1 and ,erech1 and
  ,accad1 and ,calneh1 in the land of   
,shinar40 ,we cannot overlook the fact  
that the character of ,izdubar as       
hunter1 leader1 and king1 corresponds   
with that of ,nimrod4 ,cush1 the father 
of ,nimrod1 may be identified  with     
,cusu1 ,cusi or ,cus1 the ,accadian     
deity of sunset and night4 ,the  word in
 ,accadian signified 8rest0 and         
8darkness10 and is translated  by the   

,assyrian nakhu 8to rest10 and nukhu or 
nukh 8rest40 ,this  latter word is      
identical with the ,biblical ,noah4 ,it 
is very possible1  therefore1 that      
,cush1 the father of ,nimrod1 has       
nothing to do with  ,cush or ,ethiopia1 
the son of ,ham1 the two being set side 
by side in  ,genesis merely on account  
of the similarity of their names4 ,in   
this  case all the ethnological         
difficulties occasioned by the belief   
that  the ,accadians of ,babylonia were 
,cushites1 and connected with ,egypt or 
,ethiopia1 will be avoided4 ,it is      
curious to find the ,christian writers  
identifying ,nimrod with ,evechous1 the 
first king of ,babylon1 according  to   
,berosus1 after the flood4    ,the next 
passage in ,genesis after the one       
describing ,nimrod's dominion  may also 
refer to ,nimrod1 if we read with the   
margin1 8,out of that land  he went     
forth to ,assyria10 instead of 8,out of 
that land went forth  ,assur40 ,these   
verses will then read 7,genesis x4 #aa1 

#ab73 8,out of that  land he went forth 
to ,assyria1 and builded ,nineveh1 and  
the suburbs of  the city1 and ,calah1   
and ,resen1 between ,nineveh and ,calah3
 the same is  a great city40 ,it must be
 remembered1 however1 that ,assur was   
regarded  by the ,assyrians as their    
supreme god and eponymous founder1 and  
that  in ,micah v4 #f1 8the land of     
,assur0 and 8the land of ,nimrod0 seem  
to  be contrasted with one another4 ,but
 it is possible to consider the  two    
expressions in the latter passage to be 
both applied to the same  country4      
,after the date of the later books of   
the ,old ,testament we know nothing  of 
,nimrod for some time2 it is probable   
that he was fully mentioned  by ,berosus
 in his history1 but his account of the 
giant hunter has  been lost4 ,the reason
 of this appears to be1 that a belief   
had grown  up among early ,christian    
writers that the ,biblical ,nimrod was  
the  first king of ,babylonia after the 
,flood1 and looking at the list of      

,berosus they found that after the      
,flood according to him ,evechous  first
 reigned in ,babylonia1 and at once     
assumed that the ,evechous of  ,berosus 
was the ,nimrod of the ,bible2 but as   
,evechous has given to him  the         
extravagant reign of four ners or #b1djj
 years1 and his son and  successor1     
,chomasbelus1 four ners and five sosses1
 or #b1gjj years1 this  identification  
gives little hope of our finding an     
historical ,nimrod4    ,it is possible  
that this identification of ,nimrod with
 ,evechous1 made  by the early          
chronologists1 has caused them to       
overlook his name and  true epoch in the
 list of ,berosus1 and has thus lost to 
us his position  in the series of       
,babylonian sovereigns4    ,belonging to
 the first centuries of the ,christian  
era are the works of  various ,jewish   
and ,christian writers1 who have made us
 familiar with a  number of later       
traditions concerning ,nimrod4 ,josephus
 declares that  he was a prime mover in 

building the ,tower of ,babel1 an enemy 
of ,god1  and that he reigned at        
,babylon during the dispersion4 ,later  
writers  make him a contemporary with   
,abraham1 the inventor of idol worship1 
and a furious worshipper of fire4 ,at   
the city of ,orfa1 in ,syria1 he is     
said to have cast ,abraham into a       
burning fiery furnace because he would  
not bow down to his idols4 ,these       
legends have been taken up by the       
,arabs1 and although his history has    
been lost and replaced by absurd  and   
worthless stories1 ,nimrod still remains
 the most prominent name in  the        
traditions of the country2 everything   
good or evil is attributed to  him1 and 
the most important ruins are even now   
called after his name4  ,from the time  
of the early ,christian writers down to 
to-day1 men have  been busy framing     
systems of general chronology1 and since
 ,nimrod was  always known as a famous  
sovereign it was necessary to find a    
definite  place for him in each         

chronological scheme4 ,africanus and    
,eusebius held  that he was the         
,evechous of ,berosus1 and reigned first
 after the ,flood4  ,moses of ,khorene  
identified him with ,bel1 the great god 
of ,babylon2  and he is said to have    
extended his dominions to the foot of   
the  ,armenian mountains1 falling in    
battle there when attempting to enforce 
his authority over ,haic1 king of       
,armenia4 ,other writers identified     
,nimrod with ,ninus1 the mythical       
founder of the city of ,nineveh4 ,these 
remained the principal identifications  
before modern research took up  the     
matter2 but so wide a door was open to  
conjecture1 that one writer  actually   
identified ,nimrod with the ,alorus of  
,berosus1 the first king  of ,babylonia 
before the ,flood4    ,one of the most  
curious theories about ,nimrod1         
suggested in modern  times1 was grounded
 on the 8,book of ,nabatean             
,agriculture40 ,this work is  a         
comparatively modern forgery1 pretending

 to be a literary production  of the    
early ,chaldean period4 ,in this work   
,nimrod heads a list of  ,babylonian    
kings called ,canaanite1 and a writer in
 the 8,journal of  ,sacred ,literature0 
has argued with considerable force in   
favour of  these ,canaanites being the  
,arabs of ,berosus1 who reigned about   
,b4,c4  #aeej to #acjj4 ,the southern   
half of ,arabia is known as ,cush in the
 ,old  ,testament like the opposite     
coast of ,africa1 and1 as ,nimrod is    
called  a ,cushite in ,genesis1 there   
was a great temptation to identify him  
with the leader of the ,arab dynasty4   
,this idea1 however1 gained little      
favour1 and has not been held by any    
section of inquirers as fixing  the     
position of ,nimrod4 ,the discovery of  
the cuneiform inscriptions  threw a new 
light on the subject of ,babylonian     
history1 and soon after  the            
decipherment of the inscriptions        
attention was directed to the  question 
of the identity and age of ,nimrod4 ,sir

 ,henry ,rawlinson1 the  father of      
,assyrian discovery1 first seriously    
attempted to fix the name  of ,nimrod in
 the cuneiform inscriptions1 and he     
endeavoured to find  the name in that of
 the second god of the great ,chaldean  
triad4 7,see  ,rawlinson's 8,ancient    
,monarchies10 vol4 i4 p4 #aag47 ,the    
names of this  deity are really ,enu1   
,elum1 and ,bel1 and he was evidently   
worshipped at  the dawn of ,babylonian  
history1 and is in fact represented as  
one of  the creators of the world2 time1
 moreover1 has shown that the cuneiform 
characters on which the identification  
was grounded do not bear the  phonetic  
values then supposed4    ,sir ,henry    
,rawlinson also suggested 78,ancient    
,monarchies10 p4 #acf7 that  the god    
,nergal was a deification of ,nimrod4   
,nergal1 however1 which  means literally
 8the illuminator of ,hades10 was a god 
of the lower  world1 and even if ,nimrod
 was deified under the name of ,nergal  
this  does not explain his position or  

epoch4    ,canon ,rawlinson1 brother of 
,sir ,henry1 in the first volume of his 
8,ancient ,monarchies10 p4 #aec1 and    
following1 makes some judicious  remarks
 on the chronological position of       
,nimrod1 and suggests that he  may have 
reigned a century or two before ,b4,c4  
#bbhf2 he asserts the  historical       
character of his reign1 and supposes him
 to have founded the  ,babylonian       
monarchy1 but does not himself identify 
him with any king  known from the       
inscriptions4 ,at the time when this was
 written 7#ahga71  the conclusions of   
,canon ,rawlinson were the most         
satisfactory that  had been advanced    
since the discovery of the cuneiform    
inscriptions4  ,since this time1        
however1 some new theories have been    
started1 with the  idea of identifying  
,nimrod2 one of these1 brought forward  
by ,professor  ,oppert1 makes the word a
 geographical term1 but such an         
explanation is  evidently quite         
insufficient to account for the         

traditions attached to  the name4       
,another theory brought forward by the  
,rev4 ,a4 ,h4 ,sayce and ,josef         
,grivel1 8,transactions of ,society of  
,biblical ,archology10 vol4 ii4  part   
#b1 p4 #bdc1 and vol4 iii4 part #a1 p4  
#acf1 identifies ,nimrod with           
,merodach1 the god of ,babylon2 partly  
on the ground of the similarity of      
name1 ,merodach being ,amar-utuci or    
,amar-ud in ,accadian1 partly because   
,merodach the patron-deity of ,babylon  
stood in the same relation to that  city
 that ,asshur did to ,assyria 7see      
,micah v4 #f71 and partly since we  find
 ,merodach called 8a hero0 like ,nimrod 
in ,genesis1 and assigned  8four divine 
dogs0 as though he were a hunter4 ,these
 dogs are ,uccumu  8the despoiler10     
,acculu 8the devourer10 ,icsuda 8the    
capturer10 and  ,iltebu 8the carrier    
away40 ,merodach1 it must be remembered1
 is always  represented as a man1 and is
 armed with weapons of war4    ,mr4     
,smith first fancied that ,nimrod might 

be ,khammuragas1 whom he  identified    
with the first ,arab king of ,berosus1  
as this line of kings  appeared to be   
connected with the ,cossans4 ,this      
identification  failing1 after the      
discovery of the ,deluge tablet in      
#ahgb1 he  conjectured that the hero    
whose name is provisionally read        
,izdubar is  the ,nimrod of the ,bible1 
a conjecture which has since been       
adopted by  several other scholars4     
,the supposition that ,nimrod was an    
ethnic or geographical name1  which was 
at one time favoured by ,sir ,henry     
,rawlinson1 and has since  been urged by
 ,professor ,oppert1 is quite untenable1
 for it would be  impossible on this    
theory to account for certain features  
in what we  are told of the hero4       
,mr4 ,smith's opinion that he was the   
hero of the ,izdubar ,epic was first    
founded on the discovery that the latter
 formed the centre of the  national     
historical poetry1 and was the hero of  
,babylonian legend--in  fact1 occupies  

much the same place as ,nimrod in later 
,arab tradition4    ,izdubar1 moreover1 
agrees exactly in character with        
,nimrod2 he was  a hunter1 according to 
the cuneiform legends1 who contended    
with and  destroyed the lion1 tiger1    
leopard1 and wild bull or buffalo1      
animals  the most formidable in the     
chase in any country4 ,he ruled first in
  ,babylonia over the region which from 
other sources we know to have  been the 
centre of ,nimrod's kingdom4 ,the       
principal scene1 too1 of  his exploits  
and triumphs was the city of ,erech1    
which1 according to  ,genesis1 was the  
second capital of ,nimrod4    ,there    
remains the fact that the cuneiform name
 of this hero is  undeciphered1 the name
 ,izdubar being a mere makeshift4 ,it is
 possible  that when the phonetic       
reading of the characters is found it   
will turn  out to correspond with the   
name ,nimrod4 ,at all events it is      
noteworthy  that ,izdubar seems to have 
been specially connected with the town  

of  ,marad1 the original ,accadian name 
of which was ,amarda1 and that the      
,accadian an ,amarda or 8god of         
,amarda10 closely corresponds with the  
,biblical name of ,nimrod4 ,the         
translations and notes given in this    
book  will lead1 perhaps1 to the general
 admission of the identity of the  hero 
,izdubar with the traditional ,nimrod2  
but this result can be firmly           
established only when more evidence is  
before us than that which we  have at   
present4    ,at the time of the opening 
of the ,epic1 the great city of the     
south  of ,babylonia1 and the capital of
 this part of the country1 was ,uruk1   
called in ,genesis1 ,erech4 ,erech was  
devoted to the worship of ,anu1 the  god
 of heaven1 and his wife1 the goddess   
,anatu1 as well as of ,istar1  the      
,phnician ,ashtoreth1 or ,astarte1 the  
myth of whose love for the  ,sun-god    
,dumuzi or ,tammuz1 the ,adonis of      
,greek story1 is alluded to in  the     
course of the poem4 ,the worship of     

,anatu1 however1 was subsequent  to the 
,semitic occupation of the country1     
since the necessity of  providing a     
female deity by the side of every male  
one was not felt  until the ,accadians1 
whose language was unacquainted with    
genders1 were  succeeded by the ,semites
 with their nouns either masculine or   
feminine4    ,here may provisionally be 
placed the first fragment of the        
,izdubar  legends1 ,k #cbjj4 ,this      
fragment consists of part of the third  
column of  a tablet1 which is probably  
the first2 and it gives an account of a 
conquest of ,erech by its enemies4 ,the 
fragment reads3--    #a4 his 44444 he   
left    #b4 4444444 and he goes down to 
the river1    #c4 4444 in the river his 
ship is made good4    #d4 4444 he is    
4444 and he weeps bitterly    #e4 4444  
placed1 the city of ,ganganna which had 
7suffered7 destruction4    #f4 4444     
their samuri 7were7 she asses    #g4    
4444 their raburi 7were7 great wild     
bulls4    #h4 ,like cattle the people   

fears1    #i4 like doves the slaves     
mourn4    #aj4 ,the gods of ,erech the  
lofty    #aa4 turned to flies and brood 
in swarms4    #ab4 ,the spirits 7sedu7  
of ,erech the lofty    #ac4 turned to   
cocks and went forth in outposts4       
#ad4 ,for three years the city of ,erech
 does the enemy besiege1    #ae4 the    
great gates were thrown down and        
trampled upon1    #af4 the goddess      
,istar before its enemies could not lift
 her head4    #ag4 ,bel his mouth opened
 and speaks1    #ah4 to ,istar the queen
 a speech he makes3    #ai4 44444 in the
 midst of ,nipur my hands have placed1  
#bj4 4444 my country8 ,babylon          
7,din-tir7 the house of my delight1     
#ba4 my 4444 ,i gave my hands4    #bb4  
44444 he was favourable to the          
sanctuaries    #bc4 44444 in the day    
4444    #bd4 44444 the great gods4 4444 
,here we have a graphic account of the  
condition of ,erech1 when the  enemy    
overran the country1 and the first      
question which occurs is1 who  were     

these conquerors8 ,conjecture is idle in
 the want of evidence4  ,they may have  
been the ,semitic successors of the     
,accadians1 they may  have been the     
,medes of ,berosus1 or they may have    
been tribes who belong  only to the     
realm of mythology4 ,mr4 ,smith believed
 that they were the  subjects of        
,khumbaba1 the tyrant whose death is    
related in the fourth  book of the      
,epic1 and who ruled over the land of   
,elam4    ,the name of ,khumbaba1 or    
,khubaba1 as it is occasionally written1
 is  probably a compound of 8,khumba10  
or 8,khumbume10 the name of one of the  
chief ,elamite gods4 ,many other        
,elamite names compounded with ,khumba  
are mentioned in the inscriptions3      
,khumba-sidir1 an early chief2          
,khumba-undasa1 an ,elamite general     
opposed to ,sennacherib2 ,khumba-nigas1 
an ,elamite monarch opposed to ,sargon2 
,tul-khumba1 an ,elamite city1 c4       
,the notice of foreign dominion1 and    
particularly of ,elamite supremacy  at  

this time1 may1 perhaps1 form a clue    
from which to ascertain the  approximate
 age of the poems as we have them4 ,we  
know that myths are  localized in the   
country of those who hand them down to  
posterity1 and  assigned to an age which
 has made an impression on their        
narrators4  ,there must have been some  
reason for the legendary siege and      
capture of  ,erech1 some actual event   
around which the story of ,izdubar has  
entwined  itself4    ,looking at the    
fragments of ,berosus and the notices of
 ,greek and ,roman  authors1 we may ask 
whether there is any epoch of conquest  
and foreign  dominion which can be fixed
 upon as representing such an actual    
event8  ,let us glance for a moment at  
the earlier history of ,babylonia so far
  as it is known to us4    ,the earlier 
part of the list of dynasties quoted    
from ,berosus gives the  following      
periods from the ,flood downwards3--    
#hf ,chaldean kings from the ,flood down
 to the ,median conquest1 reigning   for

 #cd1jhj or #cc1jia years4     #h       
,median kings who conquered and held    
,babylon1 #bcd1 or #bbd1 or #aij        
years4     #aa other kings1 race and    
duration unknown4     #di ,chaldean     
kings1 for #deh years4    ,the last of  
these dynasties preceded a dynasty of   
kings called ,arabian  by the copyists  
of ,berosus1 and though neither the     
number of the reigns  nor the length of 
time assigned to the dynasty agrees with
 what the  monuments tell us of the     
,cassite or ,cossan line of kings1 there
 is  no other line which can in any way 
be identified with the ,arabians  of the
 ,babylonian historian4 ,the #di        
,chaldean kings must1 therefore1  have  
reigned before ,khammuragas1 that is    
before ,b4,c4 #bjjj-agej4 ,now  an      
inscription of ,nabonidus informs us    
that ,lig-bagas1 the first  monarch of  
all ,chaldea of whom we know1 flourished
 #gjj years anterior  to the reign of   
,khammuragas2 he would1 therefore1 come 
among the #aa  nameless kings of        

,berosus1 supposing any reliance can be 
placed on the  statements of the latter1
 and about #bej years before the        
accession of  the ,chaldean dynasty4    
,but the engraved cylinders and seals of
 the  age of ,lig-bagas show that the   
legend of ,izdubar was already popular1 
and we must accordingly seek a still    
older period in which to place  its     
origin and attachment to a particular   
historical event4 ,hence it  may well be
 that the siege of ,erech1 the memory of
 which is preserved  in the first book  
of the ,izdubar ,epic1 was the work of  
those foreign  invaders whom the        
,babylonian historian has termed        
,median4    ,now it is not improbable   
that the ,median dynasty was really     
,elamite2 or  at all events belonged to 
the same race as the primitive          
inhabitants of  ,elam4 ,this race was   
closely allied to the ,accadians2 and it
 was spread  over the whole range of    
country which stretched from the        
southern  shores of the ,caspian to the 

,persian ,gulf4 ,the ,protomedes1 as    
they are  sometimes called1 were not    
conquered and supplanted by ,aryan      
invaders  from the east till the ninth  
century ,b4,c4 ,it was in their country 
that  ,kharsak-kurra1 8the ,mountain of 
the ,east10 was localized whereon the   
,accadians and their kinsfolk in ,elam  
and ,media believed the ark to  have    
rested after the ,flood1 and which they 
regarded as the cradle  of their race4  
,it was therefore pre-eminently 8the    
land10 mada in  ,accadian1 and from this
 mada there is every reason to think the
 name  of ,media has been derived4      
,consequently1 the ,medians of ,berosus1
 the  inhabitants of mada 8the land0 of 
the east1 need not have been more  than 
one of the many ,elamite swarms that    
from time to time descended  into the   
fertile plains of ,babylonia1 and not   
unfrequently obtained  a settlement     
there4 ,such were the ,accadians1 or    
8,highlanders0  themselves2 such1 too1  
the two ,cassite or ,cossan dynasties   

which we  learn from the monuments long 
held sway over ,chaldea4                
,illustration3 ,,migration ,,of         
,,eastern ,,tribe2 ,,from ,,early       
,,babylonian  ,,cylinder4    ,an early  
,babylonian cylinder1 which came from   
,erech and originally  belonged to a    
member of the royal family of that city1
 presents us  with a curious picture of 
a rude nomad tribe apparently arriving  
in  ,babylonia4 ,the chief marches in   
front armed with bow and arrows1 and    
wearing the same kind of boots with     
turned-up ends as distinguished the     
,hittites in ancient times and are still
 worn in ,asia ,minor and ,greece4      
,they indicate that the wearer came from
 a cold and mountainous country4  ,the  
animals' skins which compose the dresses
 of his three retainers  also point to a
 similar conclusion4 ,besides the       
retainers1 the wife of  the chief is    
depicted1 as well as two slaves who     
carry some objects  on their shoulders4 
,unfortunately no light is cast upon the

 group  by the inscription1 which simply
 states that the cylinder belonged  to  
8,gibil-dur 7or ,ne-,zicum71 the brother
 of the king of ,erech1 the  librarian1 
thy servant40 ,all we can gather from it
 is that the famous  library of ,erech1 
which furnished ,assur-bani-pal and his 
scribes with  the original texts of the 
,izdubar ,epic1 was already in          
existence1 and  that the office of      
librarian was considered honourable     
enough to be  borne by a brother of the 
reigning monarch4    ,if the legendary  
siege of ,erech is not to be referred to
 the epoch  of the ,median conquest1 it 
may have fallen at the time when the    
image of the goddess ,nana was carried  
away from ,erech by the ,elamite  king  
,kudur-nankhundi1 #afce years before the
 capture of ,shushan1 the  capital of   
,elam1 by the ,assyrians 7about ,b4,c4  
#fde71 and consequently  about ,b4,c4   
#bbhj4 ,a fragment which refers to this 
period in 8,cuneiform  ,inscriptions10  
vol4 iii4 p4 #ch1 relates the           

destruction wrought in the  country by  
the ,elamites1 and makes                
,kudur-nankhundi follow one of the      
other monarchs of an ,elamite dynasty   
and exceed his predecessors in the      
injury he did to the country4           
,putting together the detached notices  
of this period1 the following may       
approximately represent the chronology1 
the dates being understood as  round    
numbers4    8 ,b4,c4 #bgej1 ,elamites   
7,medes7 overrun ,babylonia4    ,b4,c4  
#bbhj1 ,kudur-nankhundi1 king of ,elam1 
ravages ,erech4    ,b4,c4 #ahjj1        
,khammuragas conquers ,babylonia4       
,although the dates transmitted through 
ancient authors are as a rule  vague and
 doubtful1 there are many independent   
notices which seem to  point to         
somewhere about the twenty-third century
 before the ,christian  era for the     
foundation of the ,babylonian and       
,assyrian power4 ,several  of these     
dates are connected either directly or  
by implication with  ,nimrod1 who first 

formed a united empire over these       
regions4    ,the following are some of  
these notices3--    ,simplicius relates 
that ,callisthenes1 the friend of       
,alexander1 sent to  ,aristotle from    
,babylon a series of stellar            
observations reaching back  #a1ijc years
 before the taking of ,babylon by       
,alexander4 ,this would make  #aijc     
#cca  ,b4,c4 #bbcd4    ,berosus and     
,critodemus are said by ,pliny to have  
made the inscribed  stellar observations
 reach to #dhj years before the era of  
,phoroneus2 as  the latter date was     
supposed to be about the middle of the  
eighteenth  century ,b4,c41 #dhj years  
before it comes also to about the period
 of  ,kudur-nankhundi4    ,diodorus     
makes the ,assyrian empire commence a   
thousand years or more  before the      
,trojan war4    ,ctesias and ,cephalion 
make its foundation early in the        
twenty-second  century ,b4,c4    ,the   
two last statements1 however1 are       
probably derived from ,ctesias1  whose  

so-called history has been shown by     
cuneiform decipherment to  have been a  
mere fiction put together out of        
misunderstood myths  and fragments of   
theology4 ,in any case1 too1 they apply 
only to the  foundation of the ,assyrian
 power1 which was modern as compared    
with  that of ,babylonia1 in spite of   
the assertion of ,sargon1 who boasts of 
having been preceded on the throne by   
#cej kings4    ,of the latter part of   
the first tablet of the ,izdubar ,epic  
we have as  yet no knowledge4           
,,chapter ,,xii4    ,,meeting ,,of      
,,hea-,,bani ,,and ,,izdubar4     ,dream
 of ,izdubar4--,hea-bani4--,his         
wisdom4--,his solitary life4--,izdubar's
   petition4--,zaidu4--,kharimtu and    
,samkhat4--,tempt ,hea-bani4--,might and
 fame   of ,izdubar4--,speech of        
,hea-bani4--,his journey to             
,erech4--,the midannu or                
tiger4--,festival at ,erech4--,dream of 
,izdubar4--,friendship with ,hea-bani4  
,in this chapter are included the       

fragments of what appear to be the      
second and third tablets or books4 ,in  
this section of the story ,izdubar      
comes prominently forward1 and meets    
with ,hea-bani4 ,the notice of his      
mother ,dannat appears in one of the    
tablets given in this chapter4          
,izdubar1 in the ,babylonian and        
,assyrian sculptures1 is always         
represented with a marked physiognomy1  
and his peculiarities can be  seen by   
noticing the photograph from a          
,babylonian gem at the beginning  of the
 book1 the engraving from an ,assyrian  
sculpture in the last  chapter1 and the 
engraving in page #bdi showing ,izdubar 
and ,hea-bani  struggling with wild     
animals4 ,in all these cases1 and in    
every other  instance where ,izdubar is 
represented1 he is indicated as a man   
with  masses of curls over his head and 
a large curly beard4 ,the type is so    
marked and so distinct from either the  
,assyrian or the ,babylonian one  that  
it is hard to say to what race it should

 be attached4    ,the deity of ,izdubar 
was ,lugal-turda1 the god who was       
changed into the  bird of storm         
according to the old myth1 from which it
 may be supposed  that he was a native  
of the district of ,amarda or ,marad1   
where that  god was worshipped4 ,this   
district ,mr4 ,smith thought was        
probably the  ,amordacia or ,mardoca of 
,ptolemy1 but its situation is          
uncertain4    ,the fragments of the     
second and third tablets assume by their
 notices  that ,izdubar was already     
known as a mighty hunter1 and it appears
 a  little later that he claimed descent
 from the old ,babylonian heroes1 as  he
 calls ,xisuthrus1 the ,chaldean ,noah1 
his 8father40      ,,tablet ,,ii4    ,a 
single fragment which ,mr4 ,smith       
believed to belong to this tablet has   
been found2 it is ,k #cchi1 and contains
 part of the third and fourth  columns  
of writing4 ,it appears from this that  
,izdubar was then at  ,erech1 and had a 
curious dream4 ,he thought he saw the   

stars of heaven  fall to the ground1 and
 in their descent they struck upon his  
back4  ,he then saw standing over him a 
terrible being1 the aspect of whose     
face was fierce1 and who was armed with 
claws1 like the claws of lions4  ,the   
greater part of the description of the  
dream is lost2 it probably  occupied    
,columns ,i4 and ,,ii4 of the second    
tablet4 ,thinking that the  dream       
portended some fate to himself1 ,izdubar
 calls on all the wise men  to explain  
it1 and offers a reward to any one who  
can interpret the  dream4 ,here the     
fragment ,k #cchi comes in3             
,,column ,,iii4    #a4 4444 ru kili ,i  
4444    #b4 4444 he and the princes may 
he 444    #c4 4444 in the vicinity send 
him1    #d4 4444 may they ennoble his   
family1    #e4 4444 at the head of his  
feast may he set thee    #f4 4444 may he
 array thee in jewels and gold    #g4   
4444 may he enclose thee    #h4 4444 in 
his 4444 seat thee    #i4 into the      
houses of the gods may he cause thee to 

enter    #aj4 4444 seven wives    #aa4  
4444 cause illness in his stomach       
#ab4 4444 went up alone    #ac4 4444 his
 heaviness to his friend    #ad4 4444 a 
dream ,i dreamed in my sleep    #ae4    
4444 the stars of heaven fell to the    
earth    #af4 4444 ,i stood still       
#ag4 4444 his face    #ah4 4444 his face
 was terrible    #ai4 4444 like the     
claws of a lion1 were his claws4    #bj4
 4444 the strength in me    #ba4 4444 he
 slew    #bb4 4444 me    #bc4 4444 over 
me    #bd4 4444 corpse 4444    ,the     
first part of this fragment appears to  
recount the honours offered  by ,izdubar
 to any one who should interpret the    
dream4 ,these included  the ennobling of
 his family1 his recognition in         
assemblies1 his being  invested with    
jewels of honour1 and his wives being   
increased4 ,a  description of the dream 
of the hero1 much mutilated1 follows4   
,the  conduct of ,nebuchadnezzar in the 
,book of ,daniel1 with reference to his 
dreams1 bears some resemblance to that  

of ,izdubar4    ,after this fragment we 
have again a blank in the story1 and it 
would  appear that in this interval     
application was made to a nondescript   
creature named ,hea-bani that he would  
go to the city of ,erech and  interpret 
the dream of ,izdubar4    ,hea-bani     
appears1 from the representations on    
seals and other objects  on which he is 
figured1 to have been a satyr or faun4  
,he is always  drawn with the feet and  
tail of an ox1 and with horns on his    
head4 ,he  is said to have lived in a   
cave among the wild animals of the      
forest1  and was supposed to possess    
wonderful knowledge both of nature and  
human affairs4 ,in appearance he        
resembles the se'irim or hairy  demons1 
half men1 half goats1 who inhabited the 
deserts and were  a terror to           
passers-by4 ,reference is made to them  
in ,lev4 xvii4 #g1  #b ,chron4 xi4 #ae1 
,is4 xiii4 #ba1 xxxiv4 #ad1 from which  
we learn that  worship was paid to them1
 and that they were supposed to be      

specially  connected with the           
neighbourhood of ,babylon4 ,hea-bani was
 angry at the  request that he should   
abandon his solitary life for the       
friendship of  ,izdubar1 and where our  
narrative reopens the god ,samas is     
persuading  him to accept the offer4 ,it
 may be added that the name ,hea-bani   
signifies 8,hea created me10 from which 
we may infer that the monster  was      
believed to have originally ascended    
like ,oannes out of the abysses  of the 
sea4      ,,column ,,iv4    #a4 444 me  
#b4 444 on my back                      
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#c4 ,and ,samas opened his mouth    #d4 
and spake and from heaven said to him3  
#e4 4444 and the female ,samkhat thou   
shalt choose    #f4 they shall array    
thee in trappings of divinity    #g4    
they shall give thee the insignia of    
royalty    #h4 they shall make thee     
become great    #i4 and ,izdubar thou   
shalt call and incline him towards thee 

#aj4 and ,izdubar shall make friendship 
unto thee    #aa4 he shall cause thee to
 recline on a grand couch    #ab4 on a  
beautiful couch he shall seat thee      
#ac4 he will cause thee to sit on a     
comfortable seat a seat on the left     
#ad4 the kings of the earth shall kiss  
thy feet    #ae4 he shall enrich thee   
and the men of ,erech he shall make     
silent  before thee    #af4 and he after
 thee shall take all 4444    #ag4 he    
shall clothe thy body in raiment and    
4444                                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ah4 ,hea-bani heard the words of ,samas
 the warrior    #ai4 and the anger of   
his heart was appeased    #bj4 4444 was 
appeased    ,here we are still dealing  
with the honours which ,izdubar promises
 to  the interpreter of his dream1 and  
these seem to show that ,izdubar had    
some power at ,erech at this time2 he   
does not1 however1 appear to have  been 
an independent king1 and it is probable 

that the next two columns  of this      
tablet1 now lost1 contain negotiations  
for bringing ,hea-bani to  ,erech1 the  
subject being continued on the third    
tablet4      ,,tablet ,,iii4    ,this   
tablet is far better preserved than the 
two previous ones2 it  gives the account
 of the successful mission to bring     
,hea-bani to ,erech1  opening with a    
broken account of the wisdom of         
,hea-bani4      ,,column ,i4    #a4 4444
 knows all things    #b4 4444 and       
difficult    #c4 4444 wisdom of all     
things    #d4 4444 the knowledge that is
 seen and that which is hidden    #e4   
4444 bring word of peace to 4444    #f4 
from a far off road he will come and ,i 
rest and 4444    #g4 4444 on tablets and
 all that rests 4444    #h4 4444 and    
tower of ,erech the lofty    #i4 4444   
beautiful    #aj4 4444 which like 4444  
#aa4 4444 ,i strove with him not to     
leave 4444    #ab4 4444 god8 who from   
4444    #ac4 4444 carry 4444    #ad4    
4444 leave 4444    7,many lines lost47  

,,column ,,ii4    #a4 ,izdubar did not  
leave 44444    #b4 ,daughter of a       
warrior 4444444    #c4 their might      
444444    #d4 the gods of heaven1 lord  
444444    #e4 thou makest to be sons and
 family8 44444    #f4 there is not any  
other like thee 444444    #g4 in the    
depth made 444444    #h4 ,izdubar did   
not leave1 the son to his father day and
 night 444444    #i4 he the ruler also  
of ,erech 444444    #aj4 he their ruler 
and 444444    #aa4 made firm8 and wise  
444444    #ab4 ,izdubar did not leave   
,dannat1 the son to his mother 444444   
#ac4 ,daughter of a warrior1 wife of    
44444    #ad4 their might the god 4444  
heard and 444    #ae4 ,aruru strong and 
great1 thou ,aruru hast made 444444     
#af4 again making his strength1 one day 
his heart 444444    #ag4 he changed and 
the city of ,erech 444444    #ah4 ,aruru
 on hearing this1 the strength of ,anu  
made in the midst 444444    #ai4 ,aruru 
put in her hands1 she bowed her breast  
and lay on the ground    #bj4 444       

,hea-bani she made a warrior1 begotten  
of the seed of the  soldier ,ninip      
#ba4 444444 covered his body1 retiring  
in companionship like a woman1    #bb4  
the features of his aspect were         
concealed like the corn god    #bc4     
possessing knowledge of men and         
countries1 in clothing clothed like  the
 god ,ner    #bd4 with the gazelles he  
ate food in the night    #be4 with the  
beasts of the field he consorted in the 
day    #bf4 with the creeping things of 
the waters his heart delighted    #bg4  
,zaidu catcher of men    #bh4 in front  
of that field confronted him    #bi4 the
 first day the second day and the third 
in the front of that  field the same1   
#cj4 the courage of ,zaidu dried up     
before him    #ca4 and he and his beast 
entered into his house and    #cb4 4444 
fear dried up and overcome    #cc4 4444 
his courage grew before him    #cd4 4444
 his face was terrible                  
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     

,,column ,,iii4    #a4 ,zaidu opened his
 mouth and spake and said to 444444     
#b4 ,my father the first leader who     
shall go 4444    #c4 in the land of     
444444    #d4 like the soldier of ,anu  
444444    #e4 shall march over the      
country 444444    #f4 and firmly with   
the beast 444444    #g4 and firmly his  
feet in the front of the field 444      
#h4 ,i feared and ,i did not approach it
    #i4 he filled the cave which he had 
dug    #aj4 44444    #aa4 ,i ascended on
 my hands to the 4444    #ab4 ,i did not
 reach to the 44444                     
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ac4 4444 and said to ,zaidu    #ad4    
4444 ,erech1 ,izdubar    #ae4 4444      
ascend his field    #af4 4444 his might 
#ag4 4444 thy face    #ah4 4444 the     
might of a man    #ai4 444444    #bj4   
4444 like a chief    #ba4 444444 field  
#bb to #bd4 three lines of directions4  
#be4 ,according to the advice of his    
father 4444    #bf4 ,zaidu went 44444   

#bg4 he took the road and in the midst  
of ,erech he halted    #bh4 4444        
,izdubar 4444    #bi4 the first leader  
who shall go 4444    #cj4 in the land of
 4444    #ca4 like the soldier of ,anu  
4444    #cb4 shall march over the       
country 4444    #cc4 and firmly with the
 beast 4444    #cd4 and firmly his feet 
4444    #ce4 ,i feared and ,i did not   
approach it    #cf4 he filled the cave  
which he had dug    #cg4 444444    #ch4 
,i ascended on my hands 44444    #ci4 ,i
 was not able to reach to the covert4   
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#dj4 ,izdubar to him also said to       
,zaidu3    #da4 go ,zaidu and with thee 
,kharimtu1 and ,samkhat take1    #db4   
and when the beast 444 in front of the  
field    #dc to #de4 directions to the  
women how to entice ,hea-bani4          
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#df4 ,zaidu went and with him ,kharimtu1
 and ,samkhat he took1 and    #dg4 they 

took the road1 and went along the path4 
#dh4 ,on the third day they reached the 
land where the flood happened4    #di4  
,zaidu and ,kharimtu in their places    
sat1    #ej4 the first day and the      
second day in front of the field they   
sat1    #ea4 the land where the beast   
drank of drink1      ,,column ,,iv4     
#a4 the land where the creeping things  
of the water rejoiced his heart4    #b4 
,and he ,hea-bani had made for himself a
 mountain    #c4 with the gazelles he   
ate food1    #d4 with the beasts he     
drank of drink1    #e4 with the creeping
 things of the waters his heart         
rejoiced4    #f4 ,samkhat the enticer of
 men saw him    #g to #bf4 details of   
the actions of the female ,samkhat and  
,hea-bani4                              
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#bg4 ,and ,hea-bani approached ,kharimtu
 then1 who before had not enticed  him4 
#bh4 ,and he listened 4444 and was      
attentive1    #bi4 and he turned and sat

 at the feet of ,kharimtu4    #cj4      
,kharimtu bent down her face1    #ca4   
and ,kharimtu spake2 and his ears heard 
#cb4 and to him also she said to        
,hea-bani3    #cc4 ,famous ,hea-bani    
like a god art thou1    #cd4 ,why dost  
thou associate with the creeping things 
in the desert8    #ce4 ,i desire thy    
company to the midst of ,erech the      
lofty1    #cf4 to the temple of         
,elli-tardusi the seat of ,anu and      
,istar1    #cg4 the dwelling of ,izdubar
 the mighty giant1    #ch4 who also like
 a bull towers over the chiefs4    #ci4 
,she spake to him and before her speech1
    #dj4 the wisdom of his heart flew   
away and disappeared4    #da4 ,hea-bani 
to her also said to ,kharimtu3    #db4  
,i join to ,samkhat my companionship1   
#dc4 to the temple of ,elli-tardusi the 
seat of ,anu and ,istar1    #dd4 the    
dwelling of ,izdubar the mighty giant1  
#de4 who also like a bull towers over   
the chiefs4    #df4 ,i will meet him and
 see his power1      ,,column ,v4    #a4

 ,i will bring to the midst of ,erech a 
tiger1    #b4 and if he is able he will 
destroy it4    #c4 ,in the desert it is 
begotten1 it has great strength1    #d4 
444444 before thee    #e4 4444          
everything there is ,i know    #f4      
,hea-bani went to the midst of ,erech   
the lofty    #g4 4444 the chiefs 444    
made submission    #h4 in that day they 
made a festival    #i4 44444 city       
#aj4 44444 daughter    #aa4 44444 made  
rejoicing    #ab4 44444 becoming great  
#ac4 44444 mingled and    #ad4 44444    
,izdubar rejoicing the people    #ae4   
went before him    #af4 ,a prince thou  
becomest glory thou hast    #ag4 4444   
fills his body    #ah4 4444 who day and 
night    #ai4 4444 destroy thy terror   
#bj4 4444 the god ,samas loves him and  
#ba4 4444 and ,hea have given           
intelligence to his ears    #bb4 he has 
come from the mountain    #bc4 to the   
midst of ,erech he will ponder thy dream
    #bd4 ,izdubar his dream revealed and
 said to his mother    #be4 ,a dream ,i 

dreamed in my sleep    #bf4 4444 the    
stars of heaven    #bg4 4444 struck upon
 my back    #bh4 4444 of heaven over me 
#bi4 4444 did not rise over it    #cj4  
4444 stood over 44444    #ca4 444444 him
 and    #cb4 44444 over him    #cc4 4444
 his 4444    #cd4 4444444 princess      
#ce4 4444444 me    #cf4 44444 ,i know   
#cg4 44444 to ,izdubar    #ch4 44444 of 
heaven    #ci4 44444 over thy back      
#dj4 44444 over thee    #da4 44444 did  
not rise over it    #db4 44444 my 44444 
#dc4 44444 thee    ,there is one other  
mutilated fragment of this and the next 
column with  part of a relation         
respecting beasts and a fragment of a   
conversation  between ,izdubar and his  
mother4    ,the whole of this tablet is 
curious1 and it certainly gives the     
successful issue of the attempt to bring
 ,hea-bani to ,erech1 and in very       
fragmentary condition the dream of the  
monarch4    ,it appears that the females
 ,samkhat and ,kharimtu prevailed upon  
,hea-bani to come to ,erech and see the 

exploits of the giant ,izdubar1  and he 
declared that he would bring a ,midannu1
 most probably a tiger1  to ,erech1 in  
order to make trial of the strength of  
,izdubar1 and to see  if he could       
destroy it4    ,the ,midannu is         
mentioned in the ,assyrian texts as a   
fierce carnivorous  animal allied to the
 lion and leopard2 it is called         
,midannu1 ,mindinu1  and ,mandinu4 ,in a
 list of animals it is associated with  
the dumamu or  cat4    ,in the fifth    
column1 after the description of the    
festivities which  followed the arrival 
of ,hea-bani1 there appears a break     
between lines  #ae and #af1 some part of
 the original story being probably      
omitted here4  ,the ,assyrian copy      
probably is here defective1 at least one
 line being  lost4 ,the portion here    
omitted seems to have stated that the   
following  speech was made by the mother
 of ,izdubar1 who figures prominently in
  the earlier part of these legends4    
,,chapter ,,xiii4    ,,destruction ,,of 

,,the ,,tyrant ,,khumbaba4     ,mythical
 geography4--,forest                    
region4--,khumbaba4--,conversation4--,pe
tition   to ,samas4--,journey to        
forest4--,dwelling of                   
,khumbaba4--,entrance to                
forest4--,meeting with                  
,khumbaba4--,death of                   
,khumbaba4--,izdubar king4      ,the    
wretchedly mutilated condition of the   
fragments that belong to the  two next  
tablets or books of the ,epic makes it  
impossible to ascertain  their correct  
order and arrangement4 ,the arrangement 
given here1  accordingly1 must be       
regarded as merely provisional4 ,it may1
 however1  be taken as certain that they
 all form part of the fourth and fifth  
tablets1 and relate the contest between 
,izdubar and ,khumbaba4    ,khumbaba1   
the ,kombabos of the ,greeks1 was the   
prototype of ,geryon4  ,he dwelt far    
away in the forest of pines and sherbin 
cedars1 where  the gods and spirits had 
their abode4 ,it was1 consequently1 in  

the  cold region of the ,accadian       
,olympus1 now ,mount ,elwend1 that he   
was  placed by the old mythology1 and   
the similarity of his name to that  of  
the ,elamite god ,khumba or ,khumbume   
makes it possible that he was           
originally identical with the latter4   
,in this case the antagonism  between   
,khumbaba and ,izdubar would have been  
merely a reflection of  the antagonism  
that existed between the inhabitants of 
,babylonia and  the subjects of the     
,elamite empire4 ,mr4 ,smith even       
thought that the  overthrow of ,khumbaba
 might have been an echo of the         
overthrow of some  ,elamite dynasty by a
 ,chaldean one4    ,in the case of the  
fourth tablet ,mr4 ,smith believed that 
he had found  fragments of all six      
columns1 but some of these fragments are
 useless  until we have further         
fragments to complete them4             
,,tablet ,,iv4    ,,column ,i4    #a4   
4444 mu 4444    #b4 4444 thy 4444    #c4
 4444 me1 return    #d4 4444 the birds  

shall rend him    #e4 4444 in thy       
presence    #f4 4444 of the forest of   
pine trees    #g4 4444 all the battle   
#h4 4444 may the birds of prey surround 
him    #i4 4444 that1 his carcass may   
they destroy    #aj4 4444 to me and we  
will appoint thee king1    #aa4 4444    
thou shalt direct after the manner of a 
king                                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ab4 ,izdubar opened his mouth and      
spake1    #ac4 and said to ,hea-bani3   
#ad4 444 he goes to the great palace    
#ae4 4444 the breast of the great queen 
#af4 44444 knowledge1 everything he     
knows    #ag4 444444 establish to our   
feet    #ah4 4444444 his hand    #ai4   
4444444 ,i to the great palace    #bj4  
444444444 the great queen    7,probably 
over twenty lines lost here47           
,,column ,,ii4    #a4 4444 enter    #b4 
4444 he raised    #c4 4444 the ornaments
 of her 4444    #d4 4444 the ornaments  
of her breast    #e4 4444 and her crown 

,i divided    #f4 4444 of the earth he  
opened    #g4 he 4444 he ascended to the
 city    #h4 he went up to the presence 
of ,samas he made a sacrifice8    #i4 he
 built an altar4 ,in the presence of    
,samas he lifted his hands3    #aj4 ,why
 hast thou established ,izdubar1 in thy 
heart thou hast given him  protection1  
#aa4 when the son 4444 and he goes      
#ab4 on the remote path to ,khumbaba4   
#ac4 ,a battle he knows not he will     
confront1    #ad4 an expedition he knows
 not he will ride to1    #ae4 for long  
he will go and will return1    #af4 to  
take the course to the forest of pine   
trees1    #ag4 to ,khumbaba of whom his 
city may he destroy1    #ah4 and every  
one who is evil whom thou hatest 444    
#ai4 ,in the day of the year he will    
4444    #bj4 ,may she not return at all1
 may she not 444    #ba4 him to fix 4444
    7,about ten lines lost here47       
,here we see that ,izdubar1 impressed   
with the magnitude of the task he  had  
undertaken1 makes a prayer and sacrifice

 to ,samas to aid him in his  task4 ,the
 next fragment appears also to belong to
 this column1 and may  refer to         
preliminaries for sacrificing to ,istar1
 with a view also to  gain her aid in   
the enterprise4    ,this fragment of    
,column ,,ii4 reads    #a4 4444         
neighbourhood of ,erech 4444    #b4 4444
 strong and 444    #c4 he burst open the
 road 4444    #d4 and that city 4444    
#e4 and the collection 4444    #f4      
placed the people together 4444    #g4  
the people were ended 4444    #h4 like  
of a king 4444    #i4 which for a long  
time had been made 4444    #aj4 to the  
goddess ,istar the bed 4444    #aa4 to  
,izdubar like the god ,sakim 4444       
#ab4 ,hea-bani opened the great gate of 
the house of assembly 4444    #ac4 for  
,izdubar to enter 4444    #ad4 4444 in  
the gate of the house 444444444444      
,,column ,,iii4    #a4 the corpse of    
4444    #b4 to 4444    #c4 to the rising
 of 4444    #d4 the angels 4444    #e4  
may she not return 4444    #f4 him to   

fix 4444    #g4 the expedition which he 
knows not 4444    #h4 may he destroy    
also 4444    #i4 of which he knows 4444 
#aj4 the road 4444    ,five more        
mutilated lines1 the rest of the column 
being lost4    ,this fragment shows     
,izdubar still invoking the gods for his
 coming  expedition4 ,under the next    
column ,mr4 ,smith placed a fragment1   
the  position and meaning of which are  
quite unknown4      ,,column            
,,iv4--,,uncertain ,,fragment4    #a4 he
 was heavy 4444    #b4 ,hea-bani was    
4444    #c4 ,hea-bani strong not rising 
4444    #d4 ,when 4444    #e4 with thy  
song8 4444    #f4 the sister of the gods
 faithful 4444    #g4 wandering he fixed
 to 4444    #h4 the sister of the gods  
lifted 4444    #i4 and the daughters of 
the gods grew 4444    #aj4 ,i ,hea-bani 
4444 he lifted to 4444    ,somewhere    
here should be the story1 now lost1 of  
the starting of  ,izdubar on his        
expedition accompanied by his friend    
,hea-bani4 ,the  sequel shows they      

arrive at the palace or residence of    
,hea-bani1 which  is surrounded by a    
forest of pine and cedar1 the whole     
being enclosed  by some barrier or wall1
 with a gate for entrance4 ,hea-bani and
 ,izdubar  open this gate where the     
story reopens on the fifth column4      
,,column ,v4    #a4 the sharp weapon    
#b4 to make men fear him 4444    #c4    
,khumbaba poured a tempest out of his   
mouth 4444    #d4 he heard the gate of  
the forest open    #e4 the sharp weapon 
to make men fear him he took    #f4 and 
in the path of his forest he stood and  
waited                                  
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#g4 ,izdubar to him also said to        
,hea-bani    ,here we see ,khumbaba     
waiting for the intruders1 but the rest 
of the  column is lost2 it appears to   
have principally consisted of speeches  
by  ,izdubar and ,hea-bani on the       
magnificent trees they saw1 and the work
  before them4 ,a single fragment of    

,column ,,vi41 containing fragments of  
six lines1 shows them still at the gate1
 and when the next tablet1 ,no4  ,v41   
opens1 they had not yet entered4        
,,tablet ,v4    ,the fifth tablet is    
more certain than the last2 it appears  
to refer  to the conquest of ,khumbaba4 
,only fragments of this tablet1 which   
opens with a description of the retreat 
of ,khumbaba1 have as yet been          
discovered4      ,,column ,i4    #a4 ,he
 stood and surveyed the forest    #b4 of
 pine trees1 he perceived its height1   
#c4 of the forest he perceived its      
approach1    #d4 in the place where     
,khumbaba went his step was placed1     
#e4 on a straight road and a good path4 
#f4 ,he saw the land of the pine trees1 
the seat of the gods1 the  sanctuary of 
the angels1    #g4 in front8 of the seed
 the pine tree carried its fruit1    #h4
 good was its shadow1 full of pleasure1 
#i4 an excellent tree1 the choice of the
 forest1    #aj4 4444 the pine heaped   
4444    #aa4 4444 for one kaspu 7#g     

miles7 444    #ab4 4444 cedar two-thirds
 of it 444    #ac4 4444 grown 4444      
#ad4 4444 like it 444    7,about #aj    
lines lost here47    #be4 4444 he looked
 4444    #bf4 4444 he made and he 4444  
#bg4 4444 drove to 4444    #bh4 4444 he 
opened and 4444                         
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#bi4 ,izdubar opened his mouth and      
spake1 and said to ,hea-bani3    #cj4   
,my friend 4444    #ca4 4444 with their 
slaughter 4444    #cb4 4444 he did not  
speak before her1 he made with him 4444 
#cc4 4444 knowledge of war who made     
fighting1    #cd4 in entering to the    
house thou shalt not fear 444    #ce4   
4444 and like ,i take her also they 4444
    #cf4 to an end may they seat 4444   
#cg4 4444 thy hand 4444    #ch4 4444    
took my friend first 4444    #ci4 4444  
his heart prepared for war1 that year   
and day also    #dj4 4444 on his falling
 appoint the people    #da4 4444 slay   
him1 his corpse may the birds of prey   

surround    #db4 444444 of them he shall
 make    #dc4 4444 going he took the    
weight    #dd4 they performed it1 their 
will they established                   
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#de4 4444 they entered into the forest  
,,column ,,ii4    7,five lines          
mutilated47    #f4 they passed through  
the forest 4444                         
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#g4 ,khumbaba 4444    #h4 he did not    
come 4444    #i4 he did not 4444        
7,seven lines lost47    #ag4 heavy 4444 
#ah4 ,hea-bani opened his mouth 4444    
#ai4 4444 ,khumbaba in 4444    #bj4 4444
 one by one and 4444    7,many other    
broken lines47    ,there are a few      
fragments of ,columns ,,iii41 ,,iv41 and
 ,v41 and a small  portion of ,column   
,,vi41 which reads3    #a4 4444 cedar to
 4444    #b4 4444 he placed and 4444    
#c4 4444 #abj 4444 ,hea-bani 4444    #d4
 4444 the head of ,khumbaba 4444        

----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#e4 4444 his weapon he sharpened 4444   
#f4 4444 tablet of the story of fate of 
4444    ,it appears from the various    
mutilated fragments of this tablet that 
,izdubar and ,hea-bani conquer and slay 
,khumbaba and take his goods1 but  much 
is wanted to connect the fragments4     
,the conclusion of this stage of the    
story and triumph of ,izdubar  are given
 at the commencement of the sixth       
tablet4 ,the conquest of  ,khumbaba gave
 ,izdubar the crown and attributes of   
his fallen rival1  who seems to have    
been a sun-god1 and this caused ,istar1 
who already  appears as the bride of the
 sun in the myth of ,tammuz1 to woo the 
triumphant hero4          ,,chapter     
,,xiv4    ,,the ,,adventures ,,of       
,,istar4     ,triumph of                
,izdubar4--,istar's love4--,her offer of
 marriage4--,her   promises4--,izdubar's
 answer4--,tammuz4--,amours of          
,istar4--,his   refusal4--,istar's      

anger4--,ascends to ,heaven4--,the      
bull4--,slain by   ,izdubar4--,istar's  
curse4--,izdubar's triumph4--,the       
feast4--,istar's   despair4--,her       
descent to ,hades4--,description4--,the 
seven gates4--,the                      
curses4--,atsu-sunamir the              
,sphinx4--,release of ,istar4--,the dog 
of the   dawn4--,lament for ,tammuz4    
,in this chapter are included the sixth 
and seventh tablets1 which both         
primarily refer to the doings of ,istar4
      ,,tablet ,,vi4    ,the sixth      
tablet is in better condition than any  
of the former ones1  and allows of      
something like a connected translation4 
,,column ,i4    #a4 4444 his weapon1 he 
made bright his weapon4    #b4 ,like a  
bull his mountain he ascended after him4
    #c4 ,he destroyed him and clothed   
himself with his spoils4    #d4 ,the 444
 he put on and the fastening of the     
crown he tore4    #e4 ,izdubar his crown
 put on 7and the fastening of the crown 
he tore74    #f4 ,for the favour of     

,izdubar the princess ,istar lifted the 
eyes3    #g4 ,i will make thee also     
,izdubar my husband1#ah    #h4 thy oath 
to me shall be thy bond1    #i4 thou    
shalt be husband and ,i will be thy     
wife4    #aj4 ,i will make 7thy7 chariot
 glisten with crystal and gold1    #aa4 
of which the body is gold and its horns 
are strong4    #ab4 ,i will cause thy   
days to find gifts1 ,o judge 787 of the 
great4    #ac4 ,into our house enter1   
mid the scent of the pines4    #ad4     
,when thou enterest our house    #ae4   
may the river ,euphrates kiss thy feet4 
#af4 ,there shall be under thee kings1  
lords1 and princes4    #ag4 ,the tribute
 of the mountains and plains may they   
bring to thee as  an offering4    #ah4  
,may thy herds and flocks bring forth   
twins1    #ai4 may the increase of the  
cows come unto 7thee71    #bj4 may thy  
7horse7 be strong1 without ceasing1 in  
the chariot1    #ba4 may 7thy steed7 in 
the yoke never have a rival4            
----------------------------------------

-----------------------------------     
#bb4 7,izdubar7 opened his mouth and    
speaks2    #bc4 7he says7 to the        
princess ,istar3    #bd4 4444 to thee   
thy possession    #be4 4444 body and    
rottenness 787    #bf4 4444 baldness and
 famine    #bg4 4444 ,i keep back the   
instruments of divinity    #bh4 4444    
instruments of royalty    #bi4 4444     
storm 787    #cj4 444444 he poured 787  
#ca4 444444 ,i lingered    #cb4 444444  
,i took thee    #cc4 444444 caused to   
enter    #cd4 the door afterwards 4444  
ended wind and showers    #ce4 palace   
4444 the hero    #cf4 mouth 4444 check  
her    #cg4 that sign 4444 carry her    
#ch4 body glorious 787 4444 carry her   
#ci4 grand 4444 tower of stone    #dj4  
they have dwelt 7in7 the land of the    
enemy    #da4 may she 4444 her lord     
#db4 never may he woo thee for ever     
#dc4 never may a god praise thee    #dd4
 ,i took also the torch8 4444 ,i loved  
thee      ,,column ,,ii4    #a4 ,rest   
thee and 44444    #b4 as for ,tammuz the

 lover of 7thy7 youth    #c4 year after 
year thou hast wearied him with thy     
love4    #d4 ,allala the eagle also thou
 lovest and    #e4 thou didst strike    
him1 and his wings thou didst break2    
#f4 he stood in the forest1 he begged   
for wings4    #g4 ,thou lovest also a   
lion lusty in might1    #h4 thou didst  
tear out by sevens his claws4    #i4    
,thou lovest also a horse glorious in   
war1    #aj4 he yielded himself and thou
 didst weary his love overmuch4    #aa4 
,for seven kaspu 7fourteen hours7 thou  
didst weary his love without  ceasing1  
#ab4 troubled and thirsting thou didst  
weary him4    #ac4 ,to his mother       
,silele thou didst send him wearied with
 thy love4    #ad4 ,thou lovest also the
 shepherd ,tabulu1    #ae4 of whom      
continually thou didst ask for thy      
stibium4    #af4 ,every day he          
propitiated thee with offerings1    #ag4
 thou didst strike him and to a hyena   
thou didst change him2    #ah4 his own  
village drove him away2    #ai4 his dogs

 tore his wounds4    #bj4 ,thou lovest  
also ,isullanu the husbandman of thy    
father1    #ba4 who continually was     
subject to thy order2    #bb4 each day  
had he made bright thy dish4    #bc4    
,the eyes thou didst take from him and  
didst put him in chains1    #bd4        
7saying73 ,o ,isullanu1 cut thy hand1   
eat 7thy7 eyes6    #be4 ,and thy hand   
thou didst bring out and thou didst     
strike8 4444    #bf4 ,isullanu says to  
thee3    #bg4 ,as for me what dost thou 
ask of me8    #bh4 ,my mother1 thou art 
not beautiful1 and ,i eat not4    #bi4  
,the food ,i have eaten is plentiful1   
even pain and waking2    #cj4 trembling 
and faintness overcome me 787    #ca4   
,thou didst hear also this 4444    #cb4 
thou didst strike him2 to a pillar#ai   
thou didst change him1    #cc4 thou     
didst place him also in the midst of the
 land 4444    #cd4 that he rise not up1 
that he go not 4444    #ce4 ,and as for 
me dost thou love me1 and like to him   
wilt thou serve  me8                    

----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#cf4 ,when ,istar 7heard7 this1    #cg4 
,istar was angry and to heaven she      
ascended2    #ch4 ,istar went also to   
the presence of ,anu her father1    #ci4
 to the presence of ,anatu her mother   
she went and says3    #dj4 ,my father1  
,izdubar hates me1 and      ,,column    
,,iii4    #a4 ,izdubar despises my      
beauty1    #b4 my beauty and my charms4 
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#c4 ,anu opened his mouth and spake1 and
    #d4 says to the princess ,istar3    
#e4 ,my daughter thou shalt remove 4444 
#f4 and ,izdubar will count thy beauty1 
#g4 thy beauty and thy charms4          
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#h4 ,istar opened her mouth and spake1  
and    #i4 says to ,anu her father3     
#aj4 ,my father1 create the bull of     
,anu#bj and    #aa4 ,izdubar 4444       
#ab4 when he is filled 4444    #ac4 ,i  

will strike 4444    #ad4 ,i will join   
4444    #ae4 44444444    #af4 over 4444 
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ag4 ,anu opened his mouth and spake1   
and    #ah4 says to the princess ,istar3
    #ai4 4444 thou shalt join 4444      
#bj4 4444 of noble names    #ba4 4444   
maskhi 4444    #bb4 4444 which is       
magnified 4444                          
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#bc4 ,istar opened her mouth and spake1 
and    #bd4 says to ,anu her father3    
#be4 4444 ,i will strike    #bf4 4444 ,i
 will break    #bg4 4444 of noble names 
#bh4 4444 reducer    #bi4 4444 of foods 
#cj4 4444 of him    7,some lines lost   
here47      ,,column ,,iv4    7,some    
lines lost47    #a4 4444 warriors    #b4
 4444 to the midst    #c4 4444 three    
hundred warriors    #d4 4444 to the     
midst    #e4 4444 slay ,hea-bani    #f4 
in two divisions he parted in the midst 
of it    #g4 two hundred warriors 4444  

made1 the bull of ,anu 4444    #h4 in   
the third division 4444 his horns    #i4
 ,hea-bani struck8 4444 his might       
#aj4 and ,hea-bani pierced 44444444     
#aa4 the bull of ,anu by his head he    
took hold of 4444    #ab4 by the        
thickness of his tail 4444              
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ac4 ,hea-bani opened his mouth and     
spake1 and    #ad4 says to ,izdubar3    
#ae4 ,my friend1 we have strengthened   
4444    #af4 when we overthrow 444      
#ag4 ,my friend1 ,i see 4444    #ah4 and
 the might 4444    #ai4 may ,i destroy  
4444    7,three lines lost474    #bc4   
4444 hands 4444 to ,rimmon and ,nebo    
#bd4 4444 tarka 4444 um 4444    #be4    
4444 ,hea-bani took hold 4444 the bull  
of ,anu    #bf4 4444 he 4444 also 4444  
by his tail    #bg4 44444444 ,hea-bani  
,,column ,v4    #a4 ,and ,izdubar like a
 4444    #b4 the hero and 7his friend7  
#c4 in the vicinity of the middle of his
 horns 4444    #d4 from the city they   

destroyed1 the heart 4444    #e4 to the 
presence of ,samas 4444    #f4 they had 
gone to the presence of ,samas 4444     
#g4 he placed at the side the bulk 787  
4444                                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#h4 ,and ,istar ascended over the       
fortress of ,erech the lofty1    #i4 she
 destroyed the bull1 she uttered a      
curse3    #aj4 ,woe to ,izdubar who has 
overthrown me1 has slain the bull of    
,anu4    #aa4 ,hea-bani also heard this 
speech of ,istar1    #ab4 and he cut off
 the member of the bull of ,anu and     
before her he laid  it2    #ac4 ,and    
what of it8 since ,i conquered thee when
 him also 7i4e4  ,izdubar7    #ad4 ,i   
caused thee to listen to2    #ae4 its   
skin also ,i have hung up at thy side4  
#af4 ,istar gathered her maidens    #ag4
 ,samkhati and ,kharimati1#ba    #ah4   
over the member of the bull of ,anu a   
mourning she made4    #ai4 ,izdubar     
called on the people1 the multitude     

#bj4 all of them3    #ba4 with the      
thickness of his horns the young men    
were glorious1    #bb4 #cj manehs of    
crystal 7was7 their substance1    #bc4  
the sharpness of the points was         
destroyed1    #bd4 #f gurs its mass     
altogether4    #be4 ,for the food of his
 god ,lugal-turda he cut it up2    #bf4 
he seethed it and hangs it up in the    
rising of his fire2    #bg4 in the river
 ,euphrates they washed their hands4    
#bh4 ,they had been taken and gone      
#bi4 through the street of ,erech       
riding1    #cj4 the assembly of the     
warriors of ,erech put trust in them4   
#ca4 ,izdubar to the inhabitants of     
,erech    #cb4 4444 a proclamation made4
      ,,column ,,vi4    #a4 8,if anyone 
is of ability among the chiefs1    #b4  
if any is noble among the men1    #c4   
,izdubar is able among the chiefs1      
#d4 ,izdubar is noble among the men1    
#e4 4444 our strength    #f4 4444 he has
 not    #g4 4444 his 44440              
----------------------------------------

-----------------------------------     
#h4 ,izdubar in his palace made a       
rejoicing1    #i4 the chiefs reclining  
lie on couches at night4    #aj4        
,hea-bani lies down1 a dream he dreams4 
#aa4 ,hea-bani came and the dream he    
explains1    #ab4 and says to ,izdubar4 
,,tablet ,,vii4    ,the seventh tablet  
opens with the words1 8,my friend1 what 
is this  counsel the great gods are     
taking80 ,it is uncertain if any other  
portion of this tablet has been found1  
but part of a remarkable  fragment1 with
 a continuation of the story of ,istar1 
has been placed  here4 ,it appears that 
the goddess1 failing in her attempt in  
heaven to  avenge herself on ,izdubar   
for his slight1 resolved to descend to  
hell1  to search out1 if possible1 new  
modes of attacking him4    ,columns ,i4 
and ,,ii4 are lost1 the fragments       
recommencing on ,column ,,iii4          
,,column ,,iii4    #a4 4444 people8 to  
destroy his hand approached    #b4 4444 
raise in thy presence    #c4 4444 like  

before    #d4 4444 ,zaidu 7shall        
accomplish7 the wish of his heart    #e4
 with the female ,samkhat 4444 he       
brought    #f4 4444 thee1 the female    
,samkhat will expel thee    #g4 7homage7
 they did not perform 444444    #h4     
assemble thou a great assembly2    #i4  
4444 the strong one has caused thee to  
be struck1 even thee4    #aj4 444 goods 
of the house of thy fulness    ,after   
many lines destroyed1 the story         
recommences in the fourth column4       
,,column ,,iv4    #a4 ,to ,hades the    
country whence none return ,i turn      
myself1    #b4 ,i spread like a bird my 
hands4    #c4 ,i descend1 ,i descend to 
the house of darkness1 the dwelling of  
the  god ,irkalla3    #d4 to the house  
out of which there is no exit1    #e4 to
 the road from which there is no return3
    #f4 to the house from whose entrance
 the light is taken1    #g4 the place   
where dust is their nourishment and     
their food mud4    #h4 ,its chiefs also 
are like birds covered with feathers2   

#i4 the light is never seen1 in darkness
 they dwell4    #aj4 ,in the house1 ,o  
my friend1 which ,i will enter1    #aa4 
for me is treasured up a crown2    #ab4 
with those wearing crowns who from days 
of old ruled the earth1    #ac4 to whom 
the gods ,anu and ,bel have given names 
of rule4    #ad4 ,water 787 they have   
given to quench the thirst they drink   
limpid  waters4    #ae4 ,in the house1  
,o my friend1 which ,i will enter1      
#af4 dwell the lord and the unconquered 
one1    #ag4 dwell the priest and the   
great man1    #ah4 dwell the worms of   
the deep of the great gods2    #ai4     
there dwells ,etana1 there dwells the   
god ,ner1    #bj4 7there dwells7 the    
queen of the lower regions1 ,allat1     
#ba4 the mistress of the fields the     
mother of the queen of the lower        
regions before her submits1    #bb4 and 
there is not any one that stands against
 her in her presence4    #bc4 ,i will   
approach her and she will see me    #bd4
 444 and she will bring me to her       

,here the story is again lost1 ,columns 
,v4 and ,,vi4 being absent4 ,it  would  
seem that ,hea-bani is here telling his 
friend how he must die  and descend into
 the house of ,hades4 ,mr4 ,smith1      
however1 thought that  in the third     
column some one is speaking to ,istar1  
trying to persuade  her not to descend  
to ,hades1 while in the fourth column   
the goddess1  who is suffering all the  
pangs of jealousy and hate1 revels in   
the  dark details of the description of 
the lower regions1 and declares her     
determination to go there4    ,if this  
view is correct1 this part of the legend
 would be connected  with the beautiful 
story of the ,descent of ,istar into    
,hades which  describes how the goddess 
descended into the lower world in search
 of  her husband ,tammuz1 the ,sun-god1 
who had been slain by the boar's tusk   
of winter4 ,tammuz became ,adonis1 the  
,phnician adonai 8lord10 among  the     
,greeks1 to whom the story of ,aphrodit 
and ,adonis had been carried  by the    

,phnicians4 ,the story is one which     
meets us in the mythologies  of many    
races and nations throughout the world1 
and has grown in each  case out of the  
winter-sleep of the sun and his         
resurrection in the  spring4 ,its last  
echo in our own ,european folklore may  
be heard in the  tale of the ,sleeping  
,beauty4 ,a calendar found among the    
banking records  of the ,egibi firm in  
,babylonia notes on the #aeth day of the
 month  ,tammuz or ,june 8an eclipse of 
the ,moon10 apparently in reference to  
the  descent of the ,moon-goddess ,istar
 into ,hades4 ,the legend survives in  a
 changed form in the ,talmud 7,yoma     
#fi;b1 ,sanhedrim #fj;a74 ,here  it is  
said that after the ,captivity the      
elders of the nation1 headed  by ,ezra  
and ,nehemiah1 besought ,god that the   
demon of lust might be  delivered into  
their hands4 ,in spite of a prophetic   
voice which warned  them of the         
consequences of their request1 it was   
persisted in1 and the  demon was given  

up to them and imprisoned4 ,but before  
three days were  over1 the whole course 
of the world was thrown into disorder4  
,no eggs  even were to be had1 and the  
,jewish elders were obliged to confess  
their mistake and release the demon from
 his fetters4    ,the descent of ,istar 
into ,hades from ,k #afb4    #a4 ,to    
,hades the land whence none return1 the 
land 7of darkness71    #b4 ,istar       
daughter of ,sin 7the moon7 her ear     
7inclined72    #c4 inclined also the    
daughter of ,sin her ear1    #d4 to the 
house of darkness the dwelling of the   
god ,irkalla1    #e4 to the house out of
 which there is no exit1    #f4 to the  
road from which there is no return1     
#g4 to the house from whose entrance the
 light is taken1    #h4 the place where 
dust is their nourishment and their food
 mud4    #i4 ,light is never seen1 in   
darkness they dwell4    #aj4 ,its chiefs
 also are like birds covered with       
feathers1    #aa4 over the door and     
bolts is scattered dust4    #ab4 ,istar 

on her arrival at the gate of ,hades1   
#ac4 to the keeper of the gate a command
 she addresses3    #ad4 ,keeper of the  
waters1 open thy gate1    #ae4 open thy 
gate that ,i may enter4    #af4 ,if thou
 openest not the gate that ,i may enter1
    #ag4 ,i will strike the door1 the   
bolts ,i will shatter1    #ah4 ,i will  
strike the threshold and will pass      
through the doors2    #ai4 ,i will raise
 up the dead to devour the living1      
#bj4 above the living the dead shall    
exceed in numbers4    #ba4 ,the keeper  
opened his mouth and speaks1    #bb4 he 
says to the princess ,istar3    #bc4    
,stay1 lady1 thou dost not glorify her1 
#bd4 let me go and thy name repeat to   
the queen ,allat4    #be4 ,the keeper   
descended and says to ,allat3    #bf4   
,this water 7of life7 thy sister ,istar 
7comes to seek74    #bg4 ,the queen of  
the great vaults 7of heaven7 4444       
#bh4 ,allat on hearing this says3       
#bi4 ,like the cutting off of the herb  
has 7,istar7 descended 7into ,hades71   

#cj4 like the lip of a deadly insect 787
 she has 444    #ca4 ,what will her     
heart bring me 7i4e4 matter to me71 what
 will her  anger 7bring me78    #cb3    
7,istar replies37 ,this water with 7my  
husband7    #cc4 like food would ,i eat1
 like beer would ,i drink4    #cd4 ,let 
me weep over the strong who have left   
their wives4    #ce4 ,let me weep over  
the handmaids who 7have lost7 the       
embraces of  their husbands4    #cf4    
,over the only son let me mourn1 who ere
 his days are come is taken  away4      
#cg4 7,allat says37 ,go keeper open thy 
gate to her1    #ch4 bewitch her also   
according to the ancient rules4    #ci4 
,the keeper went and opened his gate3   
#dj4 ,enter1 ,o lady1 let the city of   
,cutha#bb receive thee2    #da4 let the 
palace of ,hades rejoice at thy         
presence4    #db4 ,the first gate he    
caused her to enter and touched her1 he 
threw  down the great crown of her head4
    #dc4 ,why1 ,o keeper1 hast thou     
thrown down the great crown of my head8 

#dd4 ,enter1 ,o lady1 of ,allat thus is 
the order4    #de4 ,the second gate he  
caused her to enter and touched her1 he 
threw  away the earrings of her ears4   
#df4 ,why1 keeper1 hast thou thrown away
 the earrings of my ears8    #dg4       
,enter1 ,o lady1 of ,allat thus is the  
order4    #dh4 ,the third gate he caused
 her to enter and touched her1 he threw 
away the necklace#bc of her neck4       
#di4 ,why1 keeper1 hast thou thrown away
 the necklace of my neck8    #ej4       
,enter1 ,o lady1 of ,allat thus is the  
order4    #ea4 ,the fourth gate he      
caused her to enter and touched her1 he 
threw  away the ornaments of her breast4
    #eb4 ,why1 keeper1 hast thou thrown 
away the ornaments of my breast8    #ec4
 ,enter1 ,o lady1 of ,allat thus is the 
order4    #ed4 ,the fifth gate he caused
 her to enter and touched her1 he threw 
away the gemmed girdle of her waist4    
#ee4 ,why1 keeper1 hast thou thrown away
 the gemmed girdle of my waist8    #ef4 
,enter1 ,o lady1 of ,allat thus is the  

order4    #eg4 ,the sixth gate he caused
 her to enter and touched her1 he threw 
away the bracelets of her hands and her 
feet4    #eh4 ,why1 keeper1 hast thou   
thrown away the bracelets of my hands   
and my  feet8    #ei4 ,enter1 ,o lady1  
of ,allat thus is the order4    #fj4    
,the seventh gate he caused her to enter
 and touched her1 he threw  away the    
covering robe of her body4    #fa4 ,why1
 keeper1 hast thou thrown away the      
covering robe of my body8    #fb4       
,enter1 ,o lady1 of ,allat thus is the  
order4    #fc4 ,when for a long time    
,istar into ,hades had descended1       
#fd4 ,allat saw her and at her presence 
was arrogant2    #fe4 ,istar did not    
take counsel1 at her she swore4    #ff4 
,allat her mouth opened and speaks1     
#fg4 to ,namtar 7the plague-demon7 her  
messenger a command she addresses3      
#fh4 ,go ,namtar take ,istar from me and
    #fi4 take her out to 4444 even      
,istar    #gj4 diseased eyes 7strike7   
her with1    #ga4 diseased side 7strike7

 her with1    #gb4 diseased feet        
7strike7 her with1    #gc4 diseased     
heart 7strike7 her with1    #gd4        
diseased head 7strike7 her with1    #ge4
 strike her1 the whole of her strike    
with disease4    #gf4 ,after ,istar the 
lady into ,hades had descended1    #gg4 
with the cow the bull would not unite1  
and the ass the female ass  would not   
approach2    #gh4 the female slave in   
the streets would not let herself be    
touched4    #gi4 ,the freeman ceased to 
give his command1    #hj4 the female    
slave ceased to give her gift4          
,,column ,,ii4    #a4 ,papsukul1 the    
messenger of the great gods bowed his   
face before  7,samas72    #b4           
44444444444444    #c4 ,samas 7the       
sun-god7 went and in the presence of his
 father the  moon-god he stood1    #d4  
into the presence of ,hea the king he   
went in tears3    #e4 ,istar into the   
lower regions has descended1 she has not
 ascended  back2    #f4 for a long time 
,istar into ,hades has descended1    #g4

 with the cow the bull will not unite1  
the ass the female ass will  not        
approach2    #h4 the female slave in the
 street will not let herself be touched2
    #i4 the freeman has ceased to give  
his command1    #aj4 the female slave   
has ceased to give her gift4    #aa4    
,hea in the wisdom of his heart formed a
 resolution1    #ab4 and made           
,atsu-sunamir#bd the sphinx3#be    #ac4 
,go ,atsu-sunamir towards the gates of  
,hades set thy face2    #ad4 may the    
seven gates of ,hades be opened at thy  
presence2    #ae4 may ,allat see thee   
and rejoice at thy presence2    #af4    
when she shall be at rest in her heart1 
and her liver be appeased4    #ag4      
,conjure her by the name of the great   
gods4    #ah4 ,raise thy heads1 to the  
roaring stream set thy ear2    #ai4 may 
the lady 7,istar7 overmaster the roaring
 stream1 the waters in  the midst of it 
may she drink4    #bj4 ,allat on hearing
 this1    #ba4 beat her breast1 she bit 
her thumb1    #bb4 she turned again1 a  

request she asked not3    #bc4 ,go1     
,atsu-sunamir1 may ,i imprison thee in  
the great prison1    #bd4 may the       
garbage of the foundations of the city  
be thy food1    #be4 may the drains of  
the city be thy drink1    #bf4 may the  
darkness of the dungeon be thy dwelling1
    #bg4 may a stake be thy seat1       
#bh4 may hunger and thirst strike thy   
offspring4    #bi4 ,allat her mouth     
opened and speaks1    #cj4 to ,namtar   
her messenger a command she addresses3  
#ca4 ,go1 ,namtar1 strike the           
firmly-fixed palace1    #cb4 the        
ashrim#bf adorn with stones of the dawn1
    #cc4 bid the spirits of earth come  
forth1 on a throne of gold seat  7them71
    #cd4 unto ,istar give the waters of 
life and bring her before me4    #ce4   
,namtar went1 he struck the firmly-fixed
 palace1    #cf4 the ashrim he adorned  
with stones of the dawn1    #cg4 he     
brought forth the spirits of earth1 on a
 throne of gold he  seated 7them74      
#ch4 ,to ,istar he gave the waters of   

life and took her4    #ci4 ,the first   
gate he passed her out of1 and he       
restored to her the  covering robe of   
her body4    #dj4 ,the second gate he   
passed her out of1 and he restored to   
her the  bracelets of her hands and her 
feet4    #da4 ,the third gate he passed 
her out of1 and he restored to her the  
gemmed girdle of her waist4    #db4 ,the
 fourth gate he passed her out of1 and  
he restored to her the  ornaments of her
 breast4    #dc4 ,the fifth gate he     
passed her out of1 and he restored to   
her the  necklace of her neck4    #dd4  
,the sixth gate he passed her out of1   
and he restored to her the  earrings of 
her ears4    #de4 ,the seventh gate he  
passed her out of1 and he restored to   
her the  great crown of her head4       
#df4 ,since thou hast not paid1 7he     
says7 a ransom for thy deliverance to   
her 7i4e4 ,allat71 so to her again turn 
back    #dg4 for ,tammuz the husband of 
7thy7 youth2    #dh4 the glistening     
waters pour over 7him71 the drops       

7sprinkle upon  him72    #di4 in        
splendid clothing dress him1 with a ring
 of crystal adorn 7him74    #ej4 ,may   
,samkhat appease the grief 7of ,istar71 
#ea4 and1 ,kharimat1#bg give to her     
comfort4    #eb4 ,the precious          
eye-stones also she destroyed not1      
#ec4 the wound of her brother 7,tammuz7 
she heard1 she smote 7her  breast71 she1
 even ,kharimat1 gave her comfort2      
#ed4 the precious eye-stones1 her       
amulets1 she commanded not1    #ee4     
7saying73 ,o my only brother1 thou dost 
not lament for me4    #ef4 ,in the day  
that ,tammuz adorned me1 with a ring of 
crystal1 with a  bracelet of emeralds1  
together with himself he adorned me1    
#eg4 with himself he adorned me2 may men
 mourners and women mourners    #eh4 on 
a bier place 7him71 and assemble the    
wake4    ,this remarkable text shows    
,istar fulfilling her threat and        
descending  to ,hades1 but it does not  
appear that she had as yet accomplished 
her  vengeance against ,izdubar4    ,at 

the opening of the sixth tablet we have 
the final scene of the  contest with    
,khumbaba4 ,izdubar1 after slaying      
,khumbaba1 takes the  crown from the    
head of the monarch and places it on his
 own head1 thus  signifying that he     
assumed the empire4 ,there were1 as we  
are informed  in several places1 kings1 
lords1 and princes1 merely local rulers1
 but  these generally submitted to the  
greatest power2 and just as they had    
bowed to ,khumbaba1 so they were ready  
now to submit to ,izdubar4 ,the  kingdom
 promised to ,izdubar when he started to
 encounter ,khumbaba now  became his by 
right of superior force1 and he entered 
the halls of the  palace of ,erech and  
feasted with his heroes4    ,we are thus
 brought to a curious part of the story1
 the romance  of ,izdubar and ,istar4   
,one of the strange and dark features of
 the  ,babylonian religion was the      
,istar or ,venus worship1 which was an  
adoration of the reproductive power of  
nature1 accompanied by  ceremonies which

 were a reproach to the country4 ,the   
city of ,erech1  originally a seat of   
the worship of ,anu1 was now one of the 
foremost  cities in this ,istar worship4
 ,tammuz1 the young and beautiful       
,sun-god1  the dead bridegroom of       
,istar1 seems to be also spoken of as   
the brother  of her handmaid ,kharimat4 
,this explains1 as ,m4 ,lenormant has   
pointed  out1 the passage in ,jeremiah  
xxii4 #ah1 which preserves a portion of 
the wailing cry uttered by the          
worshippers of ,tammuz or ,adonis when  
celebrating his untimely death4 ,this   
should be rendered3 8,ah me1 my         
brother1 and ah me1 my sister6 ,ah me1  
,adonis1 and ah me1 his lady60          
,reference is made to the worship of    
,tammuz1 which was carried on  within   
the ,temple itself at ,jerusalem1 in    
,ezek4 viii4 #ad1 ,amos viii4  #aj1     
7where we should translate 8as at the   
mourning for the only son0  ,tammuz71   
and ,zech4 xii4 #aj1 #aa4 ,tammuz is the
 ,semitic form of the  ,accadian ,dumuzi

 which signified in that language 8the  
only son40    ,illustration3 ,,bowareyeh
 ,,mound ,,at ,,warka 7,,erech71 ,,site 
,,of ,,the ,,temple ,,of  ,,istar4      
,the struggle with a bull on the part of
 ,izdubar and ,hea-bani1  represented on
 the ,babylonian cylinder figured on the
 next page1 and  numerous similar       
representations1 refer to the struggle  
with the bull  created by ,anu to avenge
 the slight offered to ,istar4    ,it   
would appear from the broken fragments  
of ,column ,,iv4 that ,hea-bani  laid   
hold of the bull by the head and tail   
while ,izdubar killed it1 and  ,hea-bani
 in the engraving is represented holding
 the bull by its head  and tail4    ,at 
the close of the sixth tablet the story 
is again lost1 only portions  of the    
third and fourth columns of the next    
tablet being preserved1  but light is   
thrown on this portion of the narrative 
by the remarkable  tablet describing the
 descent of ,istar into ,hades4 ,it is  
possible  that this tablet formed an    

episode in the sixth tablet of the      
,izdubar  legends4    ,illustration3    
,,izdubar ,,and ,,hea-,,bani ,,in       
,,conflict ,,with ,,the ,,lion ,,and    
,,bull4    ,this tablet containing the  
descent of ,istar into ,hades was first 
noticed by ,mr4 ,fox ,talbot in the     
8,transactions of the ,royal ,society   
of ,literature10 but his attempt at a   
translation was a failure4 ,mr4  ,smith 
subsequently published a short notice of
 it in the 8,north ,british  ,review10  
and afterwards a translation of it in   
the 8,daily ,telegraph40  ,prof4        
,schrader brought out a monograph upon  
it in #ahgd1 and both ,m4  ,lenormant   
and ,dr4 ,oppert have worked at it4 ,the
 most recent translation  is one made   
into ,italian by ,m4 ,lenormant in a    
publication entitled  8,il mito di      
,adone-,tammuz10 #ahgi1 upon the basis  
of the one made by ,dr4  ,oppert4       
,the story of the descent of ,istar into
 ,hades is one of the most  beautiful   
myths in the ,assyrian inscriptions2 it 

has1 however1 received  so much         
attention1 and been so fully commented  
upon by various  scholars1 that little  
need be said on the subject here4    ,it
 is evident that we are dealing with the
 same goddess as the ,istar1  daughter  
of ,anu1 in the ,izdubar legends1       
although she is here called  daughter of
 ,sin 7the moon-god74    ,the           
description of the region of ,hades is  
most graphic1 and vividly  portrays the 
sufferings of the prisoners there4      
,atsu-sunamir1 created  by ,hea to      
deliver ,istar1 is described as a       
composite animal1 half bitch  and half  
man1 with more than one head1 and       
corresponds with the two  dogs of the   
,hindu ,rig-,veda1 which have four eyes 
and broad snouts1 and  guard the road to
 the abode of ,yama the king of the     
departed4 ,they are  also said to move  
among men1 feasting on their lives1 as  
the messengers  of ,yama2 and as the    
offspring of ,saram1 the dawn1 they are 
called  ,srameyas1 which ,prof4 ,max    

,mller compares with the ,greek ,herms4 
,at  any rate1 the same conception of a 
dog of the dawn which guards the        
approach to the realm of ,hades is found
 in the ,greek ,kerberos with  his fifty
 heads 7or three heads1 according to    
later writers71 as well  as in the dog  
of ,geryon named ,orthros or 8the dawn10
 who seems to be  identical with the    
,vedic ,vritra the demon of night4 ,it  
would appear1  therefore1 that in the   
primitive mythology both of the ,hindus 
and of  the ,accadians the 8fleet0 dawn 
was likened to a dog1 sometimes regarded
  as carrying men away to the dark      
under-world1 sometimes as bringing      
light to the under-world itself4    ,the
 latter part of the tablet is somewhat  
obscure1 but refers to the  custom of   
lamenting for ,dumuzi or ,tammuz4       
,,footnotes3    #ah ,another copy of the
 legend reads 8lover40    #ai           
,literally1 8a thing hung up40    #bj   
,or 8bull of heaven40 ,it was a         
constellation1 perhaps ,taurus4    #ba  

8,joy0 and 8,seduction40    #bb ,a great
 necropolis seems to have existed in    
,cutha4    #bc ,literally 8precious     
stones40    #bd ,that is1 8,go forth1   
cause it to be light60    #be ,literally
 8the man who is a female dog10 or      
8lion40    #bf ,literally 8stone stakes0
 or 8cones10 the symbols of the goddess 
,ashrah4 ,cf4 #a ,kings vii4 #ae-bb4    
#bg ,tillili1 the ,accadian name of     
,kharimat1 is here used4 ,tillili was   
the wife of the ,sun-god ,alala         
symbolized by the eagle1 which we are   
told was 8the symbol of the southern0 or
 8meridian sun40 ,what ,sir ,h4         
,rawlinson calls the monotheistic party 
among the ,babylonians resolved         
,tillili into ,anatu and ,alala into    
,anu4          ,,chapter ,,xv4          
,,illness ,,and ,,wanderings ,,of       
,,izdubar4     ,hea-bani and the        
trees4--,illness of ,izdubar4--,death of
 ,hea-bani4--,journey   of              
,izdubar4--,his dream4--,scorpion       
men4--,the ,desert of ,mas4--,siduri    

and ,sabitu4--,nes-,hea the             
pilot4--,water of death4--,mua4--,the   
conversation4--,xisuthrus4      ,of the 
three tablets in this section1 the first
 one is very uncertain1  and is put     
together from two separate sources3 the 
other two are more  complete and        
satisfactory4      ,,tablet ,,viii4     
,it is again uncertain if any of this   
tablet has been discovered2             
provisionally some fragments of the     
first1 second1 third1 and sixth  columns
 of a tablet which may belong to it are 
placed here1 but the  only fragment     
worth translating at present is one     
given in ,mr4 ,smith's  8,assyrian      
,discoveries10 p4 #agf4 ,in some        
portions of these fragments  there are  
references to the story of ,khumbaba1   
but as the fragment  appears to refer to
 the illness of ,izdubar it probably    
belongs here4      ,k4 #cehh4           
,,column ,i4    #a4 4444                
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     

#b4 ,hea-bani 7his mouth opened and     
spake and7    #c4 said to 4444    #d4 ,i
 went 787 4444    #e4 in the 4444    #f4
 the door 4444    #g4 of 4444    #h and 
#i4 4444    #aj4 in 4444    #aa4        
,hea-bani 4444444444    #ab4 with the   
door 4444 thy 444    #ac4 the door on   
its sides does not 444    #ad4 the      
creation of her ears they are not 444   
#ae4 for twenty kaspu 7#adj miles7 ,i   
climbed up 444    #af4 as far as the    
pine tree a shrub 787 ,i had seen 444   
#ag4 thy tree 787 has not another 444   
#ah4 ,six gars 7#abj feet7 is thy       
height1 two gars 7#dj feet7 is thy      
breadth 4444    #ai4 thy street1 thy    
blackness 787 thy rain 444    #bj4 ,i   
made thee1 ,i raised thee in the city of
 ,nipur 4444    #ba4 yea ,i knew thy    
door like this 444    #bb4 and this 444 
#bc4 ,i raised its face1 ,i 444    #bd4 
,i will fill thy bank 787 44444    #be4 
44444    #bf4 for he took 444    #bg4   
the pine tree1 the cedar1 444    #bh4 in
 its cover 444    #bi4 thou also 4444   

#cj4 may take 444    #ca4 in the        
collection of everything 444    #cb4 a  
great destruction 444    #cc4 the whole 
of the trees 44    #cd4 in thy land of  
the tree manubani 444    #ce4 thy bush8 
is not strong 444    #cf4 thy shadow is 
not great 444    #cg4 and thy smell is  
not agreeable 444                       
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ch4 ,the manubani tree was angry 444   
#ci4 made a likeness8    #dj4 like the  
tree 444    444444    ,the second1      
third1 fourth and fifth columns appear  
to be entirely  absent1 the inscription 
reappearing on a fragment of the sixth  
column4      ,,column ,,ii4    7,many   
lines lost47    #a4 ,the dream which ,i 
saw 4444    #b4 the tops of the mountain
 4444    #c4 444 he struck 4444    #d4  
he struck when thy royal raiment 4444   
#e4 he begat also in 4444    #f4 ,he    
recounted to his friend ,hea-bani the   
dream 444    #g4 ,my friend1 the good   
omen of the dream 4444    #h4 the dream 

was deceptive 4444    #i4 ,my friend1   
the mountain which thou didst see 4444  
#aj4 when ,i captured ,khumbaba we 4444 
#aa4 444 of his helpers ,nitakh-garri   
4444    #ab4 at the time of dawn 4444   
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ac4 ,for twenty kaspu they journeyed a 
stage    #ad4 at thirty kaspu they fixed
    #ae4 in the presence of ,samas they 
dug out a pit 787 4444    #af4 ,izdubar 
ascended also over 4444    #ag4 by the  
side of his house he crossed over 4444  
#ah4 444 he brought the dream 4444      
#ai4 he made it and the god 4444        
,,column ,,iii4    #a4 444 he brought   
the dream 4444    #b4 he made it and the
 god 4444    #c4 444 turban8 4444    #d4
 he cast him down and 4444    #e4 the   
mountain like corn of the field 4444    
#f4 ,izdubar at the destruction 787 set 
up 4444    #g4 ,anatu the troubler of   
men upon him struck1    #h4 and in the  
struggle his going he stayed4    #i4 ,he
 spake and said to his friend3    #aj4  

,my friend thou dost not ask me why ,i  
am naked1    #aa4 thou dost not inquire 
of me why ,i am spoiled1    #ab4 because
 the god passed over1 wherefore my limbs
 are hot4    #ac4 ,my friend ,i saw a   
third dream2    #ad4 that dream which ,i
 saw entirely disappeared4    #ae4 ,they
 prayed2 the god thunders on the ground4
    #af4 ,he burnt up the exit of the   
darkness2    #ag4 the lightning struck2 
a fire was kindled2    #ah4 4444 they   
took away2 it rained death4    #ai4 ,the
 glow also 7disappeared71 the fire sank1
    #bj4 4444 they struck2 it turned to 
a palm tree1    #ba4 in the desert also 
thy lord took 7his7 path 7874    #bb4   
,and ,hea-bani his dream considered2 he 
said to ,izdubar3    #bc4 4444 ,samas   
thy lord1 the creator 4444    ,the      
fourth and fifth columns of this tablet 
are lost4 ,this part of the  legend     
appears to refer to the illness of      
,izdubar4      ,,column ,,vi4    #a4 ,my
 friend 444 the dream which is not 444  
#b4 the day he dreamed the dream1 the   

end 444                                 
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#c4 ,hea-bani lay down also one day 444 
#d4 which ,hea-bani on 7his7 bed 444    
#e4 the third day and the fourth day    
which 444    #f4 the fifth1 and sixth1  
and seventh 7days7 444    #g4 the eighth
 7and ninth1 and tenth days7 4444    #h4
 when ,hea-bani was sick 444    #i4 the 
eleventh and twelfth 7days7 444    #aj4 
,hea-bani on 7his7 bed 444    #aa4      
,izdubar read also 444    #ab4 ,did my  
friend defend me 444    #ac4 whenever in
 the midst of fight 444    #ad4 ,i turn 
787 to battle and 444    #ae4 my friend 
who in battle 444    #af4 ,i in 444444  
,it must here be noted that ,mr4        
,smith's grounds for making this the    
eighth tablet were extremely doubtful1  
and it is possible that the  fragments  
are of different tablets2 but they fill 
up an evident blank  in the story here1 
and they are consequently inserted      
pending further  discoveries as to their

 true position4    ,in the first column 
,hea-bani appears to be addressing      
certain trees1  and they are supposed to
 have the power of hearing and answering
  him4 ,hea-bani praises one tree and   
sneers at another1 but from the         
mutilation of the text it does not      
appear why he acts so4 ,we may          
conjecture he was seeking a charm to    
open a door he mentions1 and that       
according to the story this charm was   
known to the trees4 ,the fragment  of   
the sixth column shows ,hea-bani unable 
to interpret a dream1 while  ,izdubar   
asks his friend to fight4    ,after this
 happened the violent death of          
,hea-bani1 which added to the           
misfortunes of ,izdubar2 but no fragment
 of this part of the story is           
preserved4      ,,tablet ,,ix4    ,this 
tablet is in a somewhat better state    
than the others1 and all  the narrative 
is clearer from this point1 not a single
 column of the  inscription being       
entirely lost4 ,the ninth tablet        

commences with the  sorrow of ,izdubar  
at the death of ,hea-bani4      ,,column
 ,i4    #a4 ,izdubar over ,hea-bani his 
friend    #b4 bitterly weeps1 and       
traverses the desert4    #c4 ,i have no 
judgment like ,hea-bani here2    #d4    
sickness entered into my stomach2    #e4
 death ,i feared1 and traverse the      
desert4    #f4 ,to the majesty of       
,xisuthrus1 son of ,ubara-tutu1    #g4  
the road ,i am taking1 and quickly ,i   
go2    #h4 to the lowlands of the       
mountains ,i take 7my way7 at night4    
#i4 4444 a 7dream7 ,i saw1 and ,i       
feared4    #aj4 ,i 7bow7 on my face1 to 
,sin 7the moon god7 ,i pray2    #aa4 and
 into the presence of the gods came my  
supplication2    #ab4 ,grant thou       
7health7 to me1 even unto me6    #ac4   
4444444 dream4    #ad4 7,through7 the   
dream 7sent by7 ,sin 7my7 life had been 
gladdened4    #ae4 ,precious stones 787 
444 to his hand4    #af4 ,he pulled out 
44444 his girdle    #ag4 like a 444     
their 444 he struck    #ah4 he struck   

4444 he smote1 he broke    #ai4 and 4444
 they rejoiced1 and    #bj4 he threw 787
 4444    #ba4 he removed 4444    #bb4   
the former name 4444    #bc4 the new    
name 4444      7,about eight lines lost 
here47    ,the second column shows      
,izdubar in some fabulous region1       
whither he  has wandered in search of   
,xisuthrus4 ,here he sees composite     
monsters  with their feet resting in    
,hades and their heads reaching heaven4 
,these  beings are supposed to guide and
 direct the sun at its rising and       
setting4 ,this passage is as follows3-- 
,,column ,,ii4    #a4 ,of the mountains 
hearing him as many as 4444    #b4 ,to  
the mountain of ,masu in his course 4444
    #c4 who all day long guard the      
rising 7sun74    #d4 ,their crown was at
 the lattice of heaven1    #e4 below    
,hades was their footing4    #f4        
,scorpion-men guard its gate1    #g4    
burning with terribleness1 and their    
appearance was death1    #h4 the        
greatness of their bulk overthrows the  

forests4    #i4 ,at the rising of the   
sun and the setting of the sun1 they    
guard the  sun1 and    #aj4 ,izdubar saw
 them and fear and terror seized his    
face4    #aa4 ,he took his counsel and  
approached before them4    #ab4 ,the    
scorpion-man of his female asked3       
#ac4 ,who has gone to us with his body  
the flesh of the gods8    #ad4 ,to the  
scorpion-man his female answered3       
#ae4 ,his going 7is7 that of a god1 but 
his feeble gait 7is7 that of a  man4    
#af4 ,the scorpion-man of the hero      
asked1    #ag4 4444 of the gods the word
 he recounts3    #ah4 4444 distant road 
#ai4 4444 up to the presence    #bj4    
4444 of which the passage is difficult4 
#ba4 4444 thy 4444 thou puttest on4     
#bb4 4444 mountains situated4    #bc4   
4444 thou puttest on4    ,the rest of   
this column is lost4 ,in it ,izdubar    
converses with the  monsters1 and where 
the third column begins he is telling   
them his  purpose of seeking ,xisuthrus4
      ,,column ,,iii4    7#a and #b     

lost47    #c4 ,he ,xisuthrus my father  
44444    #d4 who has been established   
also in the assembly 7of the gods7      
#e4 death and life are known to him4    
#f4 ,the scorpion-man opened his mouth  
7and spake72    #g4 they say to         
,izdubar3    #h4 ,izdubar was not 4444  
#i4 of the mountain 4444    #aj4 for    
twelve kaspu 7#hd miles7 is the journey2
    #aa4 on the boundary of the field   
did he carry himself1 and 7there is7  no
 light4    #ab4 ,to the rising sun 4444 
#ac4 to the setting sun 4444    #ad4 to 
the setting sun 4444    #ae4 they       
descended 4444    ,in this mutilated    
passage1 the monster describes the      
journey to be  taken by ,izdubar2 there 
are now many lines wanting1 until we    
come to  the fourth column4             
,,column ,,iv4    #a4 ,in 7his7 sickness
 4444    #b4 in difficulty and 4444     
#c4 in lamentation and 4444    #d4 again
 thou 4444    #e4 the scorpion-man 4444 
#f4 7said7 to ,izdubar 4444    #g4 ,go  
,izdubar 4444    #h4 the mountains of   

,mas 4444    #i4 the mountains1 the path
 7of the ,sun7 4444    #aj4 may the     
women 4444    #aa4 the great gate of the
 land 4444    #ab4 ,izdubar 4444    #ac4
 for a memorial 4444    #ad4 the road of
 the sun 4444    #ae4 #a kaspu 7he went7
 4444    #af4 on the boundary of the    
field 4444    #ag4 he was not able 7to  
look behind him74    #ah4 #b kaspu 7he  
went7 4444    ,this is the bottom of the
 fourth column2 there are five lines    
lost at  the top of the fifth column1   
and then the narrative reopens2 the text
  is1 however1 mutilated and doubtful4  
,,column ,v4    #f4 #d 7kaspu he went7  
4444    #g4 on the boundary 7of the     
field74444    #h4 he was not able 7to   
look behind him74    #i4 #e kaspu 7he   
went7 4444    #aj4 on the boundary of   
the field 4444    #aa4 he was not able  
7to look behind him74    #ab4 #f kaspu  
he went 4444    #ac4 on the boundary of 
the field did he carry himself 7and     
there is no  light74    #ad4 ,he was not
 able 7to look behind him74    #ae4 #g  

kaspu 7he went7 4444    #af4 on the     
boundary of the field was it situated   
and not 4444    #ag4 he was not able to 
look behind him4    #ah4 #h kaspu like a
 4444 he mounts up2    #ai4 on the      
boundary of the field 7did he carry     
himself and7 there is no  light4    #bj4
 ,he was not able to look behind him4   
#ba4 #i kaspu he went 4444 to the north 
#bb4 4444 his face    #bc4 7on the      
boundary of the field did he carry      
himself and7 there is no  light2    #bd4
 7he was not able7 to look behind him4  
#be4 7#aj kaspu he went7 4444 him       
#bf4 4444 a meeting    #bg4 4444 #d     
kaspu    #bh4 4444 from the shadow of   
the sun    #bi4 4444 sight was          
established    #cj4 to the forest of the
 trees of the gods in appearance it was 
equal4    ,illustration3 ,,izdubar      
,,among ,,the ,,trees ,,of ,,the ,,gods 
787 ,,from ,a  ,,babylonian ,,cylinder  
,,found ,,in ,,cyprus ,,by ,,gen4 ,,di  
,,cesnola4    #ca4 ,emeralds it carried 
as its fruit1    #cb4 the branch refuses

 not to support a canopy4    #cc4       
,crystals they carry as shoots 787      
#cd4 fruit they carry1 and to the sight 
it is glistening4    ,some of the words 
in this fragment are obscure1 but the   
general meaning  is clear4 ,in the next 
column the wanderings of ,izdubar are   
continued1  and he comes to a country   
near the sea4 ,fragments of several     
lines  of this column are preserved1 but
 too mutilated to translate with        
certainty4 ,the fragments are3--        
,,column ,,vi4    7,about six lines     
lost47    #a4 the pine tree 4444    #b4 
its nest of stone 4444    #c4 not       
sweeping away the sea 4444 jet stones   
#d4 like the tree of ,elam and the tree 
of the prince 4444 emeralds    #e4 a    
locust 4444    #f4 jet stone1 ka stone  
4444 the goddess ,istar    #g4 like     
bronze and 4444 he carried    #h4 like  
4444 obstacles    #i4 which 4444 the sea
    #aj4 it has1 and 4444 may he raise  
#aa4 ,izdubar saw this in his           
travelling1    #ab4 on this sea he      

carried 4444    #ac4 ,colophon4 ,the    
women ,siduri and ,sabitu 7who on the   
shore7 of the sea  dwelt4    #ad4 4444  
tablet of the series3 8,when the hero   
,izdubar saw the  fountain40            
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
,this tablet brings ,izdubar to the     
region of the sea-coast1 but his way  is
 then barred by two women1 one named    
,siduri and the other ,sabitu4 ,his     
further adventures are given on the     
tenth tablet1 which opens3      ,,tablet
 ,x4    #a4 ,siduri and ,sabitu 7who in 
the land beside the sea7    #b4 dwelt   
and 4444    #c4 it was the moon1 it was 
the moon 4444    #d4 a covering of fire 
787 ye accomplish4    #e4 ,izdubar      
approached and 4444    #f4 the ulcer    
covering 7his7 skin    #g4 he had the   
brand of the gods on 7his7 4444    #h4  
there is shame of face on 4444    #i4 to
 go on the distant path his face 7was   
set74    #aj4 ,sabitu afar off pondered1
    #aa4 she counselled to her heart    

7this7 plan4    #ab4 ,within herself    
also she 7considered73    #ac4 ,what is 
this message 4444    #ad4 ,may no one   
come straight in 7his path74    #ae4    
,when ,sabitu saw him she entered 7her  
gate72    #af4 her gate she entered and 
entered her 4444    #ag4 ,and he        
,izdubar had ears to 7hear her72    #ah4
 he had struck his hands and made 4444  
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ai4 ,izdubar to her also even said 7to 
,sabitu37    #bj4 ,sabitu what didst    
thou see 7that7    #ba4 thy gate thou   
barrest 4444    #bb4 ,i force the door  
4444    ,the rest of this column is     
lost1 but it must have described the    
meeting  of ,izdubar with a boatman     
named ,ur-,hea or ,lig-,hea1 called     
,nes-,hea 8the  lion0 or 8dog of ,hea0  
in ,assyrian4 ,in the second column they
 commence  a journey by water together  
in a boat4 ,but little of this column is
  preserved2 two fragments only are     
given here4      ,,column ,,ii4    #a4  

4444 he the word of his friend 4444     
#b4 4444 the word of ,hea-bani 4444     
#c4 4444 ,i traverse 7the desert74      
#d4 4444 7in7 the dust he had 4444      
#e4 7the friend whom ,i have loved      
declared7 lovingly2 ,hea-bani the       
friend whom ,i have loved made 4444     
#f4 7,i am not as he7 and would we had  
never gone up 4444    #g4 7,i did not   
make7 the fortress of 4444              
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#h4 7,izdubar to7 her also speaks1 even 
to ,sabit3    #i4 7,again7 ,o ,sabit    
what is the way to ,xisuthrus8    #aj4  
,explain the tokens of it to me2 yea1   
explain the tokens of it to me4    #aa4 
,if it be suitable the sea let me cross1
    #ab4 if it be not suitable the      
desert let me traverse4                 
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ac4 ,sabit to him also speaks1 even to 
,izdubar3    #ad4 ,there was no crossing
 7of the sea71 ,o ,izdubar1 at any time1

    #ae4 and no one from remote times   
onwards has crossed the sea4    #af4    
,from crossing the sea ,samas the hero  
,i the mother prevented2 7yet7  ,samas  
crossed1 whoever    #ag4 his mouth the  
passage 4444 its road1    #ah4 and the  
well of the waters of death which extend
 before it    #ai4 ,i approach1 and1    
,izdubar1 thou crossest the sea4    #bj4
 ,when thou hast come round to the      
waters of death1 thou contrivest  how   
#ba4 for ,izdubar there is ,ur-,hea the 
boatman of ,xisuthrus4    #bb4 ,precious
 stones with him in the midst of the    
forest 4444    #bc4 4444 may they see   
thy face4    #bd4 4444 and to cross with
 him if it is not suitable hasten behind
 him    #be4 4444 upon hearing this1    
#bf4 4444 an axe in the hand4    #bg4   
4444 to their well he returns4    #bh1  
#bi1 #cj4 4444    #ca4 4444 ,izdubar    
#cb4 4444 and his lower part    #cc4    
4444 the ship    #cd4 4444 7the waters7 
of death    #ce4 4444 wide    #cf4 4444 
the field    #cg4 4444 to the river     

#ch4 4444 ship    #ci4 4444 the well    
#dj4 4444 the boatman    #da4 4444 he   
descended    #db4 4444 to thee    ,here 
there are many lines lost1 then         
recommencing the story proceeds on  the 
third column4      ,,column ,,iii4      
#a4 my friend whom ,i have loved made   
4444    #b4 ,i am not as he and would we
 had never gone up 4444                 
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#c4 ,izdubar to him also speaks1 even to
 ,ur-,hea2    #d4 ,again1 ,ur-,hea1 what
 7is the way to ,xisuthrus87    #e4 what
 are its signs explain to me2 yea1      
explain 7to me its signs74    #f4 ,if it
 be suitable the sea let me cross2 if it
 be not suitable the  desert let me     
traverse4                               
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#g4 ,ur-,hea to him also speaks1 even to
 7,izdubar73    #h4 ,thy hand1 ,izdubar1
 it prevents 4444    #i4 thou hidest    
among the precious stones thou 444      

#aj4 the precious stones 7are7 a        
hiding-place or canopy and they are  not
 444    #aa4 ,take1 ,izdubar1 an axe in 
7thy hands7 4444    #ab4 go down to the 
forest and a clearing of five gar       
7make74    #ac4 ,bury and make a        
tumulus2 carry 4444    #ad4 ,izdubar on 
his hearing this1    #ae4 took the axe  
in his hand 4444    #af4 he went down to
 the forest and a clearing of five gar  
7made73    #ag4 he buried and made a    
tumulus2 he carried 4444    #ah4        
,izdubar and ,ur-,hea rode 7in the      
ship72    #ai4 the ship the waves took  
and they 4444    #bj4 a journey of one  
month and fifteen days4 ,on the third   
day in their  course    #ba4 ,ur-,hea   
also reached the waters of death 4444   
,,column ,,iv4    #a4 ,ur-,hea to him   
also speaks1 even to ,izdubar3    #b4   
,the tablets ,o ,izdubar 4444    #c4    
,the waters of death smite2 never mayest
 thou enter the dome of the  house 7of  
the abyss74    #d4 ,the second time1 the
 third time1 and the fourth time go1 ,o 

,izdubar  4444    #e4 the fifth1 sixth1 
and seventh time go1 ,o ,izdubar 4444   
#f4 the eighth1 ninth1 and tenth time   
go1 ,o ,izdubar 4444    #g4 the eleventh
 and twelfth time go1 ,o ,izdubar 4444  
#h4 on the one hundred and twentieth    
time ,izdubar finished 4444    #i4 and  
he struck the middle of it 4444    #aj4 
,izdubar seized the 4444444    #aa4 on  
his wings an embankment he completed 444
    #ab4 ,xisuthrus over him afar off   
pondered1    #ac4 he counselled 7this7  
plan within his heart4    #ad4 ,with    
himself also he considered3    #ae4 ,why
 is the hiding-place of the ship 4444   
#af4 and the pilot 4444    #ag4 the man 
who went also is not2 and 4444    #ah4  
,i ponder1 and ,i do not 4444    #ai4 ,i
 ponder1 and ,i do not4444    #bj4 ,i   
ponder1 and ,i do not4444               
,illustration3 ,,izdubar1 ,,composite   
,,figures1 ,,and ,,ur-,,hea ,,in ,,the  
,,boat2 ,,from  ,,an ,,early            
,,babylonian ,,cylinder4    ,here there 
is a blank1 the extent of which is      

uncertain1 and where the  narrative     
recommences it is on a small fragment of
 the third and fourth  columns of       
another copy4 ,it appears that the lost 
lines record the  meeting between       
,izdubar and a female being named       
,mu-seri-ina-namari1  or the 8,waters of
 dawn at daylight40 ,in the account of  
the ,deluge1  ,mu-seri-ina-namari is    
mentioned as bringing the black clouds  
from the  horizon of heaven4 ,it was    
here1 beyond the circular boundary of   
the  earth1 and on the shores of the    
ocean which surrounded it1 that ,izdubar
  is now supposed to be4    ,it is      
curious that1 whenever ,izdubar speaks  
to this being1 the name  ,mua is used1  
while1 whenever ,izdubar is spoken to1  
the full name  ,mu-seri-ina-namari      
occurs4 ,where the story reopens        
,izdubar is informing  ,mua of his first
 connection with ,hea-bani and his      
offers to him when he  desired him to   
come to ,erech4      ,,column ,,iii4    
7fragment74    #a4 for my friend4444    

#b4 free thee4444    #c4 weapon4444     
#d4 bright star4444      ,,column ,,iv4 
7fragment74    #a4 ,on a beautiful couch
 ,i will seat thee1    #b4 ,i will cause
 thee to sit on a comfortable seat on   
the left1    #c4 the kings of the earth 
shall kiss thy feet4    #d4 ,i will     
enrich thee and the men of ,erech ,i    
will make silent before  thee1    #e4   
and ,i after thee will take all4444     
#f4 ,i will clothe thy body in raiment  
and4444                                 
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#g4 ,mu-seri-ina-namari on hearing this 
#h4 his fetters loosed 4444    ,the     
speech of ,mua to ,izdubar and the rest 
of the column are lost1 the  narrative  
recommencing on ,column ,v4 with another
 speech of ,izdubar4      ,,column ,v4  
7fragment74    #a4 4444 to me    #b4    
4444 my 444 ,i wept    #c4 4444 bitterly
 ,i spoke    #d4 4444 my hand    #e4    
4444 ascended to me    #f4 4444 to me   
----------------------------------------

-----------------------------------     
#g4 4444 hyna of the desert             
,,column ,v4    #a4 ,izdubar opened his 
mouth and said to ,mu    #b4 4444 my    
presence8    #c4 4444 not strong    #d4 
4444 my face    #e4 4444 lay down in the
 field1    #f4 4444 of the mountain1 the
 hyna of the field1    #g4 ,hea-bani my 
friend 4444 the same4    #h4 ,no one    
else was with us1 we ascended the       
mountain4    #i4 ,we took it and the    
city we destroyed4    #aj4 ,we conquered
 also ,khumbaba who in the forest of    
pine trees dwelt4    #aa4 ,again why did
 his fingers lay hold to slay the lions8
    #ab4 ,thou wouldst have feared and  
thou wouldst not have 44 all the        
difficulty4    #ac4 ,and he did not     
succeed in slaying the same2    #ad4 his
 heart failed1 and he did not strike    
4444 over him ,i wept1    #ae4 he       
covered also my friend like a corpse in 
a grave1    #af4 like a lion8 he tore8  
him    #ag4 like a lioness8 placed 4444 
field    #ah4 he was cast down to the   

face of the earth    #ai4 he broke8 and 
destroyed his defence8 4444    #bj4 he  
was cut off and given to pour out8 4444 
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ba4 ,mu-seri-ina-namari on hearing this
    ,here the record is again mutilated1
 but ,izdubar further informs ,mua  what
 he did in conjunction with ,hea-bani4  
,where the story reopens on  ,column    
,,vi4 ,izdubar relates part of their    
adventure with ,khumbaba4      ,,column 
,,vi4    #a4 4444 taking    #b4 4444 to 
thee    #c4 4444 thou art great    #d4  
4444 all the account                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#e4 4444 forest of pine trees    #f4    
4444 went night and day    #g4 4444 the 
extent of ,erech the lofty    #h4 4444  
he approached after us    #i4 4444 he   
opened the land of forests    #aj4 4444 
we ascended    #aa4 4444 in the midst   
like thy mother    #ab4 4444 cedar and  
pine trees    #ac4 4444 with our        

strength    #ad4 4444 silent    #ae4    
4444 he of the field    #af4 4444 by her
 side    #ag4 4444 the ,euphrates       
,here again our narrative is lost1 and  
where we again meet the story  ,izdubar 
is conversing with ,xisuthrus4 ,the     
conversation is contained  in the broken
 fifth column of ,k #cchb1 first noticed
 and copied by ,mr4  ,pinches4          
,,column ,v4    #a4 4444 ,mua    #b4    
4444 my 444    #c4 4444 they are not    
like4    #d4 4444 before me4    #e4 4444
 traversed the desert4    #f4 4444 the  
glare of the desert4    #g4 4444 the    
same4    #h4 4444 the mountain4    #i4  
4444 we destroy4    #aj4 4444 7among7   
the royal tree 7and7 the pine they      
dwell4    #aa4 4444 lions4    #ab4 4444 
times to come4    #ac4 4444 were slain1 
the same4    #ad4 4444 over him ,i wept4
    #ae4 4444 burial4    #af4 4444 him4 
#ag4 4444 the desert4    #ah4 4444 over 
me2 thou hast gone round 4444    #ai4   
4444 ,i turned back2 the ship 787 ,i    
4444    #bj4 7my friend7 whom ,i have   

loved declared lovingly2 ,hea-bani my   
friend  7made7 4444    #ba4 7,i7 am not 
as he1 and would we had never gone up2  
,i did not make a  fortress 4444        
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#bb4 ,izdubar to him also speaks1 even  
to ,xisuthrus3    #bc4 ,thus may ,i go  
and ,xisuthrus afar off1 who has        
conversed with him1  may ,i see4    #bd4
 ,i went round1 ,i went through all     
countries2    #be4 ,i passed through    
difficult lands2    #bf4 ,i crossed all 
seas4    #bg4 ,a good 4444 they did not 
dwell before me4    #bh4 ,i exhausted   
myself through weakness2 with my 4444   
the crown ,i  filled4    #bi4 4444 the  
house ,i did not reach1 and my clothing 
was decayed4    #cj4 4444 of a leopard1 
a tiger1 a raging winged bull 4444      
#ca4 their 7lairs7 ,i approached2 their 
skins ,i stripped off 4444    #cb4 4444 
may they bar its gate2 with much bitumen
 4444    #cc4 4444 the contents 4444    
#cd4 4444 the sides 4444                

----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ce4 7,xisuthrus7 to him speaks1 even to
 ,izdubar3    #cf4 4444 ,o ,izdubar1    
sickness 4444    #cg4 4444 gods and men 
4444    #ch4 4444 thy 7father7 and thy  
mother made 4444    ,we now come to a   
fragment which forms the reverse of the 
tablet already  translated1 and recounts
 the visit of ,izdubar to the two women 
,siduri  and ,sabitu4 ,this reads as    
follows3--    #a4 ,i was angry 787 4444 
#b4 ,if at any time we built a house1 if
 ever we establish 4444    #c4 ,if ever 
brothers fixed 4444    #d4 ,if ever     
hatred is in 4444    #e4 ,if ever the   
river makes a 7great7 flood4    #f4 7,if
 ever7 reviling within the mouth 4444   
#g4 the face that will bow before ,samas
 4444    #h4 from of old is not 4444    
#i4 ,spoiling and death together 4444   
#aj4 of death the image they guarded not
 4444    #aa4 ,the man or servant on    
approaching 7death71    #ab4 the spirits
 of the earth the great gods are they4  

#ac4 ,the goddess ,mammetu maker of     
fate1 to them their fate brings1    #ad4
 she has fixed death and life2    #ae4  
of death its days are not known4        
,illustration3 ,,composite ,,figures    
7,,scorpion ,,men72 ,,from ,,an         
,,assyrian  ,,cylinder4    ,this        
statement closes the tenth tablet and   
leads to the next question  of ,izdubar 
and its answer1 which includes the story
 of the ,flood4    ,the present division
 of the legends has its own peculiar    
difficulties2  in the first place it    
does not appear how ,hea-bani was       
killed4 ,possibly  he fell in an attempt
 to slay a lion4    ,the land of ,mas or
 desert of ,mas over which ,izdubar     
travels in this  tablet is the desert on
 the west of the ,euphrates1 and the    
name  reminds us of the ,biblical ,mash 
who is called a son of ,aram in ,genesis
  x4 #bc2 on the sixth column the       
fragments appear to refer to some bird  
with magnificent feathers like precious 
stones1 seen by ,izdubar on his         

journey4          ,,chapter ,,xvi4      
,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,flood ,,and  
,,conclusion4     ,eleventh             
tablet4--,the gods4--,sin of the        
world4--,command to build   the         
ark4--,its contents4--,the              
building4--,the ,flood4--,destruction   
of people4--,fear of the gods4--,end of 
,deluge4--,nizir4--,resting of          
ark4--,the birds4--,the descent from the
 ark4--,the sacrifice1 covenant1   and  
rainbow4--,speeches of                  
gods4--,translation of                  
,adra-,khasis4--,cure   of              
,izdubar4--,his return4--,lament over   
,hea-bani4--,resurrection of            
,hea-bani4--,burial of warrior4--,age   
and composition of the ,deluge          
tablet4--,comparison with               
,genesis4--,syrian nation4--,connection 
of   legends4--,points of               
contact4--,duration of ,deluge4--,mount 
of descent4--,ten   generations4--,early
 cities4      ,the eleventh tablet of   
the ,izdubar series is the one which    

first  attracted attention1 and is      
certainly the most important on account 
of  its containing the story of the     
,flood4 ,this tablet is the most perfect
  in the series1 scarcely any line being
 entirely lost4 ,a new fragment  of it1 
belonging to another edition of the     
story1 has been recently  brought to the
 museum by ,mr4 ,hormuzd ,rassam4       
,,tablet ,,xi4    ,,column ,i4    #a4   
7,izdubar7 to him also speaks even to   
,xisuthrus afar off3    #b4 ,o          
,xisuthrus1    #c4 7why7 dost thou not  
again 7to me7 as ,i 7to thee78    #d4   
7why7 dost thou not again 7to me7 as ,i 
7to thee78    #e4 4444 my heart to make 
war    #f4 4444 ,i come up after thee1  
#g4 when thou didst take1 and in the    
assembly of the gods didst obtain  life4
                                        
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#h4 ,xisuthrus to him also speaks1 even 
to ,izdubar3    #i4 ,let me reveal to   
thee 7,izdubar7 the story of my         

preservation1    #aj4 and the judgment  
of the gods let me relate to thee4      
#aa4 ,the city ,surippak the city which 
thou knowest on the ,euphrates is       
placed1    #ab4 that city is ancient and
 the gods are within it4    #ac4 ,to    
make a deluge or whirlwind the great    
gods have brought their  heart2    #ad4 
even he their father1 ,anu1    #ae4     
their king1 the warrior ,bel1    #af4   
their throne-bearer1 ,ninip1    #ag4    
their minister1 the lord of ,hades1     
,nin-si-kha 7wife of7 ,hea with  them   
sat1 and    #ah4 their will he 7i4e4    
,hea7 repeated3 to his minister the     
minister  of the city of ,kis1 he       
declared what he had 7in mind72#bh      
#ai4 his minister heard and proclaimed  
attentively3    #bj4 ,man of ,surippak1 
son of ,ubara-tutu1    #ba4 build a     
house1 make a ship to preserve the sleep
 of plants 7and7  living beings2    #bb4
 store the seed and vivify life1    #bc4
 cause also the seed of life of every   
kind to go up into the midst  of the    

ship4    #bd4 ,the ship which thou shalt
 make1    #be4 #fjj cubits 7shall be7   
its measure in length1    #bf4 #fj      
cubits the amount of its breadth and its
 height4    #bg4 444 and on the deep    
cover it1 even it1 with a roof4    #bh4 
,i understood and say to ,hea my lord3  
#bi4 ,the building of the ship which    
thou commandest thus1    #cj4 4444 ,i   
shall have made1    #ca4 4444 the sons  
of the host and the old men4    #cb4    
7,hea opened his mouth and7 speaks and  
says to me his servant3    #cc4 444444  
thou shalt say unto them1    #cd4 444444
 he has rejected me and    #ce4 444444  
it is upon me    #cf4 4444 like caves   
4444    #cg4 444 may ,i judge above and 
below 4444    #ch4 444 close the ship   
444    #ci4 444 at the season which ,i  
will make known to you1    #dj4 into it 
enter and the door of the ship turn4    
#da4 ,into the midst of it thy grain1   
thy furniture1 thy goods1    #db4 thy   
wealth1 thy woman slaves1 thy handmaids1
 and the sons of the  host1    #dc4 7the

 beasts7 of the field1 the wild animals 
of the field1 as many  as ,i would      
protect1    #dd4 ,i will send to thee1  
and thy door shall guard 7them74        
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#de4 ,adrakhasis#bi his mouth opened and
 speaks1 and    #df4 says to ,hea his   
lord3    #dg4 ,no one a ship has made   
444    #dh4 in the lower part of the    
ship has shut up 4444    #di4 4444 and  
may ,i see the ship 4444    #ej4 4444 in
 the lower part of the ship 4444    #ea4
 the building of the ship which thou    
commandest me 7thus71    #eb4 which in  
4444      ,,column ,,ii4    #a4 strong  
4444    #b4 on the fifth day 4444 it    
rose4    #c4 ,in its circuit #ad in all 
7were7 its girders4    #d4 #ad in all it
 contained 444 above it    #e4 ,i placed
 its roof2 it 4444 ,i enclosed it4      
#f4 ,i rode in it the sixth time2 ,i    
divided its passages the seventh time2  
#g4 its interior ,i divided the eighth  
time4    #h4 ,leaks for the waters      

within it ,i cut off4    #i4 ,i saw the 
rents and the wanting parts ,i added4   
#aj4 #ccj sari of bitumen ,i poured over
 the outside4    #aa4 #ccj sari of      
bitumen ,i poured over the inside4      
#ab4 #c sari of men carrying baskets1   
who carried on their heads food4    #ac4
 ,i added a saros of food which the     
people should eat2    #ad4 two sari of  
food the boatmen shared4    #ae4 ,to    
4444 ,i sacrificed oxen    #af4 ,i      
7established7 44444444 each day    #ag4 
,i 7established7 44444444 beer1 food1   
and wine2    #ah4 7,i collected them7   
like the waters of a river1 and    #ai4 
7,i collected7 like the dust of the     
earth1 and    #bj4 7in the ship7 the    
food with my hand ,i placed4    #ba4    
7,through the help of7 ,samas the       
seaworthiness of the ship was           
accomplished4    #bb4 444 they were     
strong and    #bc4 the tackling of the  
ship ,i caused to bring above and below4
    #bd4 44444444 they went in          
two-thirds of it4                       

----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#be4 ,all ,i possessed ,i collected it1 
all ,i possessed ,i collected it in     
silver1    #bf4 all ,i possessed ,i     
collected it in gold1    #bg4 all ,i    
possessed ,i collected it in the seed of
 life of all kinds4    #bh4 ,i caused   
everything to go up into the ship1 my   
slaves and my  handmaids1    #bi4 the   
beast of the field1 the wild animal of  
the field1 the sons of  the people all  
of them1 ,i caused to go up4    #cj4    
,the season ,samas fixed and    #ca4 he 
spake saying3 ,in the night ,i will     
cause it to rain from heaven  heavily1  
#cb4 enter into the midst of the ship   
and shut thy door4    #cc4 ,that season 
came round 7of which7    #cd4 he spake  
saying3 ,in the night ,i will cause it  
to rain from heaven  heavily4    #ce4   
,of the day ,i reached its evening1     
#cf4 the day of watching fear ,i had4   
#cg4 ,i entered into the midst of the   
ship and shut my door4    #ch4 ,on      

closing the ship to ,buzur-sadi-rabi the
 boatman    #ci4 the habitation ,i gave 
with its goods4                         
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#dj4 ,mu-seri-ina-namari    #da4 arose1 
from the horizon of heaven a black      
cloud4    #db4 ,rimmon in the midst of  
it thundered1 and    #dc4 ,nebo and the 
,wind-god went in front1    #dd4 the    
throne-bearers went over the mountain   
and plain1    #de4 ,nergal the mighty   
removes the wicked1    #df4 ,ninip goes 
in front1 he casts down1    #dg4 the    
spirits of earth carried destruction1   
#dh4 in their terror they shake the     
earth2    #di4 of ,rimmon his flood     
reached to heaven4    #ej4 ,the darkened
 7earth to a waste7 was turned1         
,,column ,,iii4    #a4 the surface of   
the earth like 4444 they covered1    #b4
 7it destroyed all7 living beings from  
the face of the earth2    #c4 the raging
 7deluge7 over the people1 reached to   
heaven4    #d4 ,brother saw not his     

brother1 men did not know one another4  
,in heaven    #e4 the gods feared the   
whirlwind and    #f4 sought a refuge2   
they ascended to the heaven of ,anu4    
#g4 ,the gods like dogs were fixed1 in a
 heap did they lie down4    #h4 ,spake  
,istar like a child1    #i4 the great   
goddess uttered her speech3    #aj4 ,all
 to clay are turned and    #aa4 that    
which ,i in the presence of the gods    
prophesied 7even evil has  happened74   
#ab4 ,as ,i prophesied in the presence  
of the gods evil1    #ac4 to evil 7were 
devoted7 all my people1 the trouble ,i  
prophesied  thus3    #ad4 ,i the mother 
have begotten my people1 and    #ae4    
like the young of the fishes they fill  
the sea4 ,and    #af4 the gods because  
of the spirits of earth are weeping with
 me4    #ag4 ,the gods on seats are     
seated in lamentation1    #ah4 covered  
were their lips for the coming evil4    
#ai4 ,six days and nights    #bj4       
passed1 the wind1 the whirlwind1 7and7  
the storm1 overwhelmed4    #ba4 ,on the 

seventh day at its approach the rain was
 stayed1 the raging  whirlwind    #bb4  
which had smitten like an earthquake1   
#bc4 was quieted4 ,the sea began to dry1
 and the wind and deluge ended4    #bd4 
,i watched the sea making a noise1      
#be4 and the whole of mankind was turned
 to clay1    #bf4 like reeds the corpses
 floated4    #bg4 ,i opened the window1 
and the light smote upon the fortress of
 my  nostrils4    #bh4 ,i was grieved   
and sat down2 ,i weep1    #bi4 over the 
fortress of my nostrils went my tears4  
#cj4 ,i watched the regions at the      
boundary of the sea1    #ca4 towards all
 the twelve points of the compass 7there
 was7 no land4    #cb4 ,in the country  
of ,nizir rested the ship2    #cc4 the  
mountain of ,nizir stopped the ship1 and
 to pass over it it was  not able4      
#cd4 ,the first day1 the second day1 the
 mountain of ,nizir stopped the  ship4  
#ce4 ,the third day1 the fourth day1 the
 mountain of ,nizir stopped the  ship4  
#cf4 ,the fifth day1 the sixth day1 the 

mountain of ,nizir stopped the  ship4   
#cg4 ,on the seventh day at its approach
                                        
----------------------------------------
------------------------------------    
#ch4 ,i sent forth a dove and it left4  
,the dove went1 it returned1 and    #ci4
 a resting-place it did not find1 and it
 came back4    #dj4 ,i sent forth a     
swallow and it left4 ,the swallow went1 
it returned1  and    #da4 a             
resting-place it did not find1 and it   
came back4    #db4 ,i sent forth a raven
 and it left4    #dc4 ,the raven went1  
and the carrion on the water it saw1 and
    #dd4 it did eat1 it swam1 and turned
 away1 it did not come back4    #de4 ,i 
sent 7the animals7 forth to the four    
winds1 ,i sacrificed a  sacrifice1      
#df4 ,i built an altar on the peak#ca of
 the mountain1    #dg4 by sevens vessels
 ,i placed1    #dh4 at the bottom of    
them ,i spread reeds1 pines1 and        
juniper4    #di4 ,the gods smelt the    
savour1 the gods smelt the good savour2 

#ej4 the gods like flies over the       
sacrificer gathered4    #ea4 ,from afar 
also the great goddess at her approach  
#eb4 lifted up the mighty arches 7i4e4  
the rainbow7 which ,anu had  created as 
his glory4    #ec4 ,the crystal of those
 gods before me 7i4e4 the rainbow7 never
 may  ,i forget2      ,,column ,,iv4    
#a4 those days ,i devised with longing  
that ,i might never forget4    #b4      
#8,may the gods come to my altar1    #c4
 may ,bel never come to my altar1    #d4
 for he did not consider and had made a 
whirlwind1    #e4 and my people he      
consigned to the abyss4'    #f4 ,from   
afar also ,bel at his approach    #g4   
saw1 the ship he stopped2 ,bel was      
filled with anger against the gods  and 
the spirits of heaven3    #h4 #8,let no 
one come out alive1 never may a man live
 in the abyss4'    #i4 ,ninip his mouth 
opened1 and spake2 he says to the       
warrior ,bel3    #aj4 #8,who is it      
except ,hea that forms a resolution8    
#aa4 and ,hea knows and all things he   

444'    #ab4 ,hea his mouth opened and  
spake1 he says to the warrior ,bel3     
#ac4 #8,thou messenger of the gods1     
warrior1    #ad4 as thou didst not      
consider a deluge thou madest4    #ae4  
,the doer of sin bore his sin1 the      
blasphemer bore his blasphemy4    #af4  
,never may the just prince be cut off1  
never may the faithful 7be  destroyed74 
#ag4 ,instead of thy making a deluge1   
may lions come and men be  diminished2  
#ah4 instead of thy making a deluge1 may
 hynas come and men be  diminished2     
#ai4 instead of thy making a deluge1 may
 a famine happen and the country  be    
7destroyed72    #bj4 instead of thy     
making a deluge1 may pestilence come and
 men be  destroyed4    #ba4 ,i did not  
reveal the judgment of the gods4    #bb4
 ,to ,adrakhasis 7,xisuthrus7 a dream ,i
 sent1 and the judgment of the  gods he 
heard4'    #bc4 ,again also ,bel        
considers1 7literally1 again            
consideration was  considered72 he      
approaches the midst of the ship4       

#bd4 ,he took my hand and caused me to  
ascend up1    #be4 he caused 7me7 to    
ascend2 he united my wife to my side2   
#bf4 he turned unto us and fixes himself
 in covenant with us2 he  approaches us3
    #bg4 #8,formerly ,adrakhasis 7was7  
mortal1 but    #bh4 again also          
,adrakhasis and his wife to live as gods
 are taken away1  and    #bi4           
,adrakhasis also dwells in a remote     
place at the mouth of the  rivers4'     
#cj4 ,they took me1 and in a remote     
place at the mouth of the rivers they   
caused me to dwell4    #ca4 ,again also 
as for thee whomsoever the gods have    
chosen also1    #cb4 for the health     
which thou seekest and askest1    #cc4  
the bulwarks shall be mounted six days  
and seven nights1    #cd4 like one who  
sits in the vicinity of his nest1       
#ce4 a way like a storm shall be laid   
upon him4    #cf4 ,adrakhasis to her    
also says1 even to his wife3    #cg4 ,i 
announce that the chief who has sought  
health    #ch4 the way like a storm     

shall be laid upon him4    #ci4 ,his    
wife to him also says even to           
,adrakhasis afar off3    #dj4 ,turn him1
 and let the man be sent away2    #da4  
by the road that he came may he return  
in peace1    #db4 thro' the great gate  
going forth let him return to his       
country4    #dc4 ,adrakhasis to her also
 says1 even to his wife3    #dd4 ,the   
pain of the man pains thee1    #de4     
mount the bulwarks2 his baldness place  
on his head4    #df4 ,and the day when  
he had mounted the side of the ship1    
#dg4 she mounted1 his baldness she      
placed on his head4    #dh4 ,and the day
 when he had mounted the side of the    
ship1    #di4 first the sabusat of his  
baldness1    #ej4 second the mussukat1  
third the radbat1 fourth she opened his 
zikaman1    #ea4 fifth the sibu she     
placed1 sixth the bassat1      ,,column 
,v4    #a4 seventh in the outlet she    
turned him and let the man go free4     
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     

#b4 ,izdubar to him also says even to   
,xisuthrus afar off3    #c4 ,in this way
 thou wast compassionate 787 over me1   
#d4 quickly thou hast begotten me1 and  
thou hast set eyes 7on me74    #e4      
,xisuthrus to him also says even to     
,izdubar4    #f4 4444444 thy baldness1  
#g4 4444444 ,i separated thee1    #h4   
4444444 thy baldness1    #i4 second the 
mussukat1 third the radbat1    #aj4     
fourth ,i opened thy zikaman1    #aa4   
fifth the sibu ,i placed1 sixth the     
bassat1    #ab4 seventh in the opening  
,i turned thee4    #ac4 ,izdubar to him 
also says even to ,xisuthrus afar off3  
#ad4 444444 ,xisuthrus whither may ,i   
go8    #ae4 444444 they shipped    #af4 
444444 dwelling in death1    #ag4 444444
 his tail dies also4                    
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ah4 ,xisuthrus to him also says even to
 ,nis-,hea the boatman3    #ai4         
,nis-,hea1 may thy 7oar7 accomplish a   
passage for thee4    #bj4 ,he who 44444 

on the shore of 7the gods7 4444    #ba4 
the man whom thou goest before1 disease 
has covered his body2    #bb4 illness   
has overmastered the strength of his    
limbs4    #bc4 ,take him1 ,nis-,hea1 to 
cleanse carry him1    #bd4 may he       
cleanse his disease in the water like   
purity1    #be4 may he cast off his     
illness1 and may the sea carry it away1 
may  health cover his skin1    #bf4 may 
it restore the hair of his head1    #bg4
 the hair clothing1 the covering of his 
loins4    #bh4 ,that he may go to his   
country1 that he may take his road1     
#bi4 never may the hair become old and  
alone may he be alone 7i4e4             
unrivalled74    #cj4 ,nis-,hea took him1
 to cleanse he carried him1    #ca4 his 
disease in the water like purity        
7beauty7 he cleansed1    #cb4 he cast   
off his illness1 and the sea carried it 
away1 health  covered his skin1    #cc4 
the hair of his head was restored1 the  
hair clothing the covering  of his      
loins4    #cd4 ,that he might go to his 

country1 that he might take his road1   
#ce4 the hair he did not cast off1 but  
alone he was alone4    #cf4 ,izdubar and
 ,nis-,hea rode in the ship1    #cg4    
where he had placed them they rode4     
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#ch4 ,his wife to him also says even to 
,xisuthrus afar off3    #ci4 ,izdubar   
goes away1 he is at rest1 he performs   
#dj4 what thou hast given 7him to do71  
and returns to his country4    #da4 ,and
 he even ,izdubar lifted up the oar 7872
    #db4 the ship touched the shore4    
#dc4 ,xisuthrus to him also says even to
 ,izdubar3    #dd4 ,izdubar1 thou goest 
away1 thou art at rest1 thou performest 
#de4 what ,i gave thee 7to do71 and thou
 returnest to thy country4    #df4 ,let 
the story of my preservation be         
revealed1 ,o ,izdubar1    #dg4 and let  
the judgment of the gods be related to  
thee4    #dh4 ,this account 787 like    
44444444    #di4 its renown 787 like the
 ,amurdin tree 4444    #ej4 if he takes 

the whole of it in the hand 4444    #ea4
 ,to ,izdubar he revealed this in his   
hearing1 and 4444    #eb4 he bound      
together heavy stones 4444      ,,column
 ,,vi4    #a4 they dragged it and to the
 deep 4444    #b4 he even ,izdubar took 
the animal 4444    #c4 he cut the heavy 
stones 4444    #d4 one homer he poured  
out in libation to it for his ship4     
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#e4 ,izdubar to him also says even to   
,nis-,hea1 the boatman3    #f4 ,o       
,nis-,hea1 the whole of this1 even the  
whole of the story1    #g4 of which a   
man in his heart shall take its story1  
#h4 may he bring it to the midst of     
,erech the lofty1 may he complete  7it7 
like 4444    #i4 4444 splendour 7which7 
is diminished 4444    #aj4 ,may ,i      
record and return to perform my         
vengeance 7874    #aa4 ,for #aj kaspu   
7#gj miles7 they journeyed the stage1   
for #bj kaspu 7#adj  miles7 they made   
hostility2    #ab4 ,izdubar saw a well  

which the waters were excavating4       
#ac4 ,he turned to the bright waters and
 smells 787 the waters2 4444  grant me  
thy image 787    #ad4 4444 the men he   
approached and 7their7 goods he took    
away 787    #ae4 at his return they tore
 the hair4    #af4 ,izdubar approached  
787 4444    #ag4 over the fortress of   
his nostrils coursed his tears1 and he  
says to  ,nis-,hea the boatman3    #ah4 
,what is it to me1 ,nis-,hea1 that my   
hands rest8    #ai4 ,what is it to me   
that my heart lives8    #bj4 ,i have not
 done good to my own self2    #ba4 and  
yet the lion of the earth does good 7to 
himself74    #bb4 ,again for #bj kaspu  
7#adj miles7 alone ,i take the way1 and 
#bc4 when ,i had opened the 4444 ,i     
heaped up the tackling1    #bd4 the sea 
against its long wall ,i urged4    #be4 
,and he left the ship by the shore1 #bj 
kaspu 7#adj miles7 they  journeyed the  
stage4    #bf4 ,for #cj kaspu 7#baj     
miles7 they performed the labour1  they 
came into the midst of ,erech the lofty4

                                        
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
#bg4 ,izdubar to him also says1 even to 
,nis-,hea the boatman3    #bh4 ,ascend1 
,nis-,hea1 over the fortress of ,erech  
go2    #bi4 the foundation-stone is     
scattered1 the bricks of its interior   
are  not made1    #cj4 and its          
foundation is not laid to thy height    
7872    #ca4 #a saros 7is7 thy city1 #a 
saros the plantations1 #a saros the     
boundary of the temple of ,nantur the   
house of ,istar1    #cb4 #c sari        
together the city of ,erech 444         
----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------     
,the opening line of the next tablet is 
preserved1 it reads3 8,the  gad-fly in  
the house of the serving-man was left40 
,after this the story  is again lost for
 several lines1 and where it reappears  
,izdubar is  mourning for ,hea-bani4    
,the fragments of this tablet are3--    
,,column ,i4    #a4 ,the gad-fly in the 

house of the serving-man was left4      
7,several lines lost47    #a4 ,izdubar  
7lamented thus over ,hea-bani his       
friend37    #b4 ,if to 4444    #c4 to   
happiness thou 7art not admitted72      
#d4 a shining cloak 7thou dost not      
wear71    #e4 like a misfortune 787 thou
 4444    #f4 ,fat 7and7 goodly food thou
 dost not share2    #g4 to 7come to7 its
 savour they do not choose thee4    #h4 
,the bow against the ground thou dost   
not aim1    #i4 what the bow has struck 
escapes thee3    #aj4 the staff to thy  
hands thou dost not lift1    #aa4 the   
captive will not curse thee3    #ab4    
sandals to thy feet thou dost not bind1 
#ac4 a thrust against the ground thou   
dost not make4    #ad4 ,thy wife whom   
thou lovest thou dost not kiss1    #ae4 
thy wife whom thou hatest thou dost not 
strike2    #af4 thy child whom thou     
lovest thou dost not kiss1    #ag4 thy  
child whom thou hatest thou dost not    
strike4    #ah4 ,the destruction of the 
earth has seized thee4    #ai4 ,ninazu1 

of darkness the mother1 of darkness1 of 
darkness1    #bj4 her illustrious       
stature as his mantle covers him1 and   
#ba4 her feet like a deep well beget or 
darken him4    ,this is the bottom of   
the first column4 ,the next column has  
lost all  the upper part3 it appears to 
have contained the remainder of this    
lament1 an appeal to one of the gods on 
behalf of ,hea-bani1 and a  repetition  
of the lamentation1 the third person    
being used instead of  the second4 ,the 
fragments commence in the middle of     
this3    #a4 his wife whom he hates he  
strikes1    #b4 his child whom he loves 
he kisses2    #c4 his child whom he has 
hated he strikes1    #d4 the destruction
 of the earth takes him4    #e4 ,ninazu1
 of darkness the mother of darkness1 of 
darkness6    #f4 ,her illustrious       
stature as a mantle covers him1    #g4  
her feet like a deep well beget him4    
#h4 ,lo6 ,hea-bani from the earth to    
44444    #i4 ,the plague-demon did not  
take him1 fever did not take him1 the   

earth  took him4    #aj4 ,the           
resting-place of ,nergal the unconquered
 did not take him1 the  earth took him4 
#aa4 ,the place of the battle of heroes 
did not strike him1 the earth  took him4
    #ab4 ,lo6 4444 ni son of the goddess
 ,ninsun#cb for his servant ,hea-bani   
wept2    #ac4 to the house of ,bel alone
 he went4    #ad4 8,father ,bel1 a      
gad-fly to the earth struck me1    #ae4 
a deadly wound to the earth struck me10 
,,column ,,iii4    #a4 ,hea-bani who to 
rest 7was not admitted71    #b4 the     
plague-demon did not take him1 7the     
earth took him72    #c4 the             
resting-place of ,nergal the unconquered
 did not take him1 7the  earth took     
him74    #d4 ,in the place of the battle
 of heroes they did not 7strike him1 the
  earth took him74    #e4 ,father ,bel1 
a judgment did not take him4    #f4     
,father ,sin1 the gad-fly 7struck him72 
#g4 a deadly wound 7to the earth struck 
him74    #h4 ,hea-bani who to rest 7was 
not admitted71    #i4 the plague-demon  

did not take him1 7the earth took him72 
#aj4 the resting-place of ,nergal 7the  
unconquered did not take him74          
7,about #ab lines lost1 containing a    
repetition of this passage47    #bc4    
,the plague-demon 4444    #bd4 the      
resting-place of ,nergal the unconquered
 7did not take him72    #be4 the place  
of the battle of heroes did not 7take   
him74    #bf4 ,father ,hea 4444    #bg4 
,to the warrior ,merodach 4444    #bh4  
,heroic warrior 7,merodach7 4444    #bi4
 he created him the word 4444    #cj4   
the spirit 4444    #ca4 ,to his father  
4444    #cb4 the heroic warrior         
,merodach 7son of ,hea7    #cc4 created 
him the word1 the earth opened1 and     
#cd4 the spirit 7or ghost7 of ,hea-bani 
like dust from the earth 7arose73       
#ce4 44444 and thou explainest1    #cf4 
he pondered and repeated this3          
,,column ,,iv4    #a4 ,tell1 my friend1 
tell1 my friend1    #b4 the secrets of  
the earth which thou hast seen1 tell    
7me74    #c4 ,i cannot tell thee1 my    

friend1 ,i cannot tell thee1    #d4     
7how7 can ,i tell thee the secrets of   
the earth which ,i have seen8    #e4    
44444 ,i sit weeping    #f4 44444 may ,i
 sit and may ,i weep    #g4 44444 of    
growth and thy heart rejoiced    #h4    
44444 thou growest old1 the worm entered
    #i4 44444 of youth and thy heart    
rejoiced    #aj4 44444 dust filling     
#aa4 44444 he passed over    #ab4 44444 
he passed over    #ac4 44444 ,i saw     
,here there is a serious blank in the   
inscription1 about twenty lines  being  
lost1 and ,mr4 ,smith has conjecturally 
inserted a fragment which  appears to   
belong to this part of the narrative4   
,it is very curious  from the           
geographical names it contains4    #a4  
4444 ,i poured out 4444    #b4 4444     
which thou trusted 4444    #c4 4444 city
 of ,babylon ri 4444    #d4 4444 which  
he was blessed 4444    #e4 4444 may he  
mourn for my fault 4444    #f4 4444 may 
he mourn for him and for 4444    #g4    
4444 ,kisu and ,kharsak-kalama1 may he  

mourn 44444    #h4 4444 his 4444 ,cutha 
4444    #i4 4444 ,eridu8 and ,nipur 4444
    ,the rest of ,column ,,iv4 is lost1 
and of the next column there are only   
remains of the first two lines4         
,,column ,v4    #a4 like a good prince  
who 4444    #b4 like 4444    ,here there
 are about thirty lines missing1 the    
story recommencing with  ,column ,,vi41 
which is perfect4      ,,column ,,vi4   
#a4 ,on a couch he reclines and    #b4  
pure water drinks4    #c4 ,he who in    
battle is slain1 thou seest and ,i see4 
#d4 ,his father 7and7 his mother        
7support7 his head1    #e4 7and7 his    
wife addresses the corpse4    #f4 ,his  
friends in the field 7are standing71    
#g4 thou seest and ,i see4    #h4 ,his  
spoil on the ground is uncovered1    #i4
 of his spoil he has no oversight4      
#aj4 ,thou seest and ,i see4    #aa4    
,his tender orphans long for bread2 the 
food    #ab4 which in the tents is      
placed is eaten4                        
----------------------------------------

-----------------------------------     
#ac4 ,the twelfth tablet of the legends 
of ,izdubar4    #ad4 ,like the ancient  
copy written and made clear4            
,illustration3 ,,xisuthrus ,,or ,,noah  
,,and ,,izdubar2 ,,from ,,an ,,early    
,,babylonian  ,,cylinder4    ,this      
passage closes the great ,epic of the   
ancient ,chaldeans1 which even  in its  
present mutilated form is of the        
greatest importance in relation  to the 
civilization1 manners1 and customs of   
that early people4 ,the  main feature in
 this part of the ,izdubar legends is   
the description of  the ,flood in the   
eleventh tablet1 which evidently refers 
to the same  event as the ,flood of     
,noah in ,genesis4    ,the episode of   
the ,flood has been introduced into the 
,izdubar ,epic  in accordance with the  
principle upon which it has been formed4
 ,the  eleventh tablet or book answers  
to the sign of ,aquarius and the month  
called 8the rainy0 by the ,accadians1   
and it was therefore rightly  occupied  

by the story of the ,flood4 ,the        
compiler of the ,epic seems to  have    
used for this purpose two independent   
poems relating to the event2  at least  
it is otherwise difficult to account for
 the repetitions  observable in certain 
lines which sometimes differ slightly   
from one  another1 as well as for       
certain inconsistencies which the skill 
of the  compiler has not been able      
entirely to remove4 ,thus according to  
,i4 #ac1  the ,deluge was caused by all 
8the great gods20 according to ,,ii4    
#cj1 by  ,samas only2 according to ,,iv4
 #d1 #e1 by ,bel4 ,there is little doubt
 that  many independent versions of the 
history of the ,deluge were current in  
a poetical form2 indeed1 a fragment of  
one of these1 containing the  original  
,accadian text along with the ,assyrian 
translation has been  preserved1 and the
 version found in ,berosus differs in   
several notable  points from the version
 embodied in the great ,chaldean ,epic4 
,the fragment of the variant version of 

which the ,accadian text has been       
preserved is as follows3--    #a4 4444  
then like a bowl of sacrificial wine the
 mountain 4444    #b4 4444 country to   
country ran together4    #c4 ,the       
female-slave to her mother 787 it had   
caused to ascend4    #d4 ,the freeman   
from the house of his fecundity it had  
caused to go  forth4    #e4 ,the son    
from the house of his father it had     
caused to go forth    #f4 ,the doves    
from their cotes had fled away4    #g4  
,the raven on its wing it had caused to 
ascend4    #h4 ,the swallow from his    
nest it had caused to depart4    #i4    
,the oxen it had scattered1 the lambs it
 had scattered4    #aj4 7,it was7 the   
great days when the evil spirits hunt4  
#aa4 ,the universe they subjected unto  
themselves4    #ab4 ,among the bricks of
 the foundations 7they dealt            
destruction74    #ac4 ,the earth like a 
potsherd 7they shattered74    #ad4 ,bel 
and ,beltis the supreme ones the mighty 
tablets 7of destiny  consulted74    #ae4

 ,the foot to the earth they did not    
7put74    #af4 ,the highways of the     
earth they did not 7tread74    ,if we   
compare the ,babylonian account of the  
,deluge contained in the  ,epic with the
 account in ,genesis we shall find some 
differences between  them2 but if we    
consider the differences that existed   
between the two  countries of ,palestine
 and ,babylonia these variations do not 
appear  greater than we should expect4  
,chaldea was essentially a mercantile   
and  maritime country1 well watered and 
flat1 while ,palestine was a hilly      
region with no great rivers1 and the    
,jews were shut out from the coast1  the
 maritime regions being mostly in the   
hands of the ,philistines  and          
,phnicians4 ,there was a total          
difference between the religious  ideas 
of the two peoples1 the ,jews believing 
in one ,god1 the creator  and lord of   
the ,universe1 while the ,babylonians   
worshipped gods and  lords many1 every  
city having its local deity1 and these  

being joined  by complicated relations  
in a poetical mythology1 which was in   
marked  contrast to the severe          
simplicity of the ,jewish system4 ,with 
such  differences it was only natural   
that1 in relating the same stories1     
each nation should colour them in       
accordance with its own ideas1 and      
stress would naturally in each case be  
laid upon points with which they  were  
familiar4 ,thus we should expect        
beforehand that there would be          
differences in the narrative such as we 
actually find1 and we may also  notice  
that the cuneiform account does not     
always coincide even with  the account  
of the same events given by ,berosus    
from ,chaldean sources1  from which1 as 
already observed1 we may infer that     
there was more than  one version of the 
story of the ,deluge current in         
,babylonia itself4    ,the great value  
of the inscriptions describing the      
,flood consists  in the fact that they  
form an independent testimony to the    

,biblical  narrative at a much earlier  
date than any other evidence4 ,the      
principal  points in the two narratives 
compared in their order will serve to   
show  the correspondences and           
differences between the two4 ,it must1  
however1  be remembered that the        
,biblical narrative is composed of two  
different  accounts of the ,flood1      
generally known as the ,elohistic and   
,jehovistic1  and1 as ,m4 ,lenormant has
 observed1 it is with the union of the  
two in  our present ,hebrew text rather 
than with either one of them alone that 
the ,babylonian version corresponds4    
,the repetitions observable in the      
,hebrew text are not to be found in the 
cuneiform text4                         
,genesis3          ,babylonian          
,elohist4     ,jehovist4     ,account4  
#a4 ,announcement of the        ,deluge 
vi4 #aa-ac4      vi4 #e-h4    i4 #ab-bc4
     #b4 ,command to build the          
ark                          vi4 #ad-af4
                  i4 #bj-bg4     #c4    

,what was to enter the        ark       
vi4 #ai-ba4    vii4 #b1 #c4    i4       
#da-dc4     #d4 ,size of the ark        
vi4 #ae1 #af4                 i4 #be1   
#bf4     #e4 ,speech of ,xisuthrus      
i4 #de-eb4     #f4 ,the building of the 
ark         vi4 #bb4       vii4 #e4     
ii4 #b-bd4     #g4 ,the coating within  
and        without with bitumen4        
vi4 #ad4                ii4 #aj1 #aa4   
#h4 ,food taken in the ark4          vi4
 #ba4                 ii4 #ab-bj4       
#i4 ,the coming of the ,flood     vii4  
#aj-ab4      vii4 #aj4  ii4 #ad1 c4     
#aj4 ,destruction of the people  vii4   
#ba1 #bb4      vii4 #bc4   iii4 #b-ae4  
#aa4 ,duration of the ,deluge     vii4  
#ab1 #bd4      vii4 #ag4  iii4 #ai-ba4  
#ab4 ,assuaging of the waters           
viii4 #a4      viii4 #b4  iii4 #ba-bc4  
#ac4 ,opening of window                 
viii4 #f4     iii4 #bg4    #ad4 ,ark    
rests on a mountain        viii4 #d4    
iii4 #cc-cf4    #ae4 ,sending forth of  
the birds                 viii4 #f-ab4  

iii4 #ch-dd4    #af4 ,order to leave the
 ark     viii4 #ae-ag4    #ag4 ,leaving 
the ark           viii4 #ah1 #ai4       
iii4 #de4    #ah4 ,building the altar   
and        sacrifice                    
viii4 #bj4  iii4 #df-dh4    #ai4 ,the   
savour of the offering                  
viii4 #ba4     iii4 #di4    #bj4 ,a     
deluge not to happen        again       
ix4 #aa4  viii4 #ba1 #bb4   iv4 #ae-bj4 
#ba4 ,the ,covenant                 ix4 
#i-aa4                     iv4 #bf4     
#bb4 ,the rainbow a pledge of        the
 covenant                ix4 #ac-ag4    
iii4 #ea1 #eb4    #bc4 ,the ,deluge     
caused by the        sin of men         
vi4 #aa-ac4       vi4 #e-g4  iv4 #ad1   
#ae4    #bd4 ,noah saved by his         
righteousness                           
vi4 #h41 vii4   #a4 iv4 #af4    #be4    
,the translation of the        patriarch
 7in ,genesis of        ,enoch7         
v4 #bd4                  iv4 #bh-cj4    
,one of the first points that strike us 
on comparing the ,biblical and          

cuneiform accounts together is that they
 both agree in representing  the ,flood 
as a punishment for the sins of mankind4
 ,this agreement is  rendered remarkable
 by the absence of such a moral cause in
 the legends  of a deluge current among 
other nations2 it is wanting even in the
  version of the ,babylonian account    
given by ,berosus4 ,equally remarkable  
is the agreement of the two accounts in 
the narrative of the sending  forth of  
the birds1 two of which1 the raven and  
the dove1 are the same  in both4 ,some  
of the actual phrases and words found in
 ,genesis are also  found in the        
cuneiform tablet2 though sometimes they 
are modified1 as  when ,genesis says of 
the entrance of ,noah into the ark3     
8,the ,lord shut  him in20 whereas in   
the ,babylonian narrative the closing of
 the door is  ascribed to ,xisuthrus    
himself4    ,positive discrepancies1    
however1 occur between the two records4 
,thus they differ as regards the size of
 the ark4 ,according to the  cuneiform  

account1 its length and breadth were in 
the proportion of  ten to one and the   
height and breadth were the same2 but   
the ,bible  makes the proportion as six 
to one1 and describes the height as     
being  thirty cubits and the breadth    
fifty4 ,the version of the story given  
by  ,berosus1 on the other hand1 agrees 
in this matter neither with ,genesis    
nor with the tablet from ,erech4 ,it    
measures the ark by stadia and not  by  
cubits1 makes the proportion of its     
length and breadth as five to  two1 and 
says nothing of the height4    ,another 
difference may be found in the          
description of the patriarch  who       
escapes the ,flood4 ,xisuthrus is a king
 who enters the ark with  his servants1 
people1 and pilot1 while in the ,bible  
only ,noah and his  family are saved4   
,so1 too1 no reference is made in the   
,babylonian  account to the distinction 
between the clean and unclean animals   
mentioned by the ,jehovist1 though seven
 was a sacred number among the          

,babylonians4 ,the most remarkable      
difference1 however1 between the  two   
accounts is with respect to the duration
 of the ,deluge4 ,on this  point the    
inscription gives seven days for the    
,flood1 and seven days  for the resting 
of the ark on the mountain1 while the   
,elohist puts  the commencement of the  
,flood on the #agth day of the second   
month  7,marchesvan7 and its termination
 on the #bgth day of the second month   
in the following year1 making a total   
duration of one lunar year and  eleven  
days4 ,this exactly accords with the    
climatic conditions of  ,babylonia1     
where the rains begin at the end of     
,november4 ,the ,euphrates  and ,tigris 
then begin to rise1 the country is      
inundated in ,march1 the  seventh month 
of the ,hebrew narrative1 and from the  
end of ,may onwards  the waters go down4
 ,according to the ,jehovist1 however1  
the ,deluge is  announced to ,noah only 
seven days before it takes place2 the   
waters are  at their height for forty   

days and then decrease during another   
forty  days1 after which the patriarch  
sends out the birds at intervals of     
seven days1 so that it was not till     
twenty-one days after he has first      
opened the window that he finally leaves
 the ark4 ,this is in practical         
agreement with the cuneiform account1   
since seven was a sacred number  among  
the ,babylonians just as forty is in the
 ,old ,testament4 ,as ,m4  ,lenormant   
points out1 the date of the #aeth of    
,dsius 7or ,may7 given  by ,berosus must
 be due to a scribe's error1 since this 
would place  the ,flood at a time when  
the waters were going down4 ,there is   
again  a difference as to the mountain  
on which the ark rested2 ,nizir1 the    
place mentioned in the cuneiform text1  
being east of ,assyria1 and  its        
mountain1 also called 8the mountain of  
the world0 where the gods  were supposed
 to dwell1 being the present peak of    
,elwend1 while the  mountains of ,ararat
 mentioned in the ,bible were north of  

,assyria1 near  ,lake ,van4 ,it is      
evident that different traditions have  
placed the  mountain of the ark in      
totally different positions1 and there  
is not  positive proof as to which is   
the earlier traditionary spot4 ,the word
  ,ararat is connected with a word      
,urdhu1 meaning 8highland10 and might   
be a general term for any part of the   
hilly country to the north-east  of     
,assyria4    ,it is interesting to find 
references in the ,jehovistic account to
  the sacred ,babylonian number seven   
and the seven-day week4 ,just as        
,xisuthrus set vessels by sevens on the 
altar of sacrifice1 so ,noah  offered   
clean beasts and fowls which had been   
taken by sevens into  the ark4 ,and the 
narrative of the sending-out of the     
birds contains a  clear reference to the
 seven-day week1 which was known from   
very early  times to the ,accadians1 who
 had named each day after one of the    
seven  planets4 ,the ,sabbath also1     
which occurred on the #gth1 #adth1      

#aith1 #bast  and #bhth days of the     
lunar month1 was rigorously observed by 
them4  ,they called it 8a day of        
completion of labours10 or 8a day       
unlawful  to work upon10 and a sort of  
saints' calendar for the month of the   
intercalatory ,elul says that upon it   
8the shepherd of many peoples  may not  
eat the flesh of birds 787 or cooked    
fruit4 ,the garments of  his body he    
must not change4 ,white robes he may not
 put on4 ,sacrifice  he may not offer4  
,the king in his chariot may not ride4  
,he may not  legislate in royal fashion4
 ,a place of garrison the general by    
word  of mouth may not appoint4         
,medicine for the sickness of the body  
one  may not apply40 ,the very word     
,sabattu or ,sabbath was used by the    
,assyrians1 and a bilingual tablet      
explains it as 8a day of rest for the   
heart40    ,one striking difference     
between the descriptions of the ,deluge 
given  in the ,old ,testament and in the
 ,epic of ,izdubar is due to the fact   

that the ,hebrews were an inland people1
 whereas the ,accadians were a          
maritime1 or rather fluviatile one4     
,hence it is that while the ark  is     
called in the ,babylonian version 8a    
ship10 it is called tbh1  that is1 8a   
coffer0 in ,genesis4 ,in ,genesis1 too1 
nothing is said about  launching the    
ark1 testing its seaworthiness1 or      
entrusting it to a  pilot4 ,however1 the
 narrative in ,genesis preserves a      
recollection of  the bitumen for which  
the ,babylonian plain was famous1 and   
like the  cuneiform narrative states    
that the ark was pitched4    ,some of   
the other differences observable in the 
two accounts are  evidently due to the  
opposite religious systems of the two   
countries1  but there is again a curious
 point in connection with the close of  
the  ,chaldean legend3 this is the      
translation of the hero of the ,flood4  
,in the ,book of ,genesis it is not     
,noah but the seventh patriarch ,enoch  
who is translated1 three generations    

before the ,flood4    ,there appears to 
have been some connection or confusion  
between ,enoch  and ,noah in ancient    
tradition2 both are holy men1 and ,enoch
 is said1  like ,noah1 to have predicted
 the ,flood4    ,it is a curious fact   
that the dynasty of gods1 with which    
,egyptian  mythical history commences1  
resembles in some respects the list of  
antediluvian kings of ,babylonia given  
by ,berosus as well as the list of      
antediluvian patriarchs in ,genesis4    
,this dynasty has sometimes seven1      
sometimes ten reigns1 and in the  ,turin
 ,papyrus of kings1 which gives ten     
reigns1 there is the same name  for the 
seventh and tenth kings1 both being     
called ,horus1 and the  seventh king is 
stated to have reigned #cjj years1 which
 is the length  of life of the seventh  
patriarch ,enoch after the birth of his 
son4    ,here are the three lists of    
,egyptian gods1 ,hebrew patriarchs1 and 
,chaldean kings4      ,egypt4           
,patriarchs4    ,chaldean ,kings4       

,ptah4        ,adam4          ,alorus4  
,ra4          ,seth4          ,alaparus4
    ,su4          ,enos4                
,almelon4    ,seb4         ,cainan4     
,ammenon4    ,hosiri4      ,mahalaleel4 
,amegalarus4    ,set4         ,jared4   
,daonus4 7,dun in the inscriptions47    
,hor4         ,enoch4         dorachus4 
,tut4         ,methuselah4    ,amempsin4
    ,ma4          ,lamech4              
,otiartes 7,opartes74    ,hor4          
,noah4          ,xisuthrus4    ,it is   
well known that ,enos1 like ,adam1      
signifies 8man20 hence some  writers    
have supposed that the list of ,noah's  
ancestors was originally  counted from  
,enos1 so that ,lamech1 ,noah's father1 
would have been the  seventh in descent4
 ,there is1 moreover1 a curious         
resemblance between  the names of the   
descendants of ,seth and those of the   
descendants of  ,cain1 ,methuselah1     
indeed1 being apparently more correctly 
written  ,methusael 7,gen4 iv4 #ah71    
which is the ,assyrian ,mutu-sa-ili1    

8,man of  ,god40 ,now ,lamech1 the      
descendant of ,cain1 is the seventh from
 ,adam4  ,it may be noticed that ,irad  
or ,jared is the same word as the       
,assyrian  ,arad1 8servant10 and ,arad  
or ,ardutu is the ,assyrian rendering   
of the ,accadian ,ubara1 the first part 
of the name of the father of            
,xisuthrus1 who is actually called      
,ardates by ,abydenus4    ,mr4 ,george  
,smith believed that the real connection
 between the  traditions of ,babylonia  
and ,palestine would never be cleared up
 until  the literature of the ,syrian   
population which intervened is          
recovered4  ,it is very possible that   
light may be thrown upon the question by
 the  excavations now being made at     
,jerablus1 the site of ,carchemish1 the 
capital of the ancient ,hittites4 ,terah
 may be the same word as ,tarkhu1  who  
seems to have been worshipped as a god  
by the ,hittites2 and ,lucian  has      
preserved a legend of the ,flood and the
 patriarch ,sisythes1 who  is evidently 

the ,xisuthrus of the ,babylonians1     
which was current  at ,hierapolis or    
,mabug1 a little to the south of        
,jerablus4 ,in this  legend the ark has 
become a coffer1 ,sisythes and his      
family are alone  preserved1 and the    
,flood was sent to punish the wickedness
 of mankind4    ,there is one point     
which still deserves notice3 these      
traditions are  not fixed to any        
localities in or near ,palestine1 but   
even on the  showing of the ,jews       
themselves1 belong to the neighbourhood 
of the  ,euphrates valley1 and          
,babylonia in particular2 this of course
 is  clearly stated in the ,babylonian  
inscriptions and traditions4    ,eden1  
according even to the ,jews1 was by the 
,euphrates and ,tigris2  the cities of  
,babylon1 ,larancha1 and ,sippara were  
supposed by the  ,babylonians to have   
been founded before the ,flood4         
,surippak was  the city of the ark1 the 
mountains east of the ,tigris were the  
resting-place of the ark1 ,babylon was  

the site of the tower1 and ,ur of  the  
,chaldees the birthplace of ,abraham4   
,these facts and the further  statement 
that ,abraham1 the father and first     
leader of the ,hebrew race1  migrated   
from ,ur to ,harran in ,syria1 and from 
thence to ,palestine1  are all so much  
evidence in favour of the hypothesis    
that ,chaldea was  the original home of 
these stories1 and that the ,jews       
received them  originally from the      
,babylonians2 but on the other hand     
there are such  striking differences in 
some parts of the legends1 particularly 
in the  names of the patriarchs before  
the ,flood1 that it is evident further  
information is required before we can   
determine how or when they were         
received by the ,jews4    ,to pass1 now1
 to the twelfth tablet of the ,izdubar  
,epic1 a curious  fragment has been     
provisionally placed by ,mr4 ,smith in  
the fourth  column1 in which ,izdubar   
appears to call on his cities to mourn  
with  him for his friend4 ,this tablet  

is remarkable for the number of cities  
mentioned as already existing in the    
time of ,izdubar4 ,combining this       
notice with other early inscriptions1   
the statements of ,berosus and the      
notice of the cities of ,nimrod in      
,genesis1 we get the following list of  
the oldest known cities in the          
,euphrates valley3--       #a4 ,babylon 
and its suburb     #b4 ,borsippa4       
#c4 ,cutha4     #d4 ,larsa4     #e4     
,surippak1 called ,larancha by ,berosus4
     #f4 ,eridu4     #g4 ,nipur4     #h4
 ,erech4     #i4 ,calneh4    #aj4       
,sippara4 7,sepharvaim47    #aa4 ,kisu  
7or ,kis74    #ab4 ,ganganna4    #ac4   
,amarda or ,marad4    #ad4 ,ur    #ae4  
,nisin or ,karrak4    #af4 ,agan4       
#ag4 ,duban or ,duran4    #ah4 ,abnunna 
or ,mullias4    #ai4 ,zirghul4    ,to   
these we may also add the great cities  
of ,assyria3--      #bj4 ,assur1 the    
primitive capital4    #ba4 ,ninua or    
,nineveh4    #bb4 ,calah4    #bc4 ,resen
 7,assyrian ,res-eni1 8the head of the  

spring407      ,so far as the various   
statements go1 all these cities and     
probably many  others were in existence 
in the time of ,nimrod1 and some of them
 even  before the ,flood2 the fact that 
the ,babylonians four thousand years ago
  believed their cities to be of such   
antiquity1 shows that they were not     
recent foundations1 and the attainments 
of the people at that time in  the arts 
and sciences prove that their           
civilization had already known  ages of 
progress4 ,the legendary epoch of       
,izdubar must be considered at  present 
as the commencement of the united       
monarchy in ,babylonia1 and  as marking 
the first of the series of great        
conquests in ,western ,asia2  but how   
far back we have to go from our earliest
 known monuments to  reach this era we  
cannot now tell4    ,every nation has   
its hero1 and it was only natural that  
when the  ,accadian kings of ,ur at last
 succeeded in establishing an united    
empire  throughout ,babylonia1 the      

legends of the national hero should be  
coloured by the new conception of       
imperial unity4      ,,footnotes3    #bh
 ,this last sentence is found only in   
the fragment discovered by ,mr4         
,rassam4    #bi ,or3 ,he then           
intelligently4    #cj ,the fragment     
brought to ,england by ,mr4 ,rassam     
reads #f4    #ca ,the word used here is 
ziggurrat1 which is employed to denote  
the  towers attached to ,babylonian     
temples4 ,these towers were commonly    
used  as observatories4    #cb ,bricks  
have been found at ,warka or ,erech     
bearing the name of a  certain king     
,sin-kudur1 who calls himself the son of
 this same goddess1  and describes      
himself as the builder of the temple of 
,anu at ,erech4          ,,chapter      
,,xvii4    ,,conclusion4     ,notices of
 ,genesis4--,correspondence of          
names4--,abram4--,ur of                 
,chaldees4--,ishmael4--,sargon of       
,agan4--,his birth4--,concealed   in    
ark4--,creation4--,garden of            

,eden4--,oannes4--,berosus4--,izdubar   
legends4--,babylonian seals4--,egyptian 
names4--,assyrian sculptures4           
,scattered through various cuneiform    
inscriptions are other notices1  names1 
or passages1 connected with the ,book of
 ,genesis4 ,although  the names of the  
,genesis patriarchs are not in the      
inscriptions  which give the history of 
the mythical period1 nevertheless some  
of  the patriarchal names of ,genesis   
are found here and there in the         
inscriptions4    ,the name ,adam is in  
the ,creation legends1 but only in a    
general  sense as man1 as in ,gen4 i4   
#bf1 #bg1 #bh42 v4 #a1 not as a proper  
name4  ,several of the other names of   
antediluvian patriarchs correspond with 
,babylonian words and roots1 such as    
,methusael 7,gen4 iv4 #ah71 which is    
the ,assyrian mutu-sa-ili1 8man of      
,god10 and has been changed into        
,methuselah 7,gen4 v4 #ba7 in order to  
assimilate it to the genius of  the     
,hebrew language1 or ,noah1 the         

,assyrian nukhu1 8rest20 but1 besides   
these1 certain names appear as proper   
names also in ,babylonia1 among  them   
,cainan1 ,lamech1 and ,laban4    ,cainan
 is found as the name of a ,babylonian  
town ,kan-nan2 the  inhabitants of which
 were sometimes called ,kanunai1 which  
must not be  confounded with the name of
 the ,canaanites or 8lowlanders10       
originally  the inhabitants of the      
coastland of ,phnicia and then1 by      
extension1 of  all ,palestine4          
,lamech has already been pointed out by 
,palmer 78,egyptian ,chronicles10  vol4 
i4 p4 #ef71 in the name of the deified  
,phnician patriarch ,diamich2  this name
 is found in the cuneiform texts as     
,dumugu and ,lamga1 two  forms of the   
,accadian name of the moon4    ,the two 
wives of ,lamech1 ,adah and ,zillah1    
seem to be the ,assyrian  edhutu or     
edhatu 8darkness10 and tsillatu 8the    
shades of night20  and the names of his 
two sons ,jabal and ,jubal are but      
varying forms  of the ,assyrian abil    

8son40 ,dr4 ,oppert long ago pointed out
 that  this ,assyrian word was the      
origin of the name ,abel which has been 
assimilated in spelling to a ,hebrew    
word signifying 8mere breath40    ,some 
of the names of the patriarchs after the
 ,flood are found as names  of towns in 
,syria1 but not in ,babylonia2 among    
these are ,reu or ,ragu1  ,serug1 and   
,harran4    ,laban1 on the other hand1  
as was first noticed by ,dr4 ,delitzsch1
 is  mentioned in a list of gods given  
in a cuneiform tablet 7published in  the
 8,cuneiform ,inscriptions of ,western  
,asia10 iii4 #ff1 #f47    ,illustration3
 ,,mugheir1 ,,the ,,site ,,of ,,ur ,,of 
,,the ,,chaldees4    ,the name of       
,abramu or ,abram is found in the       
,assyrian inscriptions in  the time of  
,esarhaddon4 ,after the captivity of the
 ten tribes1 some of  the ,israelites   
prospered in ,assyria1 and rose to      
positions of trust  in the empire4      
,abram was one of these1 he was sukulu  
rabu or 8great  attendant0 of           

,esarhaddon1 and was eponym in ,assyria1
 ,b4,c4 #fgg4 ,various  other ,hebrew   
names are found in ,assyria about this  
time1 including  ,pekah1 ,hoshea1 and   
several compounded with the two ,divine 
names  ,elohim and ,jehovah1 showing    
that both these names were in use among 
the ,israelites4 ,the presence of proper
 names founded on the ,genesis  stories1
 like ,abram1 and the use at this time  
of these forms of the  ,divine name1    
should be taken into consideration in   
discussing the  evidence of the         
antiquity of ,genesis4    ,ur1 now      
represented by the mounds of ,mugheir1  
on the western bank of  the ,euphrates  
to the south of ,babylon1 was the       
capital of the earliest  ,accadian      
dynasty with which we are acquainted4   
,it was specially devoted  to the       
worship of the moon-god1 the ruins of   
whose temple have been  discovered      
there4 ,ur was the birthplace of        
,abraham1 in whom we must  see one of   
those ,semitic intruders who settled    

among the ,accadians1  and after        
adopting their culture and civilization 
finally succeeded  in overcoming and    
supplanting them4 ,it is probable that  
it is called  ,ur ,casdim1 8,ur of the  
,casdim10 in ,genesis only              
proleptically1 since  ,casdim appears to
 be the representative of an ,assyrian  
word meaning  8conquerors0--a suitable  
epithet for the ,semitic tribes after   
their  conquest of ,babylonia4 ,the     
,greek names ,chaldean and ,chaldea are 
of much  later date1 being derived from 
the ,kaldai1 a small tribe settled on   
the  ,persian ,gulf and first mentioned 
in the ninth century ,b4,c41 who under  
,merodach-,baladan 7,b4,c4 #gba-gji7    
possessed themselves of ,babylonia and  
became so integral a portion of its     
inhabitants as to give their name  to   
the whole of them in classical times4   
,some of the ,genesis names are found at
 a comparatively early date1 the  first 
which appears on a contemporary monument
 being ,ishmael4 ,in the  reign of      

,khammuragas among the witnesses to some
 documents at ,larsa in  ,babylonia1    
appears a man named 8,abuha son of      
,ishmael40    ,after the time of        
,abraham the book of ,genesis is        
concerned with the  affairs of          
,palestine1 and of the countries in its 
immediate vicinity1  and it has no      
connection with ,babylonian history and 
traditions2  however1 the cuneiform     
records contain one story which has a   
striking  likeness to that of ,moses in 
the ark1 and which1 although not within 
the period covered by ,genesis1 is of   
great interest in connection with  the  
early history of the ,jews4    ,sargina 
or ,sargon ,i4 was a ,babylonian monarch
 who reigned in the city  of ,agan about
 ,b4,c4 #ahjj4 ,the name of ,sargon     
signifies the right1 true1  or          
legitimate king1 and may have been      
assumed on his ascending the  throne4   
,sargon was probably of obscure origin1 
and hence the myth that  attached itself
 to him in later popular belief4 ,this  

curious story is  found on fragments of 
tablets from ,kouyunjik1 and reads as   
follows3    #a4 ,sargina the powerful   
king the king of ,agan am ,i4    #b4 ,my
 mother was a princess1 my father ,i did
 not know1 a brother of my  father chose
 the mountains4    #c4 ,in the city of  
,azupiranu which by the side of the     
river ,euphrates is  situated    #d4    
7my7 mother the princess conceived me2  
in an inaccessible place she  brought me
 forth4    #e4 ,she placed me in a      
basket of rushes1 with bitumen my exit  
she sealed  up4    #f4 ,she launched me 
on the river which did not drown me4    
#g4 ,the river carried me1 to ,akki the 
irrigator it brought me4    #h4 ,akki   
the irrigator in tenderness of bowels   
lifted me up2    #i4 ,akki the irrigator
 as his child brought me up1    #aj4    
,akki the irrigator as his woodman set  
me1    #aa4 and in my woodmanship ,istar
 loved me4    #ab4 #de8 years the       
kingdom ,i ruled1    #ac4 the people of 
the black heads ,i governed1 ,i 44      

#ad4 over rugged countries in many      
chariots of bronze ,i rode1    #ae4 ,i  
governed the upper countries1    #af4 ,i
 ruled8 over the chiefs of the lower    
countries4    #ag4 ,to the sea coast    
three times ,i advanced1 ,dilvun 7in the
 ,persian  ,gulf7 submitted1    #ah4    
,durankigal bowed1 c4 c4    ,after this 
follows an address to any king who      
should at a later time  notice the      
inscription4    ,this myth is but a     
repetition of the oft-told story1 how   
the hero of  noble birth is born in     
secret1 is exposed to death1 but is     
rescued and  brought up in a humble     
sphere of life until the time comes when
 his  true origin and character are     
revealed1 and he becomes a mighty prince
  and conqueror4 ,the legend was told of
 ,perseus in ,greece1 of ,romulus in    
,italy1 of ,cyrus in ,persia4 ,but just 
as ,cyrus was a real personage upon     
whom the legend was fastened1 so too    
,sargon was a real personage1 who       
founded the great library of ,agan1 and 

extended his conquests as far  as the   
island of ,cyprus1 which he conquered in
 the third year of his  reign4    ,the  
most hazardous of the theories put      
forward in the preceding  chapters is   
the one which identifies ,izdubar with  
,nimrod1 and makes him  reign in the    
legendary period of ,babylonian history4
 ,this theory is  founded on several    
plausible1 but probably merely          
superficial grounds2  and if any one    
accepts ,mr4 ,smith's view on the point1
 it will be only  for similar reasons to
 those which caused him to propose it2  
namely1  because1 failing this1 we have 
no clue whatever to the age and position
  of the most famous hero in ,oriental  
tradition4    ,we must never lose sight 
of the fact that1 apart from the more   
perfect  and main parts of these texts1 
both in the decipherment of the broken  
fragments and in the various theories   
projected respecting them1 the          
,assyrian scholar must change his       
opinions many times1 and no doubt any   

accession of new material would change  
again our views respecting the  parts   
affected by it4 ,these theories and     
conclusions1 however1 although  not     
always correct1 have1 on their way1     
assisted the inquiry1 and have  led to  
the more accurate knowledge of the      
texts2 for certainly in  cuneiform      
matters we have often had to advance    
through error to truth4    ,in adopting 
,mr4 ,smith's theory for the position of
 ,nimrod1 one thing  is certainly clear3
 he is placed as low in the chronology  
as it is  possible to make him4    ,the 
stories and myths given in the foregoing
 pages have1 probably1  very different  
values2 some are genuine                
traditions--some compiled to  account   
for natural phenomena1 and some pure    
romances4 ,at the head of  their history
 and traditions the ,babylonians placed 
an account of the  creation of the      
world2 and1 although different forms of 
this story were  current1 in certain    
features they all agreed4 ,beside the   

account of the  present animals1 they   
related the creation of legions of      
monster forms  which disappeared before 
the human epoch1 and they accounted for 
the  great problem of humanity--the     
presence of evil in the world--by making
  out that it proceeded from the        
original chaos1 the spirit of confusion 
and darkness1 which was the origin of   
all things1 and which was even  older   
than the gods4    ,the principal story  
of the ,creation1 given in ,chapter ,v41
 substantially  agrees1 as far as it is 
preserved1 with the ,biblical account4  
,according  to it1 there was a chaos of 
watery matter before the ,creation1 and 
from  this all things were generated4   
,we have then a considerable blank1 the 
contents of which we can only           
conjecture1 and after this we come to   
the creation of the heavenly orbs4      
,the fifth tablet in the series relates 
how ,god created the  constellations of 
the stars1 the signs of the zodiac1 the 
planets  and other stars1 the moon and  

the sun4 ,after another blank we have a 
fragment which relates to the creation  
of wild and domestic animals2  it is    
curious here that the original taming of
 domestic animals was  even then so far 
back in the history of the race that all
 knowledge of  it was lost1 and the     
8animals of the city10 or domestic      
animals1 were  considered different     
creations from the 8animals of the      
desert10 or  8field10 or wild animals4  
,we next come to the war between the    
dragon and powers of evil1 or  chaos1 on
 one side and the gods on the other4    
,the gods have weapons  forged for them1
 and ,merodach undertakes to lead the   
heavenly host  against the dragon4 ,the 
war1 which is described with spirit1    
ends of  course in the triumph of the   
principle of good1 and the overthrow of 
primeval anarchy4    ,in ,chapter ,v4   
another account of the ,creation is     
given which differs  materially from the
 first4 ,the principal feature in the   
second account  is the description of   

the eagle-headed men with their family  
of  leaders--this legend clearly showing
 the origin of the eagle-headed  figures
 represented on the ,assyrian           
sculptures4    ,it is probable that some
 of these ,babylonian legends contained 
detailed  descriptions of the ,garden of
 ,eden1 which seems to have been the    
district of ,eridu in the south of      
,babylonia1 as ,sir ,henry ,rawlinson   
believes4    ,there are coincidences in 
respect to the geography of the region  
and  its name which render the          
identification very probable2 of the    
four  rivers in each case1 two1 the     
,euphrates and ,tigris1 are identical2  
then1 again1 the known fertility of the 
region1 its name sometimes  ,gan-duni1  
so similar to ,gan-eden 7the ,garden of 
,eden71 and other  considerations1 all  
tend towards the view that it is the    
,paradise of  ,genesis4    ,there are   
evidences of the belief in the tree of  
life1 which is one  of the most common  
emblems on the seals and larger         

sculptures1 and is  even used as an     
ornament on dresses2 a sacred tree is   
also several  times mentioned in the    
legends and hymns1 but at present there 
is no  direct connection known between  
the tree and the ,fall1 although the gem
  engravings render it very probable    
that there was a legend of this kind    
like the one in ,genesis4    ,in the    
history of ,berosus mention is made of a
 composite being1 half  man1 half fish1 
named ,oannes1 who was supposed to have 
appeared out  of the sea and to have    
taught the ,babylonians all their       
learning4 ,the  ,babylonian and         
,assyrian sculptures have made us       
familiar with the  figure of ,oannes1   
and have so far given evidence that     
,berosus has truly  described this      
mythological figure2 but it is a curious
 fact that the  legend of ,oannes1 which
 must have been one of the ,babylonian  
stories  of the ,creation1 has not yet  
been recovered4 ,in fact1 as previously 
noticed 7p4 #ab71 there is only one     

fragment which can be at all  referred  
to it1 and this has been accidentally   
preserved among a series  of extracts   
from various ,accadian works in a       
bilingual reading-book  compiled for the
 use of ,assyrian students of ,accadian4
 ,the fragment is  as follows3--        
,illustration3 ,,oannes4 ,,from         
,,nimroud ,,sculpture4    #a4 ,to the   
waters their god    #b4 has returned3   
#c4 to the house of bright things    #d4
 he descended 7as7 an icicle3    #e4 on 
a seat of snow    #f4 he grew not old in
 wisdom4    ,the legend of ,oannes1     
whose name may possibly be the ,accadian
 ,hea-khan1  8,hea the fish10 concerned 
the ,babylonians only1 and so did not   
interest  the ,assyrians1 who did not   
care to have it in their libraries4     
,besides the legend of ,oannes1 however1
 there are evidently many stories  of   
early times still unknown1 or only known
 by mere fragments or  allusions4       
,the fables given in ,chapter ,,ix4 form
 a series quite different in  character 

from the legends1 and the only excuse   
for inserting them  here is the need of 
exhibiting as clearly and fully as      
possible the  literature of the great   
epoch which produced the ,genesis       
tablets4    ,most of the other stories  
apparently relate to the great period   
before  the ,flood1 when celestial      
visitors came to and from the earth1 and
 the  inhabitants of the world were very
 distinctly divided into the good and   
bad1 but the stories are only fables    
with a moral attached1 and have  little 
connection with ,babylonian history4    
,two of these stories are very curious1 
and may hereafter turn out to be  of    
great importance2 one is the story of   
the sin committed by the god  ,zu1 and  
the other the story of ,atarpi4         
,berosus in his history has given an    
account of ten ,chaldean kings who      
reigned before the ,flood1 and the close
 of this period is well known  from the 
descriptions of the ,deluge in the      
,bible1 the ,deluge tablet1  and the    

work of the ,greek writer4 ,according to
 ,berosus several of the  ,babylonian   
cities were built before the ,flood1 and
 various arts were  known1 including    
writing4 ,the enormous reigns given by  
,berosus to  his ten kings1 making a    
total of #dcb1jjj years1 force us to    
discard  the idea that the details are  
historical1 although there may be some  
foundation for his statement of a       
civilization before the ,deluge4  ,the  
details given in the inscriptions       
describing the ,flood leave no  doubt   
that both the ,bible and the ,babylonian
 story describe the same  event1 and the
 ,flood becomes the starting-point for  
the modern world  in both histories4    
,according to ,berosus #hf kings reigned
 for #cd1jhj  years after the ,flood    
down to the ,median conquest4 ,if these 
kings are  historical1 it is doubtful if
 they formed a continuous line1 and they
  could scarcely cover a longer period  
than #b1jjj years4 ,the ,median or      
,elamite conquest took place about      

,b4,c4 #bgjj1 and1 if we allow the round
  number #b1jjj years for the previous  
period1 it will make the ,flood fall    
about ,b4,c4 #dgjj4 ,in a fragmentary   
inscription with a list of ,babylonian  
kings1 some names are given which appear
 to belong to the #hf kings  of         
,berosus1 but our information about this
 period is so scanty that  nothing can  
be said about this dynasty1 and a       
suggestion as to the  date of the       
,deluge must be received with more than 
the usual grain of  salt4    ,we can    
see1 however1 that there was a civilized
 race in ,babylonia  before the ,median 
,conquest1 the progress of which must   
have received  a rude shock when the    
country was overrun by the uncivilized  
,eastern  borderers4    ,among the      
fragmentary notices of this             
semi-mythical period is the  portion of 
the inscription describing the building 
of the ,tower of  ,babel and the        
dispersion4    ,it is probable from the 
fragments of ,berosus that the          

incursions and  dominion of the ,median 
,elamites lasted about two hundred      
years1 during  which the country        
suffered greatly from them4    ,the     
legends of ,izdubar or ,nimrod commence 
with a description of the  evils brought
 upon ,babylonia by foreign invasion1   
the conquest and  sacking of the city of
 ,erech being one of the incidents in   
the story4  ,izdubar1 a famous hunter1  
who claimed descent from a long line of 
kings1 reaching up to the time of the   
,flood1 now comes forward2 he has  a    
dream1 and after much trouble a         
half-human creature named ,hea-bani  is 
persuaded by ,zaidu1 the hunter1 and two
 females1 to come to ,erech  and        
interpret the dream of ,izdubar4        
,hea-bani1 having heard the fame  of    
,izdubar1 brings to ,erech a midannu or 
tiger to test his strength1  and        
,izdubar slays it4 ,after these things1 
,izdubar and ,hea-bani become  friends1 
and1 having invoked the gods1 they start
 to attack the tyrant  ,khumbaba4       

,khumbaba dwelt in a thick forest1      
surrounded by a wall1 and  here he was  
visited by the two friends1 who slew him
 and carried off  his spoils4           
,izdubar was now proclaimed king1 and   
extended his authority over the         
,babylonian world1 his court and palace 
being at ,erech4 ,the goddess  ,istar1  
daughter of ,anu according to one myth1 
of ,bel according to  another1 of ,sin1 
the moon god1 according to a third1 who 
had loved the  shepherd ,tammuz1 the    
,sun-god1 fell in love with ,izdubar4   
,he refused her  offers1 and the        
goddess1 angry at his answer1 ascended  
to heaven and  petitioned her father    
,anu to create a bull for her1 to be an 
instrument  of her vengeance4 ,anu      
complied1 and created the bull1 on which
 ,izdubar  and ,hea-bani collected a    
band of warriors and went against it4   
,hea-bani  took hold of the animal by   
its head and tail1 while ,izdubar slew  
it4    ,istar on this cursed ,izdubar1  
and descended to ,hades to attempt once 

more to summon unearthly powers against 
the hero4 ,she descends to the  infernal
 regions1 which are vividly described1  
and1 passing through  their seven gates1
 is ushered into the presence of the    
queen of the  dead4 ,the world of love  
goes wrong in the absence of ,istar1 and
 on the  petition of the gods she is    
once more brought to the earth1         
ultimately  ,anatu1 her mother1         
satisfying her vengeance by striking    
,izdubar with a  loathsome disease4     
,hea-bani1 the friend of ,izdubar1 is   
now killed1 and ,izdubar1 mourning  his 
double affliction1 abandons his kingdom 
and wanders into the desert  to seek the
 advice of ,xisuthrus his ancestor1 who 
had been translated  for his piety and  
now dwelt with the gods4    ,izdubar now
 had a dream1 and after this wandered to
 the region where  gigantic composite   
monsters held and controlled the rising 
and setting  sun3 from these he learned 
the road to the region of the blessed1  
and1 passing across a great waste of    

sand1 arrived at a region where         
splendid trees were laden with jewels   
instead of fruit4    ,izdubar then met  
two females1 named ,siduri and ,sabitu1 
after an  adventure with whom he found a
 boatman named ,nes-,hea1 who undertook 
to  navigate him to the region where    
,xisuthrus dwelt4    ,coming near the   
dwelling of the blessed1 he found it    
surrounded by the  waters of death1     
which he had to cross in order to reach 
the land of  which he was in search4    
,on arriving at the other side1 ,izdubar
 was met by ,mu-seri-ina-namari1  8the  
waters of dawn at daybreak10 who engaged
 him in conversation about  ,hea-bani1  
and then ,xisuthrus1 taking up the      
conversation1 described  to him the     
,deluge4 ,izdubar was afterwards cured  
of his illness and  returned with       
,nes-,hea to ,erech1 where he mourned   
anew for his friend  ,hea-bani1 and on  
intercession with the gods the ghost of 
,hea-bani arose  from the ground where  
the body had lain4    ,the details of   

this story1 and especially the accounts 
of the regions  inhabited by the dead1  
are very striking1 and illustrate1 in a 
wonderful manner1 the religious views of
 the people4    ,it is worth while here 
to pause1 and consider the evidence of  
the  existence of the legends recounted 
in the preceding pages from the  close  
of the mythical period down to the      
seventh century ,b4,c4    ,we have first
 the seals3 of these there are some     
hundreds in ,european  museums1 and     
among the earliest are many specimens   
carved with scenes  from the ,genesis   
legends2 some of these are a good deal  
older than ,b4,c4  #bjjj1 others may be 
ranged at various dates down to ,b4,c4  
#aejj4    ,with three exceptions1 which 
are of ,assyrian origin1 all the seals  
engraved in the present volume are      
,babylonian4 ,one very fine and early   
example is photographed as the          
frontispiece of the book4 ,the character
  and style of the cuneiform legend     
which accompanies this shows it to  be  

one of the most ancient specimens2 it is
 engraved on a hard jasper  cylinder in 
bold style1 and is a remarkable example 
of early ,babylonian  art4 ,many other  
similar cylinders of the same period are
 known2 the  relief on them is bolder   
than on the later seals1 on which from  
about  ,b4,c4 #afjj or #agjj1 a change  
in the inscriptions becomes general4    
,the numerous illustrations to the      
present work1 which have been  collected
 from these early ,babylonian seals1    
will serve to show that  the legends    
were well known1 and formed part of the 
literature of the  country before the   
second millennium ,b4,c4    ,after      
,b4,c4 #aejj1 the literature of         
,babylonia is unknown1 and we lose      
sight of all evidence of its legends for
 some centuries4 ,in the  meantime      
,egypt supplies a few notices bearing on
 the subject1 which  serve to show that 
knowledge of them was still kept up4    
,nearly thirteen  hundred years before  
the ,christian era one of the ,egyptian 

poems likens  a hero to the ,assyrian   
chief1 ,kazartu1 a great hunter4        
,kazartu probably  means a 8strong0 or  
8powerful0 one1 and it has already been 
suggested  that the reference is to the 
hero ,nimrod4 ,a little later1 in the   
period  extending from ,b4,c4 #ajjj to  
#hjj1 we have in ,egypt several persons 
named  ,namurot1 which seems to be an   
echo of the name of the mighty hunter4  
,on the revival of the ,assyrian empire1
 about ,b4,c4 #iij1 we come again to    
numerous references to the ,genesis     
legends1 and these continue through     
almost every reign down to the close of 
the empire4 ,the ,assyrians  carved the 
sacred tree and cherubim on their walls1
 they depicted  in the temples the      
struggle between ,merodach and the      
dragon1 they  decorated their portals   
with the figure of ,izdubar strangling a
 lion1  and carved the struggles of     
,izdubar and ,hea-bani with the lion and
 the  bull even on their stone vases4   
,just as the sculptures of the ,greek   

temples1 the paintings on the vases  and
 the carving on their gems were taken   
from their myths and legends1  so the   
series of myths and legends belonging to
 the valley of the  ,euphrates furnished
 materials for the sculptor1 the        
engraver1 and the  painter1 among the   
ancient ,babylonians and ,assyrians4    
,in this way we have continued evidence 
of the existence of these  legends down 
to the time of ,assur-bani-pal1 ,b4,c4  
#fgc to #fbf1 who caused  the present   
known copies to be made for his library 
at ,nineveh4    ,search in ,babylonia   
would1 no doubt1 yield much earlier     
copies of  all these works1 but that    
search has not yet been instituted1 and 
for the present we have to be contented 
with our ,assyrian copies4  ,looking1   
however1 at the world-wide interest of  
the subjects1 and  at the important     
evidence which perfect copies of these  
works would  undoubtedly give1 there can
 be no doubt that further progress will 
be  made in research and discovery1 and 

that all that is here written will  one 
day be superseded by newer texts and    
fuller and more perfect light4          
,,index4        ,abel1 #caf4            
,abram1 #cag4      ,abydenus1 #dj4      
,accad or ,akkad1 #bj4      ,adam1 #hc1 
#cae4      ,adrakhasis1 #bhh4           
,agan1 #cac4      ,age of documents1    
#ba4      ,alaparus1 #ci4               
,alexander ,polyhistor1 #cb1 #dc4       
,alexander the ,great1 #a4      ,alorus1
 #ci1 #dj1 #ahg4      ,amarda1 #cac4    
,amempsin1 #dj4      ,amillarus1 #dj4   
,ammenon1 #da4      ,anatu1 #di4        
,anementus1 #da4      ,animals1 creation
 of1 #ga4      ,antiquity of legends1   
#bb4      ,anu1 #dh1 #di1 #ajh1 #abj4   
,anus1 #dd4      ,apason1 #dc4          
,apollodorus1 #ci4      ,ararat1 #cjg4  
,ardates1 #cf1 #caa4      ,arioch1 #agb4
      ,ark1 #db1 #bhj1 #bha1 #cji1 #cai4
      ,armenia1 #db4      ,arnold1 ,mr4 
,e41 #f4      ,arrangement of tablets1  
#ad1 #ae4      ,asherim1 #bdd4          
,assorus1 #dd4      ,assur1 #bf1 #cac4  

,assur-bani-pal1 #f1 #bg4               
,assur-nazir-pal1 #cf4      ,assyrian   
excavations1 #f4      ,atarpi1 story of1
 #aee1 #aef4      ,aus1 #dd4            
,babel1 #afa1 #afc1 #afh4      ,babil   
mound1 #aga4      ,babylon1 #ci1 #db1   
#cac4      ,babylonia1 #ch4             
,babylonian cities1 #bic4      legends1 
#c4      seals1 #agh1 #ccj4      sources
 of literature1 #af4      ,bel1 #dg1    
#ec1 #aac4      ,belat1 #ec4            
,belus1 #cf1 #dd4      ,berosus1 #a1    
#cb4      ,birs ,nimrud1 #afg4          
,borsippa1 #cac4      ,bull1 destruction
 of1 #bca4        ,cainan1 #caf4        
,calah1 #cac4      ,calneh1 #ge1 #cac4  
,cara-indas1 #ah4      ,casdim1 #cah4   
,cedars1 #baf4      ,chaldean account of
 deluge1 #f4      astrology1 #bj4       
dynasties1 #aie4      ,change in        
,assyrian language1 #ag4      ,chaos1   
#fj4      ,chedor-laomer1 #agb4         
,chronology1 #ah1 #aih1 #aii4      ,clay
 records1 #af4      ,coming of deluge1  
#bgi4      ,comparison of accounts of   

creation1 #ff-fi4      of deluge1       
#bhd-bhi4      ,composite creatures1    
#cd1 #ce1 #ic1 #ig4      ,conclusion1   
#bie4      ,conquest of ,babylon1 #ai1  
#aie4      of ,erech1 #aih4      of     
,khumbaba1 #bbd4      ,constellations1  
creation of1 #fd4      ,contents of     
library1 #bh-cj4      ,copies of texts1 
#cje4      ,cory1 translations of1      
#ca-dc4      ,creation1 #a1 #g1 #aa1    
#ef1 #ib1 #cbc4      ,creation of       
animals1 #ga4      of man1 #cf1 #gb1    
#ha1 #ic4      ,creation of moon1 #fe4  
of stars1 #fd4      of sun1 #gj4        
,cure of ,izdubar1 #bia4      ,cush1    
#ahe4      ,cutha1 #bc1 #ib1 #bii1 #cac4
        ,dache1 #dd1 #fj4      ,dachus1 
#dd1 #fj4      ,dsius1 month1 #da4      
8,daily ,telegraph10 #f4                
,damascius1 #dc4      ,dannat1 #bjg4    
,daonus1 #ci4      ,daos1 #da4          
,date of ,nimrod1 #cjb4      ,davce1    
#dd4      ,davkina1 #eb4      ,death of 
,hea-bani1 #bgf4      ,delitzsch1 ,dr41 
#caf4      ,deluge1 #a1 #d1 #e1 #cg1    

#da1 #agg1 #cja4      tablet1 #i4       
predicted1 #bgi4      commencement of1  
#bhc4      destruction wrought by1 #bhd4
      end of1 #bhe4      variant        
accounts of1 #cja4      comparison with 
,genesis1 #cjb1 c4      length of1 #cjf4
      ,descent to ,hades1 #bci4         
,description of ,hades1 #bci4      of   
,izdubar legends1 #ahj-ahc4             
,dibbara1 #aa4      exploits of1 #abe4  
,domestic animals1 #cbc4      ,dragon1  
#aab1 #aac4      ,dreams of ,izdubar1   
#bjd1 #beh4        ,eagle1 #aa4         
,eagle-headed men1 #ig4      ,eagle1    
fable of1 #ada4      ,eden1 #c1 #gb1    
#hd1 #caa4      ,elamites1 #ah1 #ach1   
#aif4      ,eneuboulus1 #da4            
,eneugamus1 #da4      ,enoch1 #cji4     
,enos1 #caj4      ,erech1 #acj1 #aib1   
#cac4      ,eridu1 #df1 #gb1 #hj1 #he1  
#aje1 #cac4      ,esarhaddon1 #bg4      
,etana1 #aa1 #ada1 #adf4      ,euedocus1
 #da4      ,euedorachus1 #ci4           
,euedoreschus1 #da4      ,evil spirits1 
legend of1 #ii1 #ajd4      ,expedition  

to ,assyria1 #g4      ,exploits of      
,dibbara1 #abe4        ,fables1 #adj4   
,fall1 #h1 #gb1 #ge4      ,filling the  
ark1 #bhb4      ,first tablet of the    
creation1 #eg4      ,flaming sword1 #hf4
      ,folk-lore1 ,babylonian1 #afj4    
,forest of ,khumbaba1 #bbb1 #bgb4       
,fox1 fable of1 #adg4      ,fox ,talbot1
 ,mr41 #bdi4        ,ganganna1 #aic1    
#cac4      ,generation of the gods1 #fa4
      ,genesis1 #a1 #c1 #cjd4           
stories1 #aee4        ,hea1 #ea1 #ajf1  
#agg4      ,hea-bani1 #f1 #bjd1 #bje4   
,hea-bani comes to ,erech1 #bjf4        
,herakles1 #agg4      ,hesperides1 #agg4
      ,hittites1 #caa4      ,horse and  
ox1 fable of1 #aej4        ,illinus1    
#dd4      ,ishmael1 #cah4      ,istar1  
#aa1 #di1 #ea1 #acg1 #bbf4      loves   
,izdubar1 #bbg4      amours of1 #bbi4   
anger of1 #bcj4      descent to ,hades1 
#bci4      in ,hades1 #bdc4      return 
of1 #bde4      ,itak1 #abe1 #ach4       
,izdubar1 #e1 #age1 c4      legends1 #f1
 #aa1 #ba1 #age1 c4      same as        

,nimrod1 #agf4      parentage1 #ahc4    
exploits of1 #ahd1 c4      conquers     
,khumbaba1 #bag4      loved by ,istar1  
#bbg4      struck with disease1 #bec4   
meets scorpion men1 #bei4      meets    
,sabitu and ,siduri1 #bfe4      meets   
,nis-,hea1 #bfe4      sees ,xisuthrus1  
#bfi4      hears the story of the flood1
 #bgi4      cured of his illness1 #bij4 
returns to ,erech1 #bid4      mourns for
 ,hea-bani1 #bie4      author of ,epic1 
#ab4        ,jared1 #caa4      ,jewish  
traditions1 #cjc4        ,karrak1 #be1  
#abh1 #cac4      ,kazartu1 #cca4        
,khammuragas1 #ai1 #aij1 #aih4          
,kharsak-kalama1 #bii4      ,khumbaba1  
#baf1 c4      ,kissare1 #dd4      ,kisu1
 #bii1 #cac4      ,kouyunjik1 #b1 #ac4  
,kudur-mabuk1 #be4        ,laban1 #caf4 
,lamech1 #caj1 #caf4      ,lament of    
,izdubar1 #bie4      ,language of       
inscriptions1 #ag1 #ba4      ,larancha1 
#dj1 #cac4      ,larsa1 #be1 #cac4      
,layard1 ,sir ,a4 ,h41 #b4      ,lecture
 on the deluge1 #e4      ,lenormant1 ,m4

 ,f41 #ei1 #bdi1 #cjg4      ,libraries1 
#ae4      ,library of ,assur-bani-pal1  
#bg4      ,lig-,bagas1 #bd1 #aie4       
,literature1 ,babylonian and ,assyrian1 
#ac4      ,local mythology1 #df4        
,lot1 #agd4      ,lugal-turda1 #aba1    
#abd1 #bjb1 #bcd4        ,mammetu1 #bgf4
      ,man1 creation of1 #gb4      ,mas1
 mountain of1 #bei1 #bfa1 #bgf4         
,media1 #aif4      ,megalarus1 #ci4     
,merodach1 #eb1 #hf1 #ajc1 #aij4        
,methuselah1 #caj1 #cae4      ,moon1    
creation of1 #fe4      ,moymis1 #dc4    
,mummu-tiamatu1 #ei4      ,mller1 ,prof4
 ,max1 #bej4      ,mu-seri-ina-namari or
 ,mua1 #bgj1 c41 #bhc4      ,mythology1 
#de4        ,nabu-bal-idina1 #bf4       
,names in ,genesis1 #bie4               
,naram-,sin1 #ai4      ,natural history1
 #bi4      ,nebo1 #eb1 #abj4            
,nebuchadnezzar1 #cj1 #aga4      ,ner1  
#ada4      ,nergal1 #dg1 #ed4           
,nes-,hea or ,ur-,hea1 #bfe1 #bfg1 #bfh1
 #bia1 c4      ,nimrod1 #agf1 #ahd-ahf1 
#cba4      ,nineveh1 #cac4      ,ninip1 

#dg1 #ed4      ,ninsun1 #big4           
,nipur1 #cac4      ,nis-,sin1 #ada4     
,nizir1 #d1 #acg1 #bhe1 #cjg4           
,noah1 #caf4      ,nusku1 #dh4          
,oannes1 #ab1 #cc1 #ci1 #dj1 #ajf1 #cbd4
      ,odacon1 #dj4      ,omoroca1 #ce4 
,oppert1 ,prof41 #fe1 #gf1 #bdi1 #caf4  
,orion1 #fd4      ,otiartes1 #dj4       
,pantibiblon1 #ci4      ,paradise1 #gb1 
#hd4      ,patriarchs1 #bij4            
,pinches1 ,mr41 #bgc4      ,pine trees1 
#baf4      ,prometheus1 #dc1 #abc4      
,rassam1 ,mr4 ,hormuzd1 #g1 #bgh4       
,rawlinson1 ,sir ,h4 ,c41 #b1 #c1 #hd1  
#he1 #acg1 #afi1 #aga1 #agf1 #ahh1 #bdf1
 #cbc4      ,resen1 #ahe1 #cac4         
,resurrection of ,hea-bani1 #bih4       
,riddle of the wise man1 #aei4          
,rim-,agu1 #ag4        ,sabbath1 #hi1   
#cjh4      ,sabitu1 #bfd4               
,sacrifice1 #bhf4      ,samas1 #dg1 #ed1
 #ajj1 #bje1 #cja4      ,sargon1 #ai1   
#bg1 #hb1 #cai4      saved in ark1 #cai4
      ,sar-tuli-elli1 #gd1 #ge1 #afd1   
#aff4      ,satyrs1 #bjd4      ,scorpion

 men1 #bei4      ,semitic race1 #ai1    
#hc4      ,senaar1 #db4      ,sending   
out birds1 #bhf4      ,sennacherib1 #bg4
      ,serpent1 #hh1 #ada1 #adb4        
,seven evil spirits1 #ii1 #ajd4         
,shalmaneser ,,ii41 #bf4      ,sibyl1   
#dc4      ,siduri1 #bfd4      ,sin1 #dg1
 #ec4      ,sin of ,zu1 #abc4           
,sin-lici-unnini1 #ab4      ,sinuri1    
#afj4      ,sippara1 #cg1 #ci1 #cac4    
,sisithrus1 #da4      ,sisythes1 #caa4  
,society of ,biblical ,archology1 #e4   
,sodom and ,gomorrah1 destruction of1   
#agb1 #agc4      ,sons of ,god1 #hc4    
,speaking trees1 #beg4      ,stars1     
creation of1 #fd4      ,sumir1 #bj4     
,sun1 creation of1 #gj4      ,surippak1 
#cac4        ,table of gods1 #ee4       
,tablets1 mutilation of1 #i4            
,tammuz1 #fd1 #he1 #aib1 #bbi1 #bch1    
#bde1 #bdf1 #bdg4      ,tauthe1 #dc4    
,thalassa1 #ce4      ,thalatth1 #ce4    
,tiamat1 #aa1 #dc1 #ei1 #fj1 #aji1 #aac4
      ,tiglath ,pileser1 #bf4           
,titan1 #dc1 #adf4      ,tower in       

stages1 #afi1 #agj4      ,tower of      
,babel1 #g1 #db1 #afa-agb4        ,ur1  
#bj1 #bd1 #cac1 #cah4        ,war in    
heaven1 #aac4        ,xisuthrus1 #cf1   
#cg1 #dj1 #bgi1 c4        ,zaidu1 #bjh1 
#bji4      ,zibanit1 #aef4      ,zillah1
 #caf4      ,zirat-banit1 #eb4          
,zirghul1 #cac4      ,zodiac1 #fh1 #agf1
 #cja4      ,zu1 #aae1 #abc4            
99       99       99       99       99  
,a ,,new ,,edition ,,now ,,ready ,,of   
,assyrian ,discoveries4       ,an       
,account of ,explorations and           
,discoveries on the ,site of ,nineveh   
during #ahgc and #ahgd4                 
,by ,,george ,,smith1       ,late of the
 ,department of ,oriental ,antiquities1 
,british ,museum4           ,with ,maps1
 ,wood-,cuts1 and ,photographs4         
,one ,vol4 #hvo4                        
,cloth1 #d4jj4                          
,,opinions ,,of ,,the ,,press4    ,from 
the ,n4 ,y4 ,daily ,tribune4    8,mr4   
,smith appears to have engaged in his   
work with equal ardor1  perseverance1   

and good judgment4 ,his habits as a     
scholar have not  impaired his          
efficiency as a practical man4 ,the     
recital of his  experience is marked by 
frankness1 modesty1 and great           
intelligence40    ,from the ,st4 ,louis 
,democrat4    8,the book reveals much of
 the hitherto hidden history of the     
,assyrian  empire1 and shows that its   
people were wise in many things4 ,the   
maxims  translated from the records1 and
 the curious devices and pictures       
brought to the earth's surface1 give us 
a clearer knowledge of the  character of
 the people that inhabited that nation  
than we have gained  from any other     
source4 99 99 99 ,it is a work of great 
importance1 and will  be welcomed by all
 scholars and antiquaries40    ,from the
 ,n4 ,y4 ,evening ,post4    8,mr4       
,smith's book is1 in clearness and      
accuracy1 all that could be  wished2    
himself a great authority on ,assyrian  
antiquities1 he has  prepared a work    
which no person who has studied1 or     

intends to study1  this fascinating     
subject should fail to read40    ,from  
the ,cincinnati ,commercial4    8,it is 
in the hope that these rich1 first      
fruits of investigation will  stimulate 
inquiry1 and induce the ,british        
,government to take hold of  the matter1
 and bring its influence to bear in such
 a manner upon the  ,ottoman ,government
 as to secure its co-operation in       
prosecuting a  thorough system of       
investigation1 that we close ,mr4       
,smith's absorbingly  interesting book40
    ,from the ,watchman and ,reflector4 
8,his book is a simple1 straightforward 
record of what he accomplished1  written
 not to catch the applause of the       
ignorant1 but to inform the  wise and   
the thoughtful4 ,the narrative of       
personal experience is  interesting1    
without trace of straining for          
sensational effect4 ,but the  chief     
value of the work is for its account of 
things accomplished40     ,for sale by  
all booksellers1 or sent1 post-paid1    

upon receipt of  price1 by              
,,charles ,,scribner',s ,,sons1         
,,publishers1    #gdc ,,and #gde        
,,broadway1 ,,new ,,york4               
,the ,origin and ,growth of ,religion1  
as ,illustrated by                      
,,the ,,religion ,,of                   
,,ancient ,,egypt4                      
,by ,p4 ,,le ,,page ,,renouf4           
7,the ,hibbert ,lectures for #ahgi47    
,one volume1 #abmo1      #a4ej     ,m4  
,le ,page ,renouf's great reputation as 
an ,egyptologist led to his   selection 
to deliver the second course of the     
already celebrated   ,hibbert series4   
,his lectures are the fit companions of 
,professor   ,mller's1 both in learning 
and in interest4 ,the glimpses          
laboriously   gained by the aid of long 
undeciphered hieroglyphics into one of  
the   most mystical and profound of all 
the ancient beliefs1 have always had   a
 special fascination2 and the time has  
now come when it is possible   to join  
their results into a fairly complete    

picture4 ,done as this is   by ,m4      
,renouf1 with a certain ,french         
vividness and clearness1 it has a   very
 unusual1 and1 indeed1 unique interest4 
,,critical ,,notices4    8,the narrative
 is so well put together1 the chain of  
reasoning and  inference so obvious1 and
 the illustration so apt1 that the      
general  reader can go through it with  
unabated interest40--,hartford ,post4   
8,no one can rise from reading this     
book1 in which1 by the way1 the  author 
is careful about drawing his            
conclusions1 without having  increased  
respect for the religion of ancient     
,egypt1 and hardly less  than admiration
 for its ethical system40--,the         
,churchman4    8,these lectures are     
invaluable to students of ,egyptology1  
and as the  religion of ancient ,egypt  
stands alone and unconnected with other 
religions1 except those which have been 
modified by it1 itself being  apparently
 original and underived1 they should be 
highly interesting  to all students of  

religious history4444 ,it is impossible 
in a brief  notice to convey an adequate
 idea of ,professor ,renouf's admirable 
lectures40--,n4 ,y4 ,world4    8,the    
present work forms a remarkably         
intelligent and acutely critical        
contribution to the history of the      
origin and growth of religion1  as      
illustrated by the religion of ancient  
,egypt4 ,as a specialist1  ,professor   
,renouf is able to bring forth much     
information not ordinarily  accessible  
to the general reader1 and this he does 
in such a carefully  digested form as to
 make the work entertaining and         
instructive in the  highest             
degree40--,boston ,courier4     ,for    
sale by all booksellers1 or sent1       
post-paid1 upon receipt of  price1 by   
,,charles ,,scribner',s ,,sons1         
,,publishers1    #gdc ,,and #gde        
,,broadway1 ,,new ,,york4        ,,new1 
,,revised1 ,,and ,,enlarged ,,edition   
,,of ,,dr4 ,,schliemann',s ,,great      
,,work4                                 

,,discoveries ,,and ,,researches        
on the sites of                         
,,ancient ,,mycen ,,and ,,tiryns4       
,by ,,dr4 ,,henry ,,schliemann1 ,author 
of 8,troy and its ,remains40            
,with ,preface by the ,,hon4 ,w4 ,e4    
,,gladstone4       ,with ,maps1 ,colored
 ,plates1 ,views and ,cuts1 representing
 several          ,hundred ,objects of  
,antiquity discovered on the ,sites4    
,,in ,,all1 ,,five ,,hundred            
,,illustrations4                        
,,critical ,,notices4     8,in this     
magnificent volume we have finally the  
story of ,dr4   ,schliemann's last and  
most important discoveries4 ,he has been
 the   most fortunate of archological   
explorers2 for even a greater luck      
than rewarded him in the ,troad has     
fallen to his portion in ,argolis4   99 
99 99 ,we suspect that the final verdict
 of scholars will that ,dr4             
,schliemann has actually discovered the 
remains of the man1 some part   of whose
 history1 at least1 is preserved in the 

,agamemnon of ,homer and                
schylus40--,the ,n4 ,y4 ,tribune4       
8,dr4 ,schliemann's book is worth all   
the prolegomens and commentaries   upon 
,homer that have been written since the 
revival of learning40--,the   ,boston   
,globe4     8,the interest of the work  
is not confined to either ,england or   
,america4 ,every enlightened nation will
 welcome it1 for it opens up a   new    
world to the modern generation4 ,no work
 of the time has attracted   wider      
attention40--,boston ,post4     8,this  
splendid volume is a museum of itself   
which every lover of   history and      
classical literature will feel that he  
must possess1 and   which any           
intelligent reader is competent to      
understand and enjoy by   means of its  
abundant and truly splendid             
illustrations40--,buffalo   ,commercial 
,advertiser4     8,dr4 ,schliemann has  
made the most important contribution of 
the   present century to ,greek         
archology40--,the ,nation4     8,we     

commend the volume1 with its admirable  
typography and   multitudinous          
illustrations1 to the attention of our  
readers1   assuring them that they will 
find it possessed of a rare and enduring
   interest40--,boston ,journal4        
8,we add our testimony in saying that a 
copy of ,mycen is necessary   to the    
library of every scholar1 and--which is 
no mean praise--that   the printing and 
illustrations of this work are worthy of
 the   matter40--,baltimore ,gazette4   
,one vol4 quarto1 superbly printed on   
superfine paper1 cloth extra1  #g4ej4   
,for sale by all booksellers1 or sent1  
post-paid1 upon receipt of  price1 by   
,,charles ,,scribner',s ,,sons1         
,,publishers1    #gdc ,,and #gde        
,,broadway1 ,,new ,,york4               
,the                         ,conflict  
of ,christianity                        
,,with ,,heathenism4                    
,by ,,dr4 ,,gerhard ,,uhlhorn4          
,,translated ,,by                ,,prof4
 ,,egbert ,c4 ,,smyth and ,,rev4 ,c4 ,j4

 ,h4 ,,ropes4                           
,one ,volume1 ,crown #hvo1 #b4ej4       
,this volume describes with             
extraordinary vividness and spirit the  
religious and moral condition of the    
,pagan world1 the rise and spread   of  
,christianity1 its conflict with        
heathenism1 and its final victory4      
,there is no work that portrays the     
heroic age of the ancient church   with 
equal spirit1 elegance1 and incisive    
power4 ,the author has made   thorough  
and independent study both of the early 
,christian literature   and also of the 
contemporary records of classic         
heathenism4    ,,critical ,,notices4    
8,it is easy to see why this volume is  
so highly esteemed4 ,it is  systematic1 
thorough1 and concise4 ,but its power is
 in the wide mental  vision and         
well-balanced imagination of the author1
 which enable him to  reconstruct the   
scenes of ancient history4 ,an          
exceptional clearness and  force mark   
his style40--,boston ,advertiser4       

8,one might read many books without     
obtaining more than a fraction of  the  
profitable information here conveyed2   
and he might search a long  time before 
finding one which would so thoroughly   
fix his attention and  command his      
interest40--,phil4 ,s4 ,s4 ,times4      
8,dr4 ,uhlhorn has described the great  
conflict with the power of a  master4   
,his style is strong and attractive1 his
 descriptions vivid and  graphic1 his   
illustrations highly colored1 and his   
presentation of the  subject earnest and
 effective40--,providence ,journal4     
8,the work is marked for its broad      
humanitarian views1 its learning1 and   
the wide discretion in selecting from   
the great field the points of  deepest  
interest40--,chicago ,inter-,ocean4     
8,this is one of those clear1 strong1   
thorough-going books which are a        
scholar's delight40--,hartford          
,religious ,herald4     ,for sale by all
 booksellers1 or sent post-paid upon    
receipt of  price1 by      ,,charles    

,,scribner',s ,,sons1    ,,nos4 #gdc    
,,and #gde ,,broadway1 ,,new ,,york4