L(NIMROD)IN CONFLICT WITHFROM AN EARLY BACYLONITOSIE HENRY CEBSWICKERAWLINSON,K.C.B., D.C.L._,ETC. ETC.ETC.,MY TEACHER AND PREDECESSORIN MY PRESENTLINE OP RESEARCH,IN REMEMBRANCE OF MANYFAVOURS,THIS WORK IS3Delricateo*THECHALDEANACCOUNTOF GENESIS.CONTAININGTHE DESCRIPTIONOF THECREATION,THE FALL OFMAN,iTHEDELUGE,THE TOWER OFBABEL,THETIMES OF THEPATRIARCHS,ANDBABYLONIANFABLES,ANDLEGENDSOFTHE GODS;FROMTHECUNEIFORMINSCRIPTIONS.BY GEORGESMITH,OF THE DEPARTMENTOF ORIENTAL ANTIQUITIES,BRITISHMUSEUM,AUTHOROF"HISTORY OFASSURBANIPAL,""ASSYRIANDISCOVERIES,"ETC.ETC.WITHILLUSTRATIONS.LONDON:SAMPSONLOW,MARSTON, SEARLE,ANDRIVINGTON,CROWNBUILDINGS,FLEET STREET.1876.(AllRightsReserved.)IZDUBAR STRANGLING A LlON. FROM KHORSABAD SCULPTURE.INTRODUCTION.(OMEexplanationisnecessaryin introducing mypresentwork.Little timehaselapsedsinceI discoveredthe most_ importantof theseinscriptions,and intheinterveningperiodIhavehad,amidstotherwork,to collect thevariousfragmentsofthelegends,copy,compare,andtranslate, altering mymatterfromtimetotime,as newfragmentsturnedup.EvennowIhavegonetopresswithone ofthefragmentsofthelast tablet oftheIzdubarseriesomitted.Thepresentconditionof thelegendsand theirrecentdiscoveryalike forbidmeto call thisanythingmore than aprovisionalwork;but there was sogenerala desire to see the translationsthat Ihavepublishedthem,hoping myreaderswill take themwiththesamereservewithwhichIhavegiventhem.Ihave avoided some of the mostimportantcomparisonsandconclusionswithrespecttoGenesis,asmydesirewasfirst to obtain therecognitionoftheevidencewithoutprejudice.viiiINTRODUCTION.Thechronologicalnotesinthebookareoneof itsweakpoints,but Imaysafelysaythat I haveplacedthevariousdatesaslowas Ifairlycould,consideringtheevidence,andIhaveaimedtodothis ratherthanto establishanysystemofchronology.I believethattimewillshowtheBabyloniantraditions ofGenesistobeinvaluableforthelight theywillthrowonthePentateuch,butatpresentthereare somanyblanksinthe evidencethatpositiveconclusionsonseveralpointsareimpossible.Imayaddin conclusionthatmy present workisintendedasapopularaccount,andIhave introducedonlysomuchexplanationasseemsnecessaryfortheproperunderstandingofthesubject.Ihaveaddedtranslations ofsomepartsofthelegendswhichIavoidedinmylastwork,desiringhere tosatisfythe wish to see them asperfectaspossible;there still remain howeversomepassageswhichIhaveomitted,buttheseare ofsmallextentandobscure.October26,1875.CONTENTS.CHAPTER I. THE DISCOVERYOF THE GENESISLEGENDS.Cosmogonyof Bcrosus.Discoveryof CuneiformInscriptions.Historical Texts.BabylonianoriginofAssyrianliterature.Mythologicaltablets*DiscoveryofDelugetexts.Izdubar,hisexploits.Mutilatedcondition of tablets. Lecture onDelugetablets."DailyTelegraph"offer.ExpeditiontoAssyria. Fragmentsof Creationtablets. SolarMyth.SecondjourneytoAssyria.Tower ofBabel.Clayrecords. Account of creation in"Telegraph.""Daily Telegraph"collection.Interest ofCreationlegends.TheFall. Xewfragments.Listoftexts . .page1CHAPTER II. BABYLONIANAND ASSYRIAN LITERATURE.Babylonianliterature.Kouyunjik library. Fragmentarycondition.Arrangementof tablets.Subjects.-Dates.Babyloniansourceof literature.Literaryperiod. Babylonian Chronology.Akkad. Sumir.Urukh,kingof Ur. Hammurabi.Babylonianastrology.WarofGods. Izdubarlegends.Creation andfall.Syllabariesandbilingualtablets.Assyriancopies.Difficulties asto date. Mutilated condition.Babylonian library. Assyrianempire. Cityof Assur.Libraryat Calah.SargonofAssyria.Sennacherib. Removal ofLibraryto Nineveh.AssurbanipalorSardanapalus.His additions tolibrary. Descriptionof contents.LaterBabylonianlibraries ......xCONTENTS.CHAPTER IIIi CHALDEAN LEGENDS TRANSMITTED THROUGHBEROSUS AND OTHER ANCIENT AUTHORS.Berosusandhiscopyists. Corys translation. AlexanderPoly-histor.Babylonia. Cannes,histeaching.Creation. Belus.Chaldeankings.Xisuthrus.Deluge.The Ark. Return toBabylon. Apollodorus.Pantibiblon. Larancha.Abydenus.Alorus,firstking.Tenkings.Sisithrus.Deluge.Armenia.Tower of Babel. Cronos and Titan. Nicolaus Damascenus.DispersionfromHestiaeus.Babyloniancolonies. TowerofBabel.TheSibyl.Titan andPrometheus. Damascius. Tauthe.Moymis.KissareandAssorus. Triad. Bel ... 37CHAPTERIV. BABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY.Greekaccounts.Mythologylocal inorigin. Antiquity.Conquests.Colonies. Threegreat gods.Twelvegreat gods.Angels. Spirits.Ann. Anatu. Vul. Ishtar.EquivalenttoVenus. Hea. Cannes. Merodach. Bel orJupiter.Zirat-banit,SuccothBenoth. Elu. Sin the moongod. Ninip.Sha-mas.Nergal.Anunit. Tableofgods. . ..51CHAPTER V. BABYLONIAN LEGEND OP THECREATION.Mutilated condition of tablets. List ofsubjects. Descriptionofchaos. Tiamat. Generation ofgods.Damascius.Comparison withGenesis. Threegreatgods.Doubtfulfragments.Fifthtablet. Stars. Planets. Moon. Sun.Abyssor chaos. Creation ofmoon. Creationofanimals. Man. Hisduties.Dragonof sea. Fall. Cursefordisobedience. Discussion. Sacredtree.Dragonorserpent.WarwithTiamat.Weapons.Merodach.Destruction ofTiamat. Mutilation of documents. ParallelBiblical account.Ageofstory... .61CHAPTERVI. OTHER BABYLONIAN ACCOUNTS OF THECREATION.Cuneiform accountsoriginallytraditions.Variations. AccountofBerosus. Tabletfrom Cutha. Translation.Compositeanimals.Eagle-headedmen. Seven brothers.Destruction ofmen. Seven wickedspirits.War inheaven. Variations ofstory.Poetical accountofCreation . . . .101CHAPTER VII. THE SIN OF THE GOD Zu.God Zu.Obscurityoflegend.Translation. Sin of Zu.CONTENTS.xiAngerof thegods. SpeechesofAnuto Vul. VuTs answer.Speechof Anuto Nebo. AnswerofNebo. Sarturcla.Changesto a bird. The Zu bird. Bird ofprey.Sarturda lord ofAmarda......113CHAPTERVIII. THE EXPLOITS OF LITEAHA.Lubara. God of Pestilence. Itak. ThePlague.Sevenwarriorgods.Destruction ofpeople.Anu. GoddessofKarrak.SpeechofElu. Sinanddestruction ofBabylonians.Shamas.Sin and destruction of Erech. Ishtar. Thegreat godandDuran. Cutha. Internal wars. ItakgoestoSyria.PowerandgloryofLubara.SongofLubara.Blessingsonhisworship.GodJSTer.Prayerto arrestthePlague. . . 123CHAPTER IX. BABYLONIAN FABLES.Tables. Commonin theEast.Description.Powerofspeechin animals.Storyof theeagle. Serpent.Shamas. Theeaglecaught.Eats theserpent. Angerof birds.Etana. Sevengods.Third tablet.Speechofeagle Storyof the fox. Hiscunning. Judgmentof Shamas. His show of sorrow. Hispunishment. Speechof fox. Fableof the horseandox.Theyconsorttogether.Speechof the ox. Hisgoodfortune. Contrastwith thehorse.Huntingthe ox.Speechof the horse.Offers to recountstory. StoryofIshtar. Furthertablets . 137CHAPTER X. FRAGMENTS OF MISCELLANEOUS TEXTS.Atarpi.Sinof theworld. Mother anddaughter quarrel.Zamu.Punishmentof world. Hea. Calls his sons. Ordersdrought.Famine.Building.Nusku. Riddle of wise man. Natureanduniversalpresenceof air. Gods. Sinuri.Divining byfracture ofreed. Incantation. Dream. TowerofBabel.Obscurityoflegend.Not noticedbyBerosus.Fragmentarytablet. DestructionofTower.-Dispersion. LocalityofBabylon.Birs Nim-rud. Babil.Assyrian representations....153CHAPTER XI. THE IZDUBAR LEGENDS.Account ofDeluge.Nimrod. Izdubar.AgeofLegends.Babylonian cylinders.Notices ofIzdubar.Surippak.ArkCity.xiiCONTENTS.Twelve tablets. Extent ofLegends. Description.Introduction.Meetingof Heabani and Izdubar. Destruction oftyrantHumbaba. Adventures of Ishtar. Illness andwanderingsofIzdubar.DescriptionofDelugeandconclusion. First Tablet.Kingdomof Ximrod.Traditions. Identifications. Translation.ElanritcConquest.Dates. .. . .167CHAPTER XII. MEETING OF HEABANI AND IZDUBAR.Dreamof Izdubar.Heabani. Hiswisdom. Hissolitarylife.Izdubarspetition.Zaidu. Harimtu and Samhat.TemptHeabani.Mightand fame of Izdubar.Speechof Heabani.Hisjourneyto Erech. Themidannu ortiger.Festival at Erech.DreamofIzdubar.FriendshipwithHeabani . . 193CHAPTEEXIII. DESTRUCTION or THE TYRANT HUMBABA.Elamitedominion. Forestregion.Humbaba. Conversation.Petition to Shamas.Journeyto forest.Dwellingof Humbaba. Entrance toforest.MeetingwithHumbaba. Death ofHumbaba. Izdubarking. . . .. .207CHAPTER XIV. THEADVENTURES OF ISHTAR.Triumphof Izdubar. Ishtars love. Heroffer ofmarriage.Herpromises.Izdubars answer. Tammuz. Amoursof Ishtar.Hisrefusal. Ishtarsanger.Ascendsto Heaven. Thebull.SlainbyIzdubar. Ishtars curse. Izdubarstriumph.Thefeast. Ishtarsdespair.Herdescent toHades.Description.Thesevengates.Thecurses. Uddusunamir.Sphinx.ReleaseofIshtar. LamentforTammuz . . . . 217CHAPTER XV. ILLNESS AND WANDERINGS OF IZDUBAR.Heabani and the trees. Illness of Izdubar. Death of Heabani.Journeyof Izdubar. His dream.Scorpionmen. TheDesert ofMas. Theparadise.Siduriand Sabitu. LTrhamsi.Waterofdeath.Ragmu.The conversation. Hasisadra 241CHAPTER XVI. THE STORY OF THE FLOOD ANDCONCLUSION.Eleventhtablet. Thegods.Sin of theworld. Command tobuild the ark. Itscontents. Thebuilding.TheFlood. Destruction ofpeople.Fearofthegods.EndofDeluge.Nizir.CONTENTS.xiiiKcstingof Ark. The birds.The descent from the ark. Thesacrifice.Speechesofgods.Translation ofHasisadra. CureofIzdubar.His return.Lament over Heabani. Kesurrection ofHeabani.Burialofwarrior.ComparisonwithGenesis.Syriannation.Connectionoflegends.Points of contact. Duration ofdeluge.Mount of descent.Tengenerations.Earlycities.AgeofIzdubar.-263CHAPTERXVII. CONCLUSION.Noticesof Genesis.Correspondenceof names.Abram. Urof Chaldees.Ishmael.Sargon.Hisbirth. Concealedin ark.Ao-e of Nimrod.Doubtful theories. Creation.Garden of&Eden.Cannes.Berosus.Izdubarlegends.Urukh of Ur.Babylonianseals.Egyptiannames.Assyriansculptures. 295LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.RONTISPIECE,Photograph.Izdubar(Ximrod)inconflict with alion,from anearlyBabyloniancylinder.2. Reverseof inscribed terra cottatablet,containingtheaccount oftheDeluge,showingthe variousfragmentsofwhichit iscomposed,10.3. Cannes and otherBabylonian mythological figures,fromcylinder,39.4.Compositeanimals,fromcylinder,41.5.FightbetweenMerodach(Bel)andthedragon,to facep.62.6. Sacred tree orgrove,with attendantcherubim,fromAssyriancylinder,89.7. Sacredtree,seatedfigureoneach side andserpentinbackground,fromanearlyBabylonian cylinder,91.8. Belencounteringthedragon,fromBabylonian cylinder,95.9. Merodach or Bel armed for the conflict with thedragon,fromAssyrian cylinder,99.10.Fightbetween Bel and thedragon,fromBabylonian cylinder,102.11.Eagle-headedmen,fromNimroudsculpture,to facep.102.12. Sacredtree,attendantfiguresandeagle-headedmen,from theseal ofaSyrianchief,ninthcenturyB.C.,106.13. Menengagedinbuilding,fromBabyloniancylinder,158.14and15. Menengagedinbuilding,fromBabyloniancylinders,159.xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.16. Viewof BirsNimrud,thesupposedsite of the TowerofBabel,162.17. Viewof theBabil mound atBabylon,the site of thetempleofBel,163.18. Towerinstages,fromanAssyrianbas-relief,164.19. Izdubarstranglingalion,from Khorsabadsculpture,to facep.174.20.MigrationofEasterntribe,fromearly Babyloniancylinder,188.21.BowareychMound at Warka(Erech),site of thetempleofIshtar,237.22. IzdubarandHeabaniin conflict withthe lion andbull,239.23.Izdubar,composite figures,and Hasisadra(Noah)in theark,fromearlyBabyloniancylinder,257.24.Composite figures (scorpion men),from anAssyrian cylinder,262.25.Hasisadra,orNoah,andIzdubar,from anearly Babyloniancylinder,283.26.Mugheir,the site of UroftheChaldees,297.27.Cannes,fromNimroudsculpture,to facep.306.CHAPTERI.THEDISCOVERYOFTHEGENESISLEGENDS.CosmogonyofBerosus.DiscoveryofCuneiformInscriptions.Historicaltexts.BabylonianoriginofAssyrianliterature.Mythologicaltablets.DiscoveryofDelugetexts.Izdubar,hisexploits.Mutilated condition of tablets. Lecture onDelugetablets."Daily Telegraph"offer.ExpeditiontoAssyria.FragmentsofCreationtablets. SolarMyth.Second journeytoAssyria.TowerofBabel.Clayrecords.Accountofcreationin"Telegraph.""Daily Telegraph"collection.Interest ofCreationlegends.TheFall. Newfragments.Listoftexts.HEfragmentsof the Chaldeanhistorian,Berosus,preservedin the works ofvarious laterwriters,have shown thattheBabylonianswereacquaintedwithtraditionsreferringtotheCreation,theperiodbeforetheFlood,theDeluge,and other mattersformingpartsof Genesis.Berosus,however,who recordedtheseevents,lived in the time of Alexander the Greatand hissuccessors,somewhereaboutB.C. 330to260; and,asthis was three hundredyearsafter the Jews werecarriedcaptivetoBabylon,hisworks did notproveB2 THE DISCOVERY OFthat these traditions were inBabyloniabefore theJewishcaptivity,andcould not affordtestimonyinfavour of thegreatantiquityof theselegends.On thediscoveryanddeciphermentof the cuneiforminscriptions,Oriental scholarshopedthatcopiesof theBabylonianhistoriesandtraditionswouldonedaybediscovered,and we should thusgainearlierand moresatisfactoryevidenceas to theseprimitivehistories.In themoundofKouyunjik, oppositethetownofMosul,Mr.Layarddiscoveredpartof theRoyalAssyrianlibrary,andfurthercollections,alsoformingpartsof thislibrary,have beensubsequentlyfoundbyMr. H.Rassam,Mr.Loftus,andmyself.SirHenryRawlinson,whomadethepreliminaryexamination of Mr.Layardstreasures,and who was thefirst torecognizetheirvalue,estimated thenumberof thesefragmentsofinscriptionsat overtwentythousand.The attention ofdeciphererswas in the first instancedrawnto the later historicalinscriptions, particularlytothoseoftheAssyriankings contemporarywith the Hebrewmonarchy;and in this section ofinscriptionsaverylargenumber of texts ofgreatimportancerewarded the toil ofAssyrianscholars.InscriptionsofTiglath Pileser, Shalmaneser,Sargon,Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, Nebuchadnezzar,Naboni-dus,and numerousotherancientsovereigns, bearingdirectlyon theBible,andgivingnewlight uponpartsof ancienthistorybeforeobscure,for alongTHE GENESIS LEGENDS. 3timeoccupiedalmostexclusivelythe attention ofstudents,andovershadowedanyworkin other divisionsofAssyrianliterature.Althoughit wasknownthatAssyriaborroweditscivilization and written characters fromBabylonia,yet,as theAssyriannationwasmostlyhostile tothesouthernandolderkingdom,it couldnotbeguessedbeforehand that thepeculiarnational traditions ofBabyloniawouldbetransportedtoAssyria.Under thesecircumstances,for someyearsafterthe cuneiforminscriptionswere firstdeciphered,nothingwas looked for or discoveredbearing upon(the eventsofGenesis; but,asnewtextswerebroughtintonotice,it became evident that theAssyrianscopiedtheir literaturelargelyfromBabyloniansources,and itappeared likelythat searchamongthefragmentsofAssyrian inscriptionswouldyieldtraces at least of some ofthese ancientBabylonianlegends.Attentionwasearlydrawn to thesepoints bySirHenryRawlinson,whopointedout several coincidencesbetweenthegeographyofBabyloniaand theaccount of EdeninGenesis,andsuggestedthegreatprobabilitythat the accountsin GenesishadaBabylonianorigin.When at workpreparingthe fourth volume ofCuneiformInscriptions,I noticed references to theCreation in a tablet numbered K63intheMuseumcollection,and allusions in other tablets to similarlegends;I therefore setaboutsearchingthroughthe4 THE DISCOVERY OFcollection,which I hadpreviouslyselectedundertheheadof"Mythologicaltablets,"tofind,ifpossible,someof theselegends.Thismythologicalcollectionwasoneof six divisionsintowhich I hadpartedtheMuseumcollection of cuneiforminscriptionsforconvenienceofworking. Byplacingall the tabletsandfragmentsof the same classtogether,I had beenabletocompleteseveraltexts,toeasilyfindanysubject required,andatanytimetogetageneralideaof thecontentsofthe collection.Themythologicaldivision contained all tabletsrelatingto themythology,and all thelegendsinwhich thegodstook aleading part, togetherwithprayersandsimilarsubjects.Commencingasteadysearchamongthesefragments,I soon found half of a curious tablet whichhadevidentlycontainedoriginallysix columns oftext;two of these(thethird andfourth)were stillnearly perfect;two others(thesecond andfifth)wereimperfect,about halfremaining,while theremainingcolumns(thefirst andsixth)wereentirelylost. Onlookingdown the thirdcolumn,myeyecaughtthe statement that theshiprested on themountains ofNizir,followedbythe account of thesendingforth of thedove,anditsfindingnoresting-placeandreturning.I sawat oncethat IhadherediscoveredaportionatleastoftheChaldeanaccountof theDeluge.I thenproceededto readthroughthedocument,and found it was in the form of aspeechfrom the hero of theDelugeto apersonTHE GENESISLEGENDS.5whosenameappearedto be Izdubar. I recollectedalegendbelongingtothesameheroIzdubarK.231,which,oncomparison,provedtobelongtothesameseries,andthenIcommenced a search foranymissingportionsof thetablets.Thissearchwas alongandheavywork,for therewere thousandsoffragmentstogoover, and,whileontheone side I hadgainedasyet onlytwofragmentsof the Izdubarlegendstojudgefrom,on theotherhand,the unsortedfragmentswere sosmall,and contained so little of thesubject,that it wasextremelydifficult to ascertain theirmeaning. Mysearch, however,provedsuccessful.IfoundafragmentofanothercopyoftheDeluge,containingagainthesendingforth of thebirds,andgraduallycollected several otherportionsof thistablet, fittingthemin oneafteranother until I hadcompletedthegreater partof the second column.Portions of athirdcopynext turnedup,which,whenjoinedtogether, completeda considerablepartof the firstand sixth columns.I now had the account of theDelugein the state inwhich Ipublishedit at themeetingof theSocietyof BiblicalArchaeology,December3rd,1872. I had discovered that theIzdubar series containedat least twelvetablets,andI afterwards found this to be their exactnumber.Ofthis series the tabletdescribingtheDelugewasthe eleventhand K231.the sixth. Numerousotherfragmentsturnedupat the same time;butthese,whiletheyincreasedmyknowledgeof thelegends,6 TEE DISCOVERY OFcouldnotbearrangedinorderfromwantof indicationof theparticulartablets towhichtheybelonged.Some otherfragmentary legends, includingthewarofthegodsandthreefables,I alsofoundat thesametime,but thesewere in such mutilatedcondition that I could notmake a connected translationof them.Inmylecture on theDeluge tablets,Igaveasketch of the Izdubarlegends,andexpressed mybelief that the Chaldeaninscriptionscontainedvarious other similar storiesbearinguponthe BookofGenesis,whichwouldproveofthehighestinterest.Justat thistimehappenedtheinterventionof theproprietorsof theuDaily Telegraph"newspaper.Mr. E.Arnold,whois onthedirection ofthatpaper,hadalreadysent to meexpressinghis interest inthesediscoveries,andimmediatelyaftermylecturehe came armed with apropositionfrom theproprietorsof theuDaily Telegraph"to re-open,attheircost,the excavations inAssyria,andgainsomenew information on thesubjectof theselegends.Thispropositionwas submitted to the trustees ofthe BritishMuseum,andtheydirected me togotoAssyriaand make a shortexcavation,leave ofabsencefor sixmonthsbeing grantedtomefor thispurpose.I haverelated,inmywork,"Assyriandiscoveries,"thehistoryof thisexpedition,whichbroughtme the nextfragmentsof theselegends.Soon after I commencedexcavatingatKouyunjik,onthe site of thepalaceofAssurbanipal,I found aTHE GENESIS LEGENDS. 7newfragmentoftheChaldeanaccountoftheDelugebelongingto the first columnof thetablet,relatingthe command to build and fill theark,andnearlyfillingupthe mostconsiderable blank in thestory.Some otherfragments,which I foundafterwards,still furthercompletedthistablet,whichwasalreadythe mostperfectone in the Izdubar series. Thetrench in which I found thefragmentinquestionmust havepassed verynear theplacewhere theAssyrians kepta series ofinscriptions belongingto theearly historyof the world. Soon after Idiscovered thefragmentof theDelugetablet,Icameuponafragmentof the sixth tablet of thesameseriesinthistrench,andnotfarfromtheplaceoftheDeluge fragment.Thisfragmentdescribedthe destructionof thebull of IshtarbyIzdubarandHeabani,an incident oftendepictedonearly Babyloniangems. Mynextdiscoveryhere was afragmentevidently belongingto the creation of theworld;this was theuppercorner of atablet,andgaveafragmentaryaccount of the creation ofanimals. Further on in this trench I discoveredtwo otherportionsof thislegend,onegivingtheCreationand fall ofman;the otherhaving partofthewar betweenthegodsandevilspirits.Atthattime I did notrecognizetheimportanceof thesefragments, exceptingtheonewiththeaccountofthecreation ofanimals, and,as I hadimmediatelyafterwards to returntoEngland,I madenofurther discoveries in this direction.THEDISCOVERY OFOnmyreturnfrom theeast,Ipublishedsomeofthe discoveries I hadmade,and I nowfound,onjoiningthefragmentsoftheDelugeorIzdubarseries,thattheyformedexactlytwelve tablets. The factthattheselegendscoveredtwelve tablets ledto theimpressionthattheywereaformof the solarmyth,thatis,thattheysymbolizedthepassageof the sunthroughtheheavens,each tabletrepresentingaseparate signof the zodiac. Thisopinion,firststartedbySirHenry Rawlinson,was at once accepted byM.Lenormant,Rev. A. H.Sayce,andotherscholars;but I thinkmyselfit rests on tooinsecurea basistobetrue. InasubsequentchapterI willgiveasnearlyas I can thecontents of theIzdubarlegends,which I thinkdo notwarrant thisview. Some months furtherpassed,duringwhichI wasengagedinmysecondjourneytoAssyria,andinrealizingthe results of thatexpedition.IagainbroughtfromAssyriaseveralfragmentsof theGenesislegendswhichhelpedtocompletethesecuriousstories,and inJanuary, 1875,Icommencedonce more aregularsearch for thesefragments.Verysoon afterwards Isucceeded indiscoveringanotice of thebuildingof the towerofBabel,whichatonceattractedattention,and a notice ofit,whichappearedin the"Athenaeum,"No.2468,wascopiedinto several of thepapers.Iwas,however,at thattimehardlypreparedtopublishtheselegends,as Ihadnot ascertainedhowfartheycouldbecompletedfromourpresentcollections.THE GENESIS LEGENDS.9Subsequentsearchdid not showthatanyfurtherfragmentsofthe Babel tablet were in the BritishMuseum,butIsoon added severalfreshportionstothefragmentary historyof the Creation and Fall.Thegreatest difficultywithwhich I had to contendin all these researcheswas theextremelymutilatedand deficient condition in which the tablets werefound. There can be no doubtthat,iftheinscriptionswereperfect,theywouldpresentverylittle difficultytothetranslator.The reasonwhytheselegendsare in somanyfragments,and the differentpartssoscattered,maybeexplainedfrom the nature of the material ofwhich the tablets arecomposed,and thechangesundergonebythemsincetheywerewritten. Thesetabletswerecomposedoffineclay andwereinscribedwithcuneiformcharacterswhile in a softstate;theywere thenbaked in afurnace untilhard,and afterwardstransferredtothelibrary.Thesetextsappeartohavebeen brokenup whenNineveh wasdestroyed,andmanyof themwerecrackedandscorchedbytheheatattheburningofthepalace. Subsequentlytheruins wereturnedoverin search oftreasure,andthetablets still furtherbroken;andthen,tocompletetheirruin,therain,everyspringsoakingthroughtheground,saturates them with watercontainingchemicals,andthesechemicalsformcrystalsineveryavailable crack. Thegrowthof thecrystalsfurthersplitsthetablets,some of thembeing literallyshivered.10THEDISCOVERY OFSomeideaofthe mutilatedcondition oftheAssyriantablets,and ofthe work ofrestoringasingletext,willbegainedfromtheengravingbelow,whichexhibits thepresentappearanceofoneoftheDelugetablets. Inthis tablettherearesixteenfragments.REVERSE OF INSCRIBED TERRACOTTA TABLET CONTAINING THE ACCOUNTOF THEDELUGE,SHOWING THE VARIOUS FRAGMENTS OF WHICH ITis COMPOSED.Theclayrecordsof theAssyriansarebythesemeans so brokenup,thattheyare in some casesdivided into overone hundredfragments;and it isonlybycollectingandjoining togetherthe variousfragmentsthat these ancient texts can be restored.Manyofthe oldfragmentarytabletswhichhavebeentwentyyearsin the British Museumhavebeenaddedtoconsiderablybyfragmentswhich I foundduringTHE GENESISLEGENDS.11mytwojourneys,andyetthere remainatleast20,000fragmentsburiedin the ruinswithout therecoveryofwhichit isimpossibletocompletethesevaluableAssyrianinscriptions.Beingnowurged by manyfriendswho wereinterestedinthesubject,Isentthefollowingaccountto the editor of the"Daily Telegraph,"which wasprintedinthatpaperonthe4th ofMarch,1875:uHaving recentlymadea series ofimportantdiscoveriesrelatingto theBookofGenesis,amongsomeremarkabletexts,which formpartof the collectionpresentedtothe British MuseumbytheproprietorsoflTheDailyTelegraph,I venture once moretobringAssyriansubjectsbeforeyourreaders.uInmylectureon the ChaldeanAccount of theDeluge,whichI deliveredon Dec.3, 1872,I statedmyconvictionthat all the earliernarratives ofGenesiswould receivenewlightfrom theinscriptionssolongburiedin the Chaldean andAssyrianmounds;but I littlethoughtat thattimethat Iwassoneartofindingmostofthem."Mylecture,asyourreadersknow,was soonfollowedbytheproposalofyour proprietorsand theorganizingofcTheDailyTelegraphexpeditiontoAssyria.WhenexcavatingatKouyunjikduringthatexpedition,I discovered themissingportionofthe first columnof theDelugetablet,anaccountofwhichI sent home;and in the same trench I subsequentlyfound thefragmentwhich I afterwardsrecognizedaspartof the Chaldeanstoryof the12 THE DISCOVERY OFCreation,whichrelic I havenoticedalreadyinyourcolumns. I excavated lateron,while stillworkingunderyour auspices,anotherportion belongingtothisstory,farmorepreciousinfact,Ithink,to thegeneral public,themostinterestingand remarkablecuneiform tabletyetdiscovered. This turnsouttocontainthestoryof mansoriginalinnocence,ofthetemptation,andof the fall. Iwas,whenI foundit,onthe eveofdeparting,andhadnottimetoproperlyexaminemy great prize.Ionly copiedthetwoorthree firstlines,which(asI hadthen no idea ofthegeneral subjectof thetablet)did notappearveryvaluable,andI forthwithpackedit in the box fortransporttoEngland,where it arrivedsafely,andwaspresented bytheproprietorsofcTheDailyTelegraph,with the rest of theircollection,to theBritishMuseum. OnmyreturntoEnglandImadesome other discoveriesamongmystore,and in thepursuitof these thisfragmentwas overlooked. Isubsequentlywenta second timetoAssyria,andreturned toEnglandinJune,1874;but I had noleisure tolookagainatthoseparticularlegendsuntilthe end ofJanuaryin thisyear.Then,startingwith thefragmentof the Creation incTheDailyTelegraphcollection,which I had firstnoticed,Ibeganto collect otherportionsof theseries,andamongthese I soon found the overlookedfragmentwhichI had excavated atKouyunjik,the first linesofwhich I tookdown in the note-book ofmyfirstexpedition.Isubsequentlyfound several smallerTHE GENESISLEGENDS.13piecesin the old Museumcollection,and alljoinorformpartsof acontinuousseriesoflegends,givingthehistoryofthe worldfrom the Creationdowntosomeperiodafter theFall of Man.Linkedwiththese,I found alsootherseriesoflegendsonprimitivehistory,includingthestoryof thebuildingof the Tower of Babeland of the ConfusionofTongues."Thefirstseries,whichImaycallcTheStoryofthe CreationandFall,whencompletemusthaveconsistedof nine ortentabletsatleast,andthehistoryuponit is muchlongerand fuller than thecorrespondingaccountin theBook of Genesis.Withrespectto these Genesisnarrativesa furiousstrifehas existedformany years;everywordhasbeenscannedbyeagerscholars,andeverypossiblemeaningwhich thevariouspassagescouldbearhasbeensuggested;while theageandauthenticityofthenarrativeshave beendiscussedon all sides.Inparticular,itmaybesaidthattheaccountofthefallofman,theheritageof all Christiancountries,hasbeenthe centreof thiscontroversy,for it is oneofthepivotson which the Christianreligionturns.The world-wideimportanceof thesesubjectswillthereforegivethenewlydiscoveredinscriptions,andespeciallythe onerelatingto theFall,an unparalleledvalue,andIamglad,indeed,thatsuchatreasure shouldhave resultedfromyourexpedition."Whatever theprimitiveaccountmayhavebeen14 THE DISCOVERY 01fromwhichthe earlierpartof the Bookof Genesiswascopied,it is evidentthatthebriefnarrationgiveninthe Pentateuch omits anumber of incidents andexplanationsforinstance,as to theoriginofevil,the fall of theangels,the wickedness of the serpent,&c. Suchpointsas these are includedin theCuneiformnarrative;butof course I cansaylittleaboutthemuntil Ipreparefulltranslationsof thelegends.uThenarrativeontheAssyriantabletscommenceswith adescriptionof theperiodbefore the worldwascreated,whenthereexistedachaosor confusion.The desolate andemptystate of the universe andthegeneration bychaos of monsters arevividlygiven.The chaos ispresidedoverbya femalepowernamed Tisalat andTiamat,correspondingtothe Thalatth ofBerosus; but,as itproceeds,theAssyrianaccountagreesratherwith the Biblethanwiththe short accountfromBerosus. Wearetold,in theinscriptions,of the fall of the celestialbeingwhoappearstocorrespondto Satan. In his ambitionheraises hishandagainstthesanctuaryoftheGodofheaven,and thedescriptionofhimisreallymagnificent.He isrepresented ridingin a chariotthroughcelestialspace,surroundedbythestorms,withthelightningplayingbeforehim,andwieldingathunderboltas aweapon."This rebellion leads toa war inheavenandtheconquestof thepowersofevil,thegodsinduecoursecreatingthe universe instages,as in theTHE GENESISLEGENDS.15Mosaicnarrative, surveyingeachstepof the workandpronouncingitgood.The divineworkculminatesinthe creationofman,who is madeuprightandfree fromevil,and endowedbythegodswiththenoblefacultyofspeech."TheDeitythen deliversalongaddress to thenewlycreatedbeing,instructinghimin all his dutiesandprivileges,andpointingout thegloryof hisstate.But this conditionofblessingdoes not lastlongbeforeman,yieldingtotemptation,falls;andtheDeitythenpronouncesuponhim a terriblecurse,invokingonhisheadall the evilswhichhavesince afflictedhumanity.These lastdetailsare,asI have beforestated, uponthefragmentwhich Iexcavatedduring myfirstjourneytoAssyria,andthediscoveryof thissinglerelic inmy opinionincreasesmanytimes over the value of4TheDailyTelegraphcollection."I haveatpresentrecovered nomoreofthestory,andamnotyetin apositiontogivethe full translations and details;butIhopeduringthespringtofind time to search over the collection of smallerfragmentsoftablets,and tolight upon anysmallerpartsof thelegendswhichmayhaveescapedme.There will-arise, besides,a number ofimportantquestionsas to the date andoriginof thelegends,theircomparisonwith the Biblicalnarrative,andas to how farthey may supplementthe Mosaicaccount."This will serve to exhibit theappearancethese1GTHE DISCOVERY OFlegends presentedto me soon after I discoveredthem.Oncomparingthis account with the translationsandnotes I havegivenin thisbook,itwillbeevidentthatmyfirst noticewasinaccurate in severalpoints,both as to the order and translation of thelegends;but I hadnotexpectedit to beotherwise,for therehadnotbeentime to collect and translate thefragments, and,until that wasdone,nosatisfactoryaccount of them could begiven,the inaccuraciesin the accountbeingdue to the broken state ofthe tablets andmyrecentknowledgeofthem. It isa notable fact that thediscoveryof theselegendswasoneofthe fruits of theexpeditionorganized bytheproprietorsofthe"Daily Telegraph,"and theselegendsand theDeluge fragmentsform the mostvaluableresults ofthatexpedition.After I hadpublishedthis notice in theuDailyTelegraph"I settoworktolookoverthefragmentsin thecollection,in search ofotherminorfragments,and foundseveral,but these added little tomyknowledge,onlyenablingme to correctmynotice.A little later I discovered a newfragmentof thetenth tablet of theDeluge series,and last of all afurtherportionof the sixth tabletof theselegends.Thisclosedmydiscoveries so far as thefragmentsofthetabletswereconcerned,andIhadthentocopyand translate the tablets as far as theirmutilatedconditionwouldallow.The Genesislegendswhich I had collected fromTHE GENESIS LEGENDS. 17the variousAssyrian fragmentsincluded numerousotherstories besidethosewhichparalleltheaccountintheBookofGenesis. Allthesestoriesare similarincharacter,andappeartobelongto thesameearlyliteraryage. So,faras Ihavemadeouttheyare asfollows:1. Alongaccountof theoriginof theworld,thecreationoftheanimalsandman,the fall of manfromasinlessstate,anda conflict between thegodsandthepowersofevil.2. A second account of the creationhavingaclosercorrespondencewiththeaccountofBerosus.3. ABilinguallegendof thehistoryof the sevenevilspirits, apparentlypartofathirdversionofthecreation.4.Storyof the descent of thegoddessIshtar orYenusintoHades,andherreturn.5.Legendof the sin of the GodZu,whoinsultsElu,the father ofthegods.6. Collection offive tabletsgivingtheexploitsofin"Lubarathegodofthepestilence.7.LegendofthegodSarturda,whoturnedinto abird.8.Storyof thewisemanwhoputforthariddle tothegods.9.Legendof thegoodmanAtarpi,and thewickedness oftheworld.10.LegendofthetowerofBabel,anddispersion.11.StoryoftheEagleandEtana.12.Storyoftheoxandthehorse.c18 THE GENESISLEGENDS.13.Storyofthefox.14.LegendofSinuri.15. Izdubarlegends:twelvetablets,withthe historyofIzdubar,andanaccountofthe flood.16. Variousfragmentsof otherlegends.Theseshowthattherewasaconsiderablecollectionofsuchprimitivestories almostunrepresentedin ourpresentcollection.CHAPTERII.BABYLONIANANDASSYRIANLITERATURE.Babylonianliterature.Kouyunjik library. Fragmentarycondition.Arrangementoftablets.Subjects.Dates.Babyloniansourceofliterature.Literaryperiod. BabylonianChronology.Akkad. Sumir.Urukk,kingofUr. Hammurabi.Babylonian astrology.War of Gods. Izdubarlegends._Creationand fall.Syllabariesandbilingualtablets.Assyriancopies.Difficulties as to date. Mutilated condition.Babylonianlibrary. Assyrian empire. Cityof Assur.LibraryatCalah.SargonofAssyria.Sennacherib. RemovalofLibraryto Nineveh.AssurbanipalorSardanapalus.His additions tolibrary. Descriptionofcontents. LaterBabylonianlibraries.N order to understand thepositionoftheselegendsitisnecessarytogive someaccount of the wonderful literature ofthe AncientBabyloniansand theircopyists,theAssyrians.Thefragmentsof terracotta tabletscontainingtheselegendswerefound inthe debris whichcoversthepalacescalled the SouthWest Palace and the North Palace atKouyunjik;theformerbuildingbeingoftheageofSennacherib,the latterbelongingto the time ofAssurbanipal.Thetablets,whichare ofallsizes,fromoneinchlongtooverafootsquare,arenearlyall infragments,and20 BABYLONIANANDinconsequenceof thechangeswhich have takenplacein the ruins thefragmentsof the same tabletare sometimes scatteredwidely apart.Itappearsfrom a consideration of thepresent positionsofthefragmentsthattheywereoriginallyin theupperchambersof thepalace,and have fallen on the destruction of thebuilding.In some of the lowerchamberstheylaycoveringthewholefloor,in othercasestheylayingroupsorpatchesonthepavement,and there are occasional clusters offragmentsatvariousheightsin theearth whichcovers the buildings.The otherfragmentsare scatteredsinglythroughall theupperearthwhich covers the floorsandwalls of thepalace.Differentfragmentsofthesame tablets andcylindersare found inseparatechamberswhichhaveno immediate connection witheachother,showingthatthepresentdistributionofthefragmentshasnothingto do with theoriginalpositionofthe tablets.A consideration of theinscriptionsshows thatthese tablets havebeenarranged accordingto theirsubjectsinvariouspositionsin thelibraries. Storiesorsubjectswere commencedontabletsandcontinuedonother tablets of the same size andform,insomecases the number of tablets in a series and on asingle subjectamountingto overonehundred.Eachsubjector series of tablets had atitle,thetitlebeingformedbythe firstphraseorpartofphrasein thesubject.Thus,the series of Astrologicaltablets,numberingoverseventytablets,boretheASSYRIAN LITERATURE. 21titleuWhen thegodsAim, Elu,"thisbeingthecommencement of the first tablet. Atthe end ofeverytabletineachserieswaswrittenits numberinthework,thus:uthe first tablet ofWhenthegodsAnu, Elu,"the second tablet of"When thegodsAmi, Elu,"&c. &c.; and,further topreservetheproper positionof eachtablet,everyoneexceptthelast ina serieshadattheendacatchphrase,consistingof the first line of thefollowingtablet. Therewerebeside,cataloguesof these documents writtenlike them onclaytablets,and other small ovaltablets with titlesupon them,apparentlylabels forthevarious series ofworks. Allthesearrangementsshowthe caretakenwithrespecttoliterarymatters.Therewereregularlibraries orchambers,probablyontheupperfloors ofthepalaces, appointedfor thestore of thetablets,arid custodians or librarians totakechargeof them. It isprobablethat all theseregulationswereofgreatantiquity,andwerecopiedlike the tabletsfromtheBabylonians.Judgingfromthefragments discovered,itappearsprobablethat there were in theRoyal LibraryatNineveh over10,000inscribedtablets,includingalmosteverysubjectinancientliterature.Inconsideringasubjectlike thepresentone it isapointof theutmostimportanceto define ascloselyaspossiblethe date of ourpresent copiesof thelegends,and themostprobable periodatwhich theoriginalcopiesmayhavebeeninscribed.Byfar thegreatestnumberofthetabletsbroughtfromNineveh22 BABYLONIAN ANDbelongto theageofAssurbanipal,whoreignedoverAssyriaB.C.670,andevery copyof the Genesislegends yetfound was inscribedduringhisreign.Thestatementsonthepresenttablets are conclusiveonthispoint,and havenot been called inquestion,but it isequallystated andacknowledgedon allhandsthatthesetablets arenottheoriginals,butareonlycopiesfromearlier texts. It is unfortunatethatthedate oftheoriginalcopiesis neverpreserved,andthus a wide door is thrownopenfor difference ofopinionon thispoint.TheAssyriansacknowledgethemselves that this literature was borrowed fromBabyloniansources,andof course it is toBabyloniawehave to look to ascertain theapproximatedatesof theoriginaldocuments. Thedifficultyhere isincreasedbythefollowingconsiderations: itappearsthat atanearlyperiodinBabylonianhistoryagreatliterarydevelopmenttookplace, andnumerousworkswereproduced whichembodiedtheprevailingmyths,religion,andscience of thatday.Writtenmanyoftheminanoblestyleofpoetry,andappealingtothestrongestfeelingsofthepeopleononeside,orregisteringthehighestefforts of their science on theother,thesetexts became the standards forBabylonianliterature,and latergenerationswere contenttocopythesewritingsinstead ofmakingnewworksfor themselves.Clay,the material on whichtheywerewritten,waseverywhereabundant,copiesweremultiplied,andbythe veneration in whichtheywereheldthesetextsfixedandstereotypedthestyleASSYRIANLITERATURE.23ofBabylonianliterature,andthelanguageinwhichtheywerewrittenremainedthe classicalstyleinthecountrydown to the Persianconquest.Thus ithappensthattextsofRim-agu,Sargon,andHammurabi,whowereonethousandyearsbeforeNebuchadnezzarandNabonidus,show thesamelanguageasthe textsoftheselaterkings,therebeingnosensibledifferenceinstyletomatchthelongintervalbetweenthem.Thereis,however,reasontobelievethat,althoughthelanguageof devotionand literatureremainedfixed,thespeechof the bulkof thepeoplewasgraduallymodified;andinthetimeofAssurbanipal,when theAssyrianscopiedthe Genesislegends,thecommonspeechof thedaywasinverydifferentstyle.Theprivatelettersanddespatchesof thisagewhichhave beendiscovereddifferwidelyfromthelanguageof thecontemporarypublicdocumentsandreligiouswritings, showingthechangethe languagehadundergonesince thestyleof thesewasfixed. Wehaveaslightlysimilar caseinEngland,wherethelanguageof devotionand thestyleof theBiblediffer in severalrespectsfrom those of theEnglishofto-day.These considerationsshow thedifficultyoffixingtheageof a documentfrom itsstyle,and the difficultyis further increasedbytheuncertaintywhichhangsoverallBabylonianchronology.Chronologyisalwaysathorny subject,anddryandunsatisfactoryto mostpersonsbeside;some24BABYLONIAN ANDnoticemust,however,betakenofithere,in ordertoshowthereasonsforthe datesandepochsfixeduponfor theGenesislegends.Inthis case the laterchronologyisnotinquestion,and it is best to start with thegenerallyreceiveddate ofabout B.C. 1300fortheconquestofBabyloniabyTugultininip, kingofAssyria.Before this datewehaveaperiodofabout250years, duringwhichaforeignraceruledatBabylon.Berosus calls theseforeigners Arabs,butnothingis known as to theiroriginalhomeorrace. It issupposedthatthis racecame intoBabylonia,orobtained dominion thereunderakingnamedHammurabi,whosedate is thusfixedaboutB.C. 1550.Manyscholars do notagreetothis,andconsider Hammurabi muchmoreancient;noone, however,fixes him later than the sixteenthcenturyB.C.,so that the date B.C. 1550maybeacceptedas the mostmoderate onepossiblefor -theepochofHammurabi. Thedate of Hammurabiis ofconsequencein thequestion,because there is noevidence of theselegendsbeingwritten after hisepoch.This circumstancemaybeaccounted forbythefactthatduringtheperiodfollowingtheconquestofHammurabi thegovernmentwas in the hands offoreigners,and was much morecentralized thanithadbeenbefore,Babylon being,so far asweknow,the solecapital,thegreatcities which hadbeencentres ofliteraturesufferingadecline.BeforethetimeofHammurabi,thereruledseveralASSYRIANLITERATURE.25races ofkings,of whomwepossessnumerous monuments.These monarchsprincipallyreignedat thecitiesofUr,Karrak,Larsa,andAkkad. Theirinscriptions do notdeterminethelengthof theirrule,buttheyprobablycoveredtheperiodfrom B.C.2000 to1550.Thenameofthemonarchinwhosetimewehavethefirstsatisfactoryevidenceofcontemporarymonumentsis readUrukh,andinthepresentstate of ourresearcheshemaybe fixed B.C. 2000. Itmust,however,beremarkedthatmanyscholarsplacehimat amuchearlier date. Fromthetime ofUrukhtothat of Hammurabi the title of honourprincipallytakenbythekingsis"Kingof SumirandAkkad,"thatis, Kingof LowerandUpperBabylonia.ItappearsprobablethatprevioustothereignofUrukhthetwodivisions ofSumirandAkkadwereseparatemonarchies;and it is thereforelikelythatanyliterature written before B.C. 2000will showevidencesofthis division.Theroughoutlines ofBabylonianchronologyatthisperiodmaybearrangedasfollows,alwaysbearingin mindthatthe differentdates are the lowestwecanfairlyassume,and that several of themmaybemuchmoreancient:Down to B.C. 2000epochofindependentkingdoms inBabylonia;theprincipalcentre ofactivitybeingAkkad,aregionon theEuphrates,somewherebetweenlatitudes 32 and33.B.C.2000. EraofUrukh,kingofUr,riseofSumir,the southernpartofthecountry,Urthemetropolis.26 BABYLONIANANDB.C. 1850. Era ofIsmi-dagan, kingofKarrak,Karrakthemetropolis.B.C. 1700. RiseofLarsaasmetropolis.B.C. 1600. EraofSargon,kingofAkkad;revivalofthepowerofAkkad.B.C. 1550. Era ofHammurabi,kingofBabylon.Babylonthemetropolis.Althoughwe cannot fix the dates ofanymonumentsbeforethetimeofUrukh,B.C.2000,it isquitecertain that there werebuildingsandinscriptionsbefore that date;and there are twoliteraryworkswhichI shouldjudgetobecertainlyolder than thisepoch,namely, thegreatChaldean workonAstrology,andalegendwhich,forwantofa bettertitle,I calltheExploitsofLubara.The Chaldeanwork,containingthe bulk of theirastrology, appearstobelongto the northern halfofthecountry,that is toAkkad,andalways speaksof Akkadas aseparatestate,andimpliesit tobetheleadingstate. It mentionsbesides,thekingdomsofSubartu, Martu,orSyria,GutimorGoim,andElam,andsomeparts, perhapsof later datethan thebodyofthework,givealsothekingdomsofKassi,Kissati,or thepeoples,MtukorAsmun, Sumir, Yamutbal,and Assan. In thebodyof thework thereappearglosses,apparentlylateradditions, mentioningkingsoftheperiodB.C. 2000to 1850. I have notnoticedany gloss containingaroyalname later than thekingsofUr.The work I haveprovisionallycalled"The Ex-ASSYRIANLITERATURE.27ploitsofLubara,"andwhich also bearsevidence ofgreatantiquity,is a muchshorterone,for whilethereare overseventylargetablets oftheastrology,this,on theotherhand, onlycontainedfive smalltablets.This wdrknoticesalarge numberofpeoplesorstates,theprincipalbeingthepeopleofthecoast,Subartu, Assyria,Elam,Kassi,Sutu, Goim,Lullubu,Akkad;theunitingofSumirandAkkad,whichwasaccomplishedat least B.C.2000,is notmentioned,butthe noticeof theAssyriansis rather anargumentfor alater datethanI havechosen.The Izdubarlegends,containingthestoryof theFlood,and whatIbelievetobethehistoryofNimrod,wereprobablywrittenin the south of thecountry,and at leastasearlyas B.C. 2000.Theselegendswere,however,traditionsbeforethey werecommittedtowriting,andwerecommoninsomeformto all thecountry.Thestoryofthe CreationandFallbelongsto theupperorAkkad divisionof thecountry,andmaynothavebeencommittedtowritingsoearlyasthe Izdubarlegends;but even this is ofgreatantiquity.Aboutthe sametimeas the accountof the Creation,aseriesoftablets onevilspirits,whichcontainedatotallydifferenttraditionof theCreation,wasprobablywritten;andthere is a third accountfromtheCityofCutha, closelyagreeingin somerespectswiththeaccounthandeddownbyBerosus,whichIshouldprovisionallyplaceabout the samedate.Itseems,from the indicationsin theinscriptions,thatBABYLONIAN ANDtherehappenedin the intervalB.C. 2000to 1850 ageneralcollectinganddevelopmentof thevarioustraditionsof theCreation,Flood,TowerofBabel,andothersimilarlegends.Alittlelater,about B.C.1600,a newset of astrologicaltabletswaswritten, togetherwithalongworkonterrestrialomens;theseappeartobelongto thekingdomandperiodofSargon,kingofAkkad.Someatleast,andprobably mostofthesyllabaries,bilingual.andexplanatory tablets,grammarsandvocabularies,belongto thisperiod also;but afeware oflater date.Inspiteof theindications as topeculiaritiesofworship,namesofstates andcapitals,historical allusions and otherevidence,itmayseemhazardous tomanypersonsto fix thedates oforiginaldocumentssohigh,when ouronly copiesinmanycases areAssyriantranscriptsmadeinthereignofAssurbani-pal,intheseventhcenturyB.C.;butoneortwoconsiderationsmayshowthatthisisaperfectly reasonableview,and nootherlikelyperiodcan be found fortheoriginalcompositionof thedocumentsunlessweascendto agreaterantiquity.In the firstplace,itmustbenoticedthattheAssyriansthemselves statethatthedocumentswerecopiedfromancientBabyloniancopies,and insomecases state that the oldcopieswerepartlyillegibleevenin theirday. Again,inonecase there isactualproofoftheantiquityofatext,anAssyriancopyofpartofwhichispublishedin"CuneiformInscriptions,"vol. ii.plate 54,Nos.ASSYRIANLITERATURE. 293&4. In a collection of tablets discoveredbyMr.LoftusatSenkereh, belonging, accordingto thekingsmentionedinit,to about B.C.1600,ispartofan ancientBabylonian copyof thisverytext,theBabyloniancopy .beingabout one thousandyearsolderthantheAssyrianone.Itis, however,probablethat most of thelegendstreated of in thepresentvolume had existed astraditions inthecountrylongbeforetheywerecommitted towriting,and some of thesetraditions,asembodied in thevariousworks,exhibitgreatdifference indetails, showingthattheyhadpassedthroughmanychanges.Takingtheperiodofliterary developmentinBabyloniaasextendingfrom B.C. 2000 to1550,wemay say,itroughly synchronizeswith theperiodfromAbraham toMoses, accordingto theordinarychronologyof ourBibles,andduringthisperioditappearsthat traditions of the creation of theuniverse,and humanhistorydown to the time ofNimrod,existedparallelto,and in somepointsidenticalwith,thosegivenintheBookofGenesis.Manyof the documentsembodyingthese traditions have been discovered insadlymutilated condition,but there can be no doubt that futureexplorationswill reveal moreperfect copies,andnumerouscompanionandexplanatorytexts,whichwill onedayclearupthe difficulties which nowmeetusateverystepoftheir consideration.So far as knowncontemporary inscriptionsare30BABYLONIAN ANDconcerned,wecannotconsiderourpresentresearchesanddiscoveries asanythinglike sufficient togiveafairviewof theliterature ofAssyriaandBabylonia,and,howevernumerous andimportantaretheGenesislegends, theyformbuta smallportionof the wholeliterature ofthecountry.It isgenerallyconsideredthattheearliestinscriptions ofanyimportancewhichwenowpossessbelongto thetimeofUrukh,kingofUr,whoseagemaybeplacedwithgreatprobabilityabout twothousandyearsbeforethe Christian era.Theprincipal inscriptionsof thisperiodconsistoftextsonbricksandonsignetcylinders,and someofthelattermaybeof muchgreaterantiquity.PassingdowntotheperiodofthekingdomsofKarrak,Larsa,andAkkad,we find agreataccession ofliterarymaterial,almosteveryclass ofwriting being representedbycontemporary specimens.It is certainthat even then the inscribedclaytablets were notisolated,butalready theywerearrangedincollectionsorlibraries,andthesecollections wereplacedatsome oftheprincipalcities.FromSenkerchanditsneighbourhoodhave come ourearliestspecimensoftheseliterarytablets,thefollowingbeingsomeofthecontents ofthisearliestknownlibrary:1.Mythologicaltablets,includinglists ofthegods,andtheirmanifestationsandtitles.2. Grammaticalworks,listsofwords,andexplanations.3. Mathematicalworks,calculations, tables,cubeandsquareroot,measures.ASSYRIANLITERATURE.314.Astronomy,astrology,andomens.5.Legendsandshorthistoricalinscriptions.6. Historicalcylinders,one ofKudur-mabuk,B.C.1600(theearliest knowncylinder),beingintheBritishMuseum. ,7.Geographicaltablets,and lists of towns andcountries.8. Lawsandlawcases,sale andbarter,wills andloans.Sucharetheinscriptionsfromthe libraries of theearly inhabitantsofBabylonia,and besidethese therearenumeroustexts,onlyknownto usthroughlatercopies,butwhichcertainlyhadtheiroriginasearlyasthisperiod.Passingdownfromthisperiod,for somecenturieswe findonlydetachedinscriptions, accompanied byevidenceofthegradualshiftingboth of thepoliticalpowerandliterary activityfromBabyloniatoAssyria.InAssyriathe first centre of Literature and seatofalibrarywas thecityof Assur(Kileh Shergat),andthe earliestknowntablets dateaboutB.C. 1500.Beyondthescantyrecordsof someof themonarchsnothingof value remains of thislibraryfor severalcenturies,and theAssyrianliteraryworks areonlyknownfromlatercopies.Arevival of theAssyrian empire beganunderAssur-nazir-pal, kingofAssyria,who ascended thethrone B.C. 885. HerebuiltthecityofCalah(Nim-roud),and thiscitybecamethe seat of anAssyrianlibrary.TabletswereprocuredfromBabyloniaby32 BABYLONIAN ANDShalmaneser,sonofAssur-nazir-pal,B.C.860,duringthereignofNabu-bal-idina,kingofBabylon,andthesewerecopied bytheAssyrianscribes,andplacedintheroyal library.Vul-nirari,grandsonof Shalmaneser,B.C.812,added to the Calahlibrary,andhadtablets written at Nineveh.Assurnirari,B.C.755,continued theliterarywork,somemythologicaltabletsbeingdatedin hisreign.TiglathPileser,B.C.745,enlargedthelibrary,andplacedin it variouscopiesof historicalinscriptions.Itwas, however,reserved forSargon,who foundedthe lastAssyrian dynasty,B.C.722,to make theAssyrianroyallibraryworthyof theempire. Earlyinhisreignheappointed Nabu-suqub-gina principallibrarian,and this officer set to workmakingnewcopiesofallthestandardworksoftheday. Duringthe whole of histerm of officecopiesof thegreatliteraryworks wereproduced,themajorityof thetextspreservedbelongingtotheearlyperiodpreviousto B.C. 1600.Intheperiodwhichfollowed therewas ageneralrevival of all theancient works which hadescapeddestruction,and thestudyof thisearlyliteraturebecameamarkedfeature ofthetime.Sennacherib,sonofSargon,B.C.705,continuedtoadd to his fatherslibraryatCalah,but late in hisreignhe removed the collection from thatcitytoNineveh,where from this time the nationallibraryremaineduntilthe fall oftheempire.Esarhaddon,sonofSennacherib,B.C.681,furtherASSYRIAN LITERATURE. 3Bincreased the nationalcollection,mostof his worksbeingofareligiouscharacter.Assurbanipal,sonofEsarhaddon,theSardanapalusof theGreeks,B.C.673,was thegreatestof theAssyrian sovereigns,andhe is farmore memorableon accountof hismagnificent patronageoflearningthanonaccountofthegreatnessofhisempireortheextentof his wars.Assurbanipaladded more to theAssyrian royallibrarythan all thekingswho hadgonebeforehim,andit is to tablets written in hisreignthatweowealmost all ourknowledgeof theBabylonian mythsandearly history,besidemanyotherimportantmatters.TheagentsofAssurbanipalsoughteverywhereforinscribedtablets,broughtthem toNineveh,andcopiedthem there;thus theliterarytreasures ofBabylon, Borsippa,Cutha,Akkad,Ur, Erech, Larsa,Nipurand various other cities were transferred totheAssyrian capitalto enrich thegreatcollectionthere.Thefragments broughtover toEurope giveus agoodidea ofthislibraryand show therangeof thesubjectsembracedbythis collectionofinscriptions.Amongthe different classes oftexts,the Genesisstories and similarlegends occupiedaprominentplace;these,astheywillbefurther describedin thepresentvolume,needonlybementioned here. Accompanyingthemwehave a series ofmythologicaltablets ofvarioussorts,varyingfromlegendsoftheD34 BABYLONIAN ANDgods, psalms, songs, prayers,andhymns,down tomere allusions and lists ofnames.Manyof thesetextstaketheformofcharmstobeusedin sicknessandfor theexpulsionof evilspirits;someof themare ofgreatantiquity, beingat least as old as thecreationand Izdubarlegends.One fine series concerns the cure ofwitchcraft,asuperstition fullybelievedin in thosedays.Izdubaris mentioned inoneof these tablets as lord of the oaths orpledgesoftheworld.Someoftheprayerswere foruseonspecialoccasions,such as onstartingon acampaign,on theoccurrence of aneclipse,&c.AstronomyandAstrologywererepresented byvarious detachedinscriptionsandreports,butprincipallybythegreatworkonthesesubjectscoveringoverseventytabletswhichwasborrowed from theearly Chaldeans,andmanycopiesofwhichwerein theLibraryofAssur-banipal.This work onAstrologyandAstronomywas,as I havealreadystated,oneofthemostancienttexts in theEuphratesvalley.Therewere also numerouscopiesof alongworkon Terrestrialomens,whichappearsto date fromthetime ofSargon,kingofAkkad,aboutB.C. 1600.In this workeverythingin nature issupposedtoportendsomecomingevent.There is afragmentof oneAstrologicaltabletwhichprofessestobecopiedfrom anoriginalof thetimeofIzdubar.Historical texts formed another section of theASSYRIANLITERATURE.35library,andtheseincluded numerouscopiesofinscriptions ofearlyBabyloniankings;therewerebeside,chronologicaltablets with lists ofkingsandannualofficers,inscriptionsofvariousAssyrian monarchs,histories oftherelationsbetweenAssyriaandBabylonia,Elam,andArabia,treaties,despatches, proclamations, andreportson the state of theempireandmilitaryaffairs.Naturalhistorywasrepresentedbytables ofanimals;mammals,birds,reptiles, fishes,insects,andplants,trees,grasses,reeds,andgrains,earths, stones,&c. Theselists areclassifiedaccordingto thesupposednature andaffinities of the variousspecies,andshowconsiderableadvanceinthesciences. Mathematics had aplacein thelibrary,therebeing problems,figures,and calculations;but this branch oflearningwasnotstudied sofullyas inBabylonia.Grammar andLexicographywere betterrepresented,therebeing manyworks on thesesubjects,includinglists ofthesignsandexplanations,declension ofnouns,conjugationofverbs,examplesofsyntax,bilingual tables,explanatorylists,&c. AllthesetabletswerecopiedfromtheBabylonians.Inlawand civil matters thelibrarywas alsorich,andthe tablets serve to show that the same laws andcustomsprevailedinAssyriaasinBabylonia.Thereare codes oflaws,lawcases, sale, barter, loans,listsofproperty,lists of titles andtrades, tribute,andtaxes,&c.InGeographytheAssyrianswerenotveryforward;36ASSYRIANLITERATURE.buttherearelists ofcountriesandtheirproductions,ofcities, rivers,mountains,andpeoples.Suchare some of theprincipalcontents of thegreatlibrary from whichwehaveobtained ourcopiesofthe CreationandFloodlegends,mostofthetabletswerecopiedfromearlyBabylonianinscriptions,theoriginal copiesof the works have in most casesdisappeared;but theseremarkableinscriptionshavepreservedto us texts which show the wonderfuladvancemadebythepeopleof Chaldeabefore thetime of Moses.Babylonianliterature,which hadbeentheparentofAssyrian writing,revived afterthe fall ofNineveh,and Nebuchadnezzar and hissuccessorsmadeBabylonthe seat of alibraryrivallingthatofAssurbanipalat Nineveh. OfthislaterdevelopmentofBabylonianliteratureweknowverylittle,explorationsbeingstillrequiredtobringtolightthe textsof thisepoch.Fewfragmentsonly,discoveredby wanderingArabs or recoveredbychancetravellers,haveyetturnedup,butthereis inthemevidenceenoughtopromisea rich reward tofutureexcavators.CHAPTER III.CHALDEANLEGENDSTRANSMITTEDTHROUGHBEKOSUSANDOTHERANCIENTAUTHORS.Berosus and hiscopyists. Corys translation. AlexanderPolyhistor. Babylonia.Oannes,histeaching.Creation.Belus. Chaldeankings.Xisuthrus.Deluge.The Ark.Return toBabylon. Apollodorus.Pantibiblon. Larancha.Abydenus. Alorus,firstking.Tenkings.Sisithrus. Deluge.Armenia. Towerof Babel. Cronos and Titan. Nico-laus Damascenus.Dispersionfrom Hestiasus.Babyloniancolonies. TowerofBabel. TheSibyl.Titan andPrometheus.Damascius. Tauthe.Moymis.Kissare and Assorus.Triad. Bel.HAVE included in thischaptertheprincipalextracts fromancientauthorsrespectingtheBabylonianaccountsofGenesis.Manyothers areknown,butare ofdoubtfulorigin,andoflessimmediateinteresttomysubject.Berosus,from whom theprincipalextractsarecopied,lived,as I have mentionedinChapterL,about B.C. 330 to260, and,from hispositionas a38 CHALDEAN LEGENDS.Babylonianpriest,hadthebestmeansofknowingtheBabyloniantraditions.The others are laterwriters,whocopiedin themain fromBerosus,andwhosenoticesmaybetakenasgivingabridgmentsofhis statements.Ihavepreferredasusual,thetranslations ofCoryasbeingstandardones,andmadewithoutprejudicefromrecentdiscoveries.EXTRACT I. FROM ALEXANDER POLYHISTOR(CORY,p. 21).Berosus,inthe first bookof hishistoryofBabylonia,informsusthat helivedintheageofAlexander,the son ofPhilip.And he mentions that therewere writtenaccounts,preservedatBabylonwiththegreatestcare,comprehendingaperiodof abovefifteenmyriadsofyears;and that thesewritingscontainedhistories of theheavenand of the sea;ofthe birthofmankind;andof thekings,and ofthememorableactionswhichtheyhadachieved.AndinthefirstplacehedescribesBabyloniaasacountrysituated between theTigrisand the Euphrates;that it abounded withwheat,andbarley,andocrus,and sesame;and that in thelakes wereproducedthe roots calledgongoe,which are fit forfood,and inrespectto nutriment similar tobarley.Thatthere were alsopalm-treesandapples,and avarietyoffruits;fish also andbirds,both thosewhicharemerelyofflight,andthosewhichfrequentthe lakes. HeaddsthatthosepartsofthecountryCHALDEANLEGENDS.39which bordereduponArabia were withoutwater,and barren;but that thepartswhichlayon theother side werebothhillyandfertile.AtBabylontherewas(inthesetimes)agreatresort ofpeopleof variousnations,whoinhabitedChaldea,and lived in a lawless manner like thebeastsofthe field.Inthe firstyearthereappeared,fromthat-partoftheErythraeansea which bordersupon Babylonia,an animal endowed withreason,bynameCannes,CANNES ANDOTHER BABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURESFROMCYLINDER.whose wholebody (accordingto the account ofApollodorus)wasthatofafish;thatunderthe fishshead he had anotherhead,with feet also belowsimilar to those of aman, subjoinedto the fishstail. Hisvoice, too,andlanguagewere articulateandhuman;andarepresentationofhimispreservedevento thisday.Thisbeingwasaccustomedtopassthedayamongmen,buttook nofood at that season;andhegavethemaninsightinto lettersandsciences,and artsofeverykind. Hetaughtthemto construct cities,to40 CHALDEANLEGENDS.foundtemples,tocompile laws,andexplainedtothemtheprinciplesofgeometricalknowledge.Hemadethemdistinguishthe seeds of theearth,andshowedthemhowto collect the fruits;inshort,heinstructedthemineverythingwhichcould tend tosoftenmannersandhumanizetheirlives. Fromthattime,nothingmaterial has been addedby wayofimprovementto his instructions. And when thesunhadset thisbeingCannesretiredagainintothesea,andpassedthenightin thedeep,for he wasamphibious.Afterthis thereappearedotheranimalslikeCannes,ofwhich Berosusproposestogiveanaccountwhenhe comesto thehistoryofthekings.Moreover,Cannes wroteconcerningthegenerationofmankind,andof their civilpolity;and the followingis thepurportof whathe said:"Therewasatimeinwhichthereexistednothingbut darkness and anabyssofwaters,whereinresidedmost hideousbeings,which wereproducedof a two-foldprinciple.Thereappearedmen,someof whomwerefurnishedwithtwowings,others withfour,andwith two faces.Theyhad onebody,buttwo heads;the one that of aman,the other ofawoman;and likewise in theirseveralorgansbothmaleand female. Other humanfigureswere to beseenwith thelegsand horns of agoat;some hadhorsesfeet,while others united the hindquartersof a horse with thebodyof aman,resemblinginshapethehippocentaurs.Bulls likewisewerebredtherewiththeheadsof men;anddogswithfourfoldCHALDEAN LEGENDS.41bodies,terminatedin theirextremitieswiththe tailsof fishes;horsesalso with theheads ofdogs; men,too,andotheranimals,withtheheadsand bodiesofhorses,andthe tails of fishes. Inshort,there werecreatures inwhichwerecombinedthelimbsofeveryspeciesof animals.In addition tothese, fishes,reptiles, serpents,with other monstrousanimals,whichassumedeach othersshapeandcountenance.COMPOSITE ANIMALS FROM CYLINDER.Of all which werepreserveddelineationsin thetempleofBelusatBabylon."Thepersonwhopresidedover them wasa womannamedOmoroca,whichinthe ChaldeanlanguageisThalatth,in GreekThalassa,thesea;butwhichmightequallybeinterpretedthemoon. Allthingsbeingin thissituation,Beluscame,and cut thewomanasunder,and of one half of her he formedtheearth,andof theother half theheavens,and atthesame timedestroyedthe animalswithin her(orintheabyss)."All this"(hesays)"wasanallegoricaldescriptionof nature.For,the whole universeconsistingof42CHALDEAN LEGENDS.moisture,and animalsbeing continually generatedtherein,thedeityabove-mentioned tookoff his ownhead;uponwhich the othergodsmixed theblood,as itgushedout,and from thenceformedmen. Onthisaccountit is thattheyarerational,andpartakeof divineknowledge.ThisBelus,bywhomtheysignify Jupiter,divided thedarkness,andseparatedtheheavensfromtheearth,andreducedtheuniverseto order. But theanimals,notbeingable to beartheprevalenceoflight,died. Belusuponthis,seeinga vastspace unoccupied, though bynaturefruitful,commandedoneof thegodsto take off hishead,andtomixthebloodwiththeearth,andfromthencetoformothermenandanimals,whichshouldbecapableofbearingthe air. Belus formed alsothestars,and thesun,and themoon,andthe fiveplanets." (Such, accordingtoPolyhistorAlexander,is the account which Berosusgivesin his firstbook.)(Inthesecond bookwas contained thehistoryofthetenkingsof theChaldeans,andtheperiodsofthecontinuance of eachreign,which consisted collectivelyof an hundred andtwentysari,or fourhundredandthirty-twothousandyears;reachingtothetimeoftheDeluge.ForAlexander,enumeratingthekingsfrom thewritingsof theChaldeans,afterthe ninthArdates,proceedsto thetenth,who iscalledbythemXisuthrus,in thismanner):"After the death ofArdates,his son Xisuthrusreignedeighteensari. Inhis timehappenedagreatGHALDEANLEGENDS.43deluge;thehistoryof whichis thusdescribed. ThedeityCronosappearedto him in avision,andwarned him thatuponthe fifteenthdayof themonth Daesius there would be aflood,bywhichmankindwouldbedestroyed.Hethereforeenjoinedhimtowriteahistoryof thebeginning, procedure,andconclusion of allthings,and toburyit in thecityof the Sun atSippara;and to build avessel,andtakewith him into it his friends andrelations;and toconveyon boardevery thing necessarytosustainlife,togetherwith all the differentanimals,both birds andquadrupeds,and trust himself fearlesslytothedeep. HavingaskedtheDeitywhitherhe was tosail,he wasanswered,To the Gods;uponwhich he offeredupaprayerfor thegoodofmankind. He thenobeyedthe divine admonitionrandbuilt a vessel five stadia inlength,and two inbreadth. Intothisheput everythingwhich he hadprepared,and last of allconveyedinto it his wifeyhischildren,andhis friends.Afterthe flood had beenupontheearth,andwasin timeabated,Xisuthrus sent out birds from thevessel;which notfinding anyfood,norany placewhereupon they mightrest theirfeet,returned to-himagain.Afteraninterval of somedays,hesentthem forth a secondtime;andtheynow returnedwiththeir feettingedwithmud. Hemade a trial athird time with these birds;buttheyreturned tohim no more: from whence hejudgedthat thesurface of the earth hadappearedabove the waters.44 CHALDEAN LEGENDS.He therefore made anopeningin thevessel,andupon lookingout found that it was strandeduponthe side of somemountain;uponwhich he immediately quittedit with hiswife,hisdaughter,andthepilot.Xisuthrusthenpaidhis adorationtotheearth :and,havingconstructed analtar,offeredsacrifices to thegods,and,with those who hadcomeoutofthevesselwithhim,disappeared.They,who remainedwithin,findingthat theircompanionsdid notreturn,quittedthe vessel withmanylamentations,and calledcontinuallyon thename of Xisuthrus. Himtheysaw no more;buttheycoulddistinguishhis voiceintheair,andcouldhear him admonish them topaydueregardto religion;andlikewiseinformedthemthat it wasuponaccount of hispietythat he was translated to livewith thegods,that his wife anddaughterand thepilothad obtained the same honour. To this headded thattheyshould return toBabylonia,and,as it wasordained,search for thewritingsatSip-para,whichtheywere to make known to all mankind; moreover,that theplacewhereintheythenwere was the land of Armenia. The resthavingheardthesewordsoffered sacrifices to thegods,and,takingacircuit,journeyedtowardsBabylonia.Thevesselbeingthus stranded inArmenia,somepartof ityetremains in theCorcyrseanmountainsofArmenia,and thepeople scrapeoff the bitumenwithwhichit had beenoutwardlycoated,and makeuseof itbywayof analexipharmicand amulet.CHALDEANLEGENDS. 45AndwhentheyreturnedtoBabylonandhad foundthewritingsatSipparatheybuilt cities and erectedtemples,andBabylonwas thusinhabitedagain.Syncel.Chron. xxviii.;Euseb. Chron. v. 8.BEROSUS,FROM APOLLODORUS(CORY, p. 30).This is thehistorywhichBerosushastransmittedto us. Hetells usthat the firstkingwasAlorusofBabylon,aChaldean,hereignedten sari;and afterwardsAlaparusandAmelon,whocamefromPante-biblon;thenAmmenontheChaldean,inwhosetimeappearedthe MusarusCannes,the Annedotus fromtheErythraeansea.(ButAlexanderPolyhistor,anticipatingtheevent,has said that heappearedinthe firstyear,butApollodorussaysthat it wasafterfortysari;Abydenus,however,makes the secondAnnedotusappearaftertwenty-six sari.)ThensucceededMegalarusfrom thecityofPantibiblon,andhereignedeighteensari;andafterhimDaonus,theshepherdfromPantibiblon,reignedtensari;inhistime(hesays)appearedagainfrom theErythraBansea afourthAnnedotus,havingthe same formwiththoseabove,theshapeofafish blendedwiththatofaman. ThenreignedEuedorachusfromPantibiblonfor the term ofeighteensari;in hisdaysthereappearedanotherpersonagefrom theErythraeansea like theformer,havingthe samecomplicatedform between a fish and aman,whose name wasOdacon.(Allthese,says Apollodorus,relatedparticularlyandcircumstantiallywhatever Cannes46CHALDEAN LEGENDS.had informed themof;concerningtheseAbydenushas madenomention.)ThenreignedAmempsinus,aChaldeanfromLarancha;andhebeingtheeighthin orderreignedten sari. Thenreigned Otiartes,aChaldean,fromLarancha;andhereignedeightsari.And,uponthe death ofOtiartes,his sonXisuthrusreignedeighteensari;inhistimehappenedthegreatDeluge.Sothatthesumofall thekingsisten;andthetermwhichthey collectivelyreignedanhundredandtwentysari.SynceLChron. xxxix.;Euseb.Chron.v.BEEOSUS,FROM ABYDENUS(CoRY,p. 32).Somuchconcerningthewisdomofthe Chaldeans.It is said that the firstkingof thecountrywasAlorus,and that hegaveoutareportthatGodhadappointedhimto be theshepherdof thepeople,hereignedten sari;nowasarus is esteemedtobethreethousand six hundredyears,a neros sixhundred,andasossussixty.After himAlaparus reignedthreesari;to himsucceededAmillarus fromthecityofPantibiblon, whoreignedthirteen sari: in his time cameupfromthesea a secondAnnedotus,a semi-demonverysimilarinhisformtoCannes;afterAmillarusreignedAm-menon twelvesari,who was of thecityof Pantibiblon;thenMegalarusof the sameplace reignedeighteensari;thenDaos theshepherd governedforthespaceof tensari,hewasofPantibiblon;in histime fourdouble-shaped personagescameupoutCHALDEAN LEGENDS. 47of the sea toland,whose names wereEuedocus,Eneugamus,Eneuboulus,and Anementus;afterwardsinthetimeofEuedoreschusappearedanother,Anodaphus.After thesereignedotherkings,andlast ofallSisithrus,sothatinthewholethenumberamountedto tenkings,and the termof theirreignstoanhundredandtwentysari.(Andamongotherthingsnotirrelative to thesubjecthecontinuesthusconcerningtheDeluge): After Euedoreschus someothersreigned,and then Sisithrus. To him thedeityCronos foretold that on the fifteenthdayofthemonthDaesius therewouldbe adelugeofrain:andhe commanded himtodepositall thewritingswhateverwhichwere in hispossessioninthecityof thesun inSippara.Sisithrus,when he hadcompliedwiththese commands,sailedimmediatelytoArmenia,andwaspresentlyinspired byGod.Uponthethirddayafterthecessationofthe rain Sisithrus sentoutbirdsby wayofexperiment,that hemight judgewhether the flood had subsided.But thebirds,passingover anunbounded seawithoutfinding anyplaceofrest,returnedagainto Sisithrus.This herepeatedwithotherbirds.And whenuponthethirdtrial hesucceeded,for the^birds then returnedwiththeir feet stainedwithmud,thegodstranslatedhimfromamongmen. Withrespecttothevessel,whichyetremains inArmenia,it is acustomof the inhabitants toformbraceletsandamuletsof its wood.Syncel.Chron.xxxviii.;Euseb.Prcep.Evan.lib.ix.;Euseb. Chron.v. 8.48 CHALDEANLEGENDS.OF THE TOWER OF BABEL(CORY, p. 34).They saythat the first inhabitants of theearth,gloryingintheirownstrengthandsizeanddespisingthegods,undertooktoraiseatowerwhosetopshouldreach thesky,in theplacein whichBabylonnowstands;but when itapproachedthe heaven thewinds assisted thegods,and overthrew the workuponitscontrivers,and its ruins are said to bestill atBabylon;andthegodsintroducedadiversityoftongues amongmen,who till that time had allspokenthe samelanguage;andawararosebetweenCronos and Titan. Theplacein whichtheybuiltthe tower is nowcalledBabylonon accountof theconfusion oftongues,for confusion isbythe Hebrews called Babel. Euseb.Prcep.Evan. lib. ix.;Syncel.Chron. xliv.;Euseb. Chron. xiii.OF THEARK,FROM NICOLAUS DAMASCENUS(CoRY,p. 49).There is aboveMinyasin the landof Armenia averygreatmountainwhich is calledBaris,towhichit is said thatmanypersonsretreated at the timeoftheDelugeandweresaved,andthatone inparticularwascarriedthither inanarkandwas landedon itssummit,and that the remains of the vesselwerelong preserved uponthemountain.Perhapsthis was the same individual ofwhomMoses,thelegislatoroftheJews,hasmademention. Jos. Ant.Jud. i. 3;Euseb.Prcep.Evan.ix.OHALDEAN LEGENDS. 49OF THEDISPERSION,FROM HESTLZEUS(CORY, p. 50).Thepriests whoescapedtookwith themtheimplementsoftheworshipoftheEnyalianJove,andcameto SenaarinBabylonia.Buttheywereagaindrivenfrom thencebythe introduction of adiversityoftongues;uponwhichthey foundedcoloniesinvariousparts,eachsettlingin such situations as chance orthe directionof God led themtooccupy.Jos.Ant.Jud. i. c.4;Euseb.Prcep.Evan.ix.OF THE TOWER OFBABEL,FROMALEXANDER POLY-HISTOR(CORY, p.50).TheSibylsays: Thatwhenallmenformerlyspokethe samelanguagesomeamongthem undertook toerect alargeandloftytower,thattheymightclimbupinto heaven. ButGodsendingforthawhirlwindconfounded theirdesign,andgaveto each tribe aparticularlanguageof itsown,which is the reasonthat the name of thatcityisBabylon.After thedelugelived Titan andPrometheus,when Titanundertook a waragainstCronus.Sync.xliv.;Jos.Ant. Jud. i. c. 4;Euseb.Prcep.Evan. ix.THETHEOGONIES,FROM DAMASCIUS(CoRY, p.318).But theBabylonians,like the rest of the barbarians,passover in silence the Oneprincipleof theuniverse,andtheyconstitutetwo,Tauthe andApa-son,making Apasonthe husband ofTauthe,andE50 CHALDEANLEGENDS.denominatingher the mother of thegods.Andfrom theseproceedsanonly-begottenson, Moymis,whichI conceiveis no other than theintelligibleworldproceedingfrom the twoprinciples.Fromthemalso anotherprogenyisderived,Dache andDachus;andagainathird,Kissare andAssorus,from which last three othersproceed,Anus,andIllinus,andAus. AndofAusandDavceis born ason calledBelus, who,they say,is the fabricatoroftheworld,theDemiurgus.CHAPTER IV.BABYLONIANMYTHOLOGY.Greek accounts.Mythologylocal inorigin.Antiquity.Conquests.Colonies.Threegreat gods.Twelvegreatgods.Angels. Spirits.Anu. Anatu. Vul.Ishtar.Equiva-lenttoYenus. Hea. Oannes. Merodach. Bel orJupiter.Zirat-banit,SuccothBenoth. Elu. Sinthemoongod.Nmip.Shamas.Nergal.Anunit. Tableofgods.Ntheir accounts of the Creation and oftheearlyhistoryof thehumanracetheBabyloniandivinitiesfigureveryprominently,but it is difficult inmanycasestoidentifythe deities mentionedbytheGreekauthors,becausethephonetic readingof thenamesof theBabylonian godsisvery obscure,and theclassicalwritersoftenmentionthesedivinitiesbytheterms in their ownmythology,whichappearedtothemtocorrespondwiththeBabyloniannames.In thischapterit isonly proposedtogiveageneralaccount of somepartsof theBabylonianmythology,to show therelationshipbetween thedeities andtheir titlesandwork.52BABYLONIANMYTHOLOGY.Babylonianmythologywas localinorigin;eachofthegodshadaparticularcitywhichwas the seatof hisworship,and it isprobablethat theidea ofweavingthegodsintoasystem,inwhicheachshouldhavehisparttoplay,onlyhad itsoriginat a latertime.Theantiquityof thismythologymaybeseenbythefact,that two thousandyearsbefore theChristianeraitwasalreadycompleted,andits deitiesdefinitelyconnectedinto asystemwhich remainedwithlittlechangedowntothe close ofthekingdom.It isprobablethat thegodswere inearlytimesonlyworshippedat theiroriginalcitiesorseats,thevarious citiesor settlementsbeing independentofeachother;but it was naturalas warsarose,andsome citiesgainedconquestsoverothers,andkingsgradually united thecountryintomonarchies,thatthepeopleofconqueringcities shouldclaimthat theirgodsweresuperiorto thoseof the citiestheyconquered,andthus camethesystemofdifferentranksorgrades among thegods.Again, colonies weresentoutofsomecities,and thecolonies,astheyconsideredthemselvessons of the citiestheystartedfrom,alsoconsideredtheirgodsto be sonsof thegodsof themothercities.Politicalchangesinearlytimes ledtotheriseandfall ofvariouscities andconsequentlyof theirdeities,andgaverise to numerousmythsrelatingtothe differentpersonagesinthemythology.Insomeremoteagethereappeartohavebeenthreegreatcitiesinthecountry,Erech,Eridu,andNipur,andtheirdivinities Anu,Hea,and Bel wereconsideredBABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY. 53the"great gods"of thecountry. Subsequentchangesled to the decline of thesecities,buttheirdeities still retained theirpositionat theheadoftheBabyloniansystem.Thesethreeleadingdeities formed members of acircle of twelvegods,also calledgreat.Thesegodsandtheir titles aregivenas:1.Anu,kingofangelsandspirits,lord of thecityofErech.2.Bel,lord of theworld,father of thegods,creator,lordofthecityofNipur.3.Hea,maker offate,lord of thedeep, godofwisdom andknowledge,lord of thecityofEridu.4.Sin,lordofcrowns,makerofbrightness,lordofthecityofUr.5.Merodach,just princeof thegods,lord ofbirth,lord ofthecityofBabylon.6.Vul,thestrong god,lord of canalsandatmosphere,lord ofthecityofMuru.7.Shamas,judgeof heaven andearth,directorofall,lord ofthe cities ofLarsaandSippara.8.Ninip,warrior of the warriors of thegods,destroyerofwicked,lordofthecityofNipur.9.Nergal, giant kingofwar,,lord ofthecityofCutha.10.Nusku,holderofthegoldensceptre,theloftygod.11.Belat,wife ofBel,mother of thegreatgods,ladyofthecityofNipur.4 BABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY.12.Ishtar,eldest of heavenandearth,raisingtheface ofwarriors.Belowthesedeitiestherewasalargebodyofgodsformingthe bulk of thepantheon,and below thesewerearrangedtheIgege,orangelsofheaven,andtheAnunnaki,orangelsof earth. Below theseagaincamevarious classes ofspiritsorgeniicalledSedu,Yadukku,Ekimu,Gallu,andothers;some of thesewereevil,somegood.Therelationshipofthevariousprincipalgodsandtheirnames, titles,and offices will be seenbythefollowingremarks.AttheheadoftheBabylonianmythologystandsadeity whowassometimesidentifiedwiththeheavens,sometimesconsideredastherulerandgodofheaven.ThisdeityisnamedAnu,hissignis thesimplestar,thesymbolofdivinity,andat othertimestheMaltesecross. Anurepresentsabstractdivinity,and heappearsas anoriginal principle, perhapsas the originalprincipleofnature. Herepresentstheuniverseastheupperandlowerregions,and whentheseweredividedtheupperregionor heavenwascalledAnu,while the lowerregionor earthwas called Anatu;Anatubeingthe femaleprincipleor wife of Anu.Anuis termedtheoldgod,andthegodofthewholeof heaven andearth;one of the manifestations ofAnu was as the two forms Lahma andLahama,whichprobablycorrespondtotheGreekformsDacheandDachus,seep.50. These forms are said tohavesprungoutof theoriginal chaos,andtheyareBABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY.55followedbythetwoforms sarandkisar(theKissareand Assorus of theGreeks),sar means theupperhosts orexpanse,kisarthe lower hosts orexpanse;thesearealso formsofmanifestationsof Annandhiswife. Aimis alsolordofthe oldcity,andhebearsthenamesAlaluandPapsukul.Histitlesgenerallyindicateheight, antiquity, purity, divinity,and hemaybetakenasthegeneral typeofdivinity.Amiwasoriginally worshippedat thecityofErech,whichwascalledthecityof AnuandAnatu,andthegreattempletherewas called theuhouse ofAnu,"ortheuhouseofheaven."Anatu,thewifeorconsortofAnu,isgenerallyonlya female form ofAnu,but is sometimes contrastedwithhim; thus,when Anurepresents heightandheaven,Anaturepresents depthandearth;she isalsoladyofdarkness,the mother of thegodHea,themotherproducingheavenandearth,the femalefish-god,andshe is oneofthemanygoddessescalledIstar orVenus.Anuand Anatu haveanumerousfamily; amongtheir sons are numberedSar-ziri,thekingof thedesert,Latarak,Abgula,Kusu,andtheair-god, whosename is uncertain. Theair-godisusuallycalledYul,he has also the namePur,and theepithetsRammanorRimmon,theself-existent,andUban orBen. Vulisgodoftheregionoftheatmosphere,orspacebetween the heaven andearth,he is thegodofrain,of storms andwhirlwind,of thunderandlightning,offloodsandwatercourses.Vulwas5GBABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY.inhighesteem inSyriaandArabia,whereheborethe name ofDaddi;in Armenia he was calledTeiseba. Yul isalwaysconsidered an activedeity,andwasextensivelyworshipped.Anotherimportant god,a son ofAmi,was thegodoffire;hisnamemaybereadBil-kan,with thepossibilityof some connection with the BiblicalTubalCain and the classical Yulcan. Thefire-godtakes an activepartin the numerousmythologicaltablets andlegends,and he is considered to be themostpotent deityin relation towitchcraftandspellsgenerally.Themostimportantof-thedaughtersofAnuwasnamedIstar;shewasin somerespectstheequivalentofthe classicalYenus. Herworshipwasat first subordinate tothatofAnu,and as shewasgoddessoflove,while Anuwasgodofheaven,it isprobablethatthe first intention in themythologywasonlytorepresentlove as heaven-born;butin timeamoresensual viewprevailed,and theworshipofIstarbecame one of the darkest features inBabylonianmythology.Astheworshipofthisgoddessincreasedinfavour,itgraduallysupersededthatofAnu,untilintimehistemple,the house ofheaven,came to beregardedasthetempleofYenus.TheplanetYenus,as theevening star,wasidentified with the Ishtar ofErech,while themorningstarwasAnunit,goddessofAkkad.Therewerevarious othergoddessescalledIstaramongwhichmaybe noticedIstar,daughterofSinBABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY. 57themoon-god,whois sometimesconfoundedwiththedaughterofAnu.Acompaniondeitywith AnuisHea,whoisgodofthe seaandofHades,infact of allthelowerregions.Hehastwofeatures,andcorrespondsinsomerespectstothe Saturnor Cronos of theancients,in otherstotheir PoseidonorNeptune.Heais calledgodofthelowerregion,he is lord of the sea orabyss;he islordofgenerationand ofallhumanbeings,hebearsthe titles lordofwisdom,ofminesandtreasures;heis lord ofgifts,ofmusic,offishermen andsailors,andofHadesorhell. It hasbeensupposedthat theserpentwasoneofhisemblems,and thathe wastheCannes ofBerosus;thesethingsdonot, however,appearin theinscriptions.The wife of Hea wasDav-kina,theDavkeofDamascius, whois thegoddessof the lowerregions,theconsort of thedeep;andtheirprincipalson was Maruduk orMerodach,theBeloflatertimes.Merodach,godofBabylon, appearsin all theearlierinscriptionsastheagentofhis fatherHea;hegoesabout in theworldcollectinginformation,aridreceives commissionsfromhis father to setrightallthatappearswrong.Merodachis anactiveagentincreation,butisalwayssubordinate to his father Hea.In latertimes,afterBabylonhad been made thecapital,Merodach,who wasgodof thatcity,wasraisedto theheadof thePantheon. Merodachor Belwasidentified with theclassicalJupiter,but the nameBel,"thelord,"wasonlygiventohimin timessub-58 BABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY.sequenttothe rise ofBabylon.Thewifeof Mero-dach wasZirat-banit,the Succoth Benoth of theBible.Nebo,thegodofknowledgeandliterature,whowasworshippedattheneighbouringcityofBorsippa,was a favouritedeityin latertimes,as was also hisconsort Tasmit. BesideMerodachHeahadanumerousprogeny,his sonsbeingprincipallyrivergods.Athirdgreatgodwas unitedwithAnuandHea,hisnameswereEnu,Elu,Kaptu,andBel;hewastheoriginalBelof theBabylonian mythology,and waslordofthe surfaceof theearthandtheaffairsofmen.Eluwaslord of thecityofNipur,andhad aconsortnamed Belat or Beltis.Elu,orBel,is the mostactive ofthegodsin thegeneralaffairs ofmankind,andwas sogenerallyworshippedinearlytimes thathecametoberegardedas thenationaldivinity,andhistempleatthecityofNipurwasregardedas thetypeof alltemples.TheextensiveworshipofBel,andthehighhonour inwhich he washeld,seem topointto atimewhenhiscity, Nipur,wasthe metropolisofthecountry.Belat,orBeltis,thewife ofBel,is afamousdeitycelebrated in allages,but as the title Belat wasonlyulady,"orugoddess,"it was a common oneformany goddesses,and the notices of Beltisprobablyrefer to several differentpersonages.Thesame remarkmaybeappliedto the name Istar,orIshtar,meaning"goddess,"which isappliedtoanyfemaledivinity.BABYLONIANMYTHOLOGY.59Eluhad,liketheothergods,a numerousfamily;hiseldestsonwasthemoon-godcalledUr,AguorAku,Sin andItu,in later timesgenerallytermed Sin.SinwaspresidingdeityofthecityofUr,andearlyassumedanimportantplaceinthemythology.Themoon-godfigures prominentlyin someearlylegends,andduringthetimethecityof Urwascapitalofthecountryhisworshipbecameveryextensiveandpopularinthewholeofthecountry.Ninip, godofhuntingandwar,was another celebratedsonof Elu;heAvasworshippedwithhisfatheratNipur.Ninipwas also muchworshippedinAssyriaas well asBabylonia,his characteraspresiding geniusof warand the chasemaking.himafavouritedeitywiththewarlikekingsofAssur.Sin themoon-godhad a sonSharnas,orSamas,thesun-god,and adaughter,Istar or Venus.Shamas is an activedeityin some of the Izdubarlegendsandfables,but he isgenerallysubordinateto Sin. In theBabylonian systemthe moon takesprecedenceof thesun,andthe ShamasofLarsawasprobablyconsidereda differentdeityto ShamasofSippara.Amongthe other deities of theBabyloniansmaybecountedNergal, godofCutha, who,likeNinip,presidedoverhuntingandwar,andAnunit,thedeityof onecityofSippara,and of thecityofAkkad.Thefollowingtablewill exhibittherelationshipoftheprincipaldeities;but it mustbe notedthatthe60BABYLONIANMYTHOLOGY.Assyrianinscriptionsarenotalwaysconsistent,eitheras tothe sexorpaternityofthegods:Tavtu(thesea),iAbsu(Apason?)(the deep).Mummu(chaos?)Lahma(forceorgrowth).rLahamaKisar(Kisare)(lowerexpanse).Sar(Assare)(upperexpanse).Ann(Ouranus)(heaven).Anatu(earth).Elu,or Bel.Beltis.iVulBil-kan(Vulcan)Hea(Saturn),(atmosphere). (fire-god).Hea(Saturn).Davkina(Davke).iElu.Istar(Venus).Beltis.Merodach.iNebo.Zirat-banit. Sin.i iLTasmit.Samas.fungal.Ninip.Istar,CHAPTERV.BABYLONIANLEGENDOPTHECREATION.Mutilatedconditionoftablets. Listofsubjects. Descriptionof chaos. Tiamat.Generationofgods.Damascius.Comparison with Genesis.Threegreat gods.Doubtfulfragments.Fifthtablet. Stars. Planets. Moon. Sun.Abyssor chaos.Creationof moon. Creationofanimals. Man.Hisduties.Dragonof sea. Fall. Curse for disobedience. Discussion.Sacredtree.Dragonorserpent.Warwith Tiamat.Weapons.Merodach. Destruction of Tiamat. Mutilation of documents. ParallelBiblical account.Ageofstory.HAVErelated in the firstchapterthehistoryof thediscoveryof thislegend;the tabletscomposingit are in mutilatedcondition,andtoofragmentarytoenableasingletablettobecompleted,ortogivemorethanageneralviewofthewholesubject.Thestory,so far as I canjudgefrom thefragment, agreesgenerallywith the account of the Creation in theBookofGenesis,butshowstracesofhavingoriginallyincludedverymuch more matter. ThefragmentsofthestorywhichIhavearrangedare as follows:62BABYLONIAN LEGEND1. Part ofthe firsttablet,givinganaccountoftheChaosandthegenerationofthegods.2.Fragmentofsubsequent tablet,perhapsthesecondonthefoundationofthedeep.3.Fragmentof tabletplacedhere withgreatdoubt,probablyreferringto the creation ofland.4. Partofthe fifthtablet,givingthecreationof theheavenlybodies.5.Fragmentofseventh?tablet,givingthecreationofland animals.6.Fragmentsofthree tablets on the creationandfallof man.7.Fragmentsof tabletsrelatingto the warbetweenthegodsandevilspirits.Thesefragmentsindicate that the series includedat least twelvetablets,thewritingon eachtabletbeingin one column on the front andback,andprobably includingover one hundred lines oftext.Thefirstfragmentin thestoryis theupper partofthefirsttablet,givingthedescriptionof the voidorchaos,andpartof thegenerationof thegods.Thetranslation is :1. Whenabove,werenotraisedtheheavens:2. andbelow on the earth aplanthadnotgrownup;3. theabyssalso had not brokenopentheirboundaries:4. Thechaos(orwater)Tiamat(the sea)was theproducing-motherofthewholeofthem.OF THE CREATION.635. Thosewatersatthebeginningwereordained;but6. atree hadnotgrown,aflower hadnotunfolded.7. Whenthegodshadnotsprungup,anyoneofthem;8. aplanthad notgrown,andorderdid notexist;9. Weremadealsothegreatgods,10. thegodsLahmuand Lahamutheycausedtocome11. andtheygrew12. thegodsSarandKisarweremade ....13. Acourse ofdays,andalongtimepassed. . .14. thegodAnu15. thegodsSarand16On thereverse of this tabletthere areonlyfragmentsoftheeightlines ofcolophon,buttherestoration ofthepassageiseasy,it reads:1. FirsttabletofuWhenabove"(nameof Creationseries).2. PalaceofAssurbanipalkingofnations, kingofAssyria,3. towhomNeboand Tasrnit attentiveearshavegiven:4. hesoughtwithdiligent eyesthewisdomoftheinscribedtablets,5. whichamongthekingswhowentbeforeme,6. nonethosewritingshadsought.7. The wisdomof Nebo,theimpressions?of thegodmyinstructor?alldelightful,64BABYLONIANLEGEND8. ontablets Iwrote,Istudied,Iobserved,and9. for theinspectionofmypeoplewithinmypalaceIplacedThiscolophonwillservetoshowthevalueattachedto thedocuments,and thedateofthepresentcopies.Thefragmentof theobverse,broken as itis,ispreciousasgivingthedescriptionof thechaos ordesolate void before theCreationof theworld,andthe first movement ofcreation.Thiscorrespondsto the firsttwoverses ofthefirstchapterofGenesis.1. "In thebeginningGodcreatedtheheavenandthe earth.2. Andthe earthwaswithoutformandvoid;anddarknesswasupontheface of thedeep.And thespiritof Godmoveduponthe face ofthewaters.Oncomparingthefragmentof thefirsttabletof theCreationwiththe extractfromDamascius,wedonotfindanystatement as to therebeingtwoprinciplesat first called TautheandApason,andtheseproducingMoymis,butintheCreationtablet thefirstexistence is called MummuTiamatu,anamemeaningthe"sea-water" or "sea chaos."ThenameMummuTiamatucombinesthetwonamesMoymis andTautheofDamascius.Tiamatuappearsalso asTisallatandagreeswith the Thalatth ofBerosus,whichweareexpresslytold wasthesea. Itisevidentthat,accordingto the notion oftheBabylonians,the sea wastheoriginof allthings,andthis alsoagreeswiththe statement ofGenesis,i. 2.where thechaoticwatersare calledoinn,"thedeep,"thesame word asOF THE CREATION. 65the Tiamat ofthe Creation text and the Tauthe ofDamascius.TheAssyrianword Mummuisprobablyconnectedwith the Hebrewnoino,confusion,and one of itsequivalentsisUmun,equalto the Hebrewpannoise or tumult. Beside the name ofthe chaoticdeepcalled oinn inGenesis,whichis,as I havesaid,evidentlythe Tiamat of the Creationtext,we havein Genesisthe wordinn,waste, desolate,orformless,appliedto this chaos. Thisappearstobethe tehutaoftheAssyriansanameof the sea-water(" HistoryofAssurbanipal," p. 59);this word iscloselyconnectedwiththewordtiamat ortamtu,the sea. Thecorrespondencebetween theinscriptionand Genesisis herecomplete,bothstatingthat awaterychaosprecededthecreation,andformed,infact,theoriginandgroundworkof theuniverse. Wehave herenotonlyanagreementinsense, but,what israrer,thesame wordused in both narratives as the name ofthischaos,andgivenalsointheaccountofDamascius.Berosus hascertainlytheslightlydifferent formThalatth,withthesamesensehowever,and itmightbesuspectedthat this word was acorruptionofTiamat,but theBabylonianword is readTiamtu,Tiamat, andTisallat,whichlast is moreprobablytheoriginofthewordThalatthof Berosus.Nextwe have in theinscriptionthe creation ofthegodsLahmaorLahmu,andLahamaorLahamu;these are maleandfemalepersonificationsof motionandproduction,andcorrespondto the Dache andEp66 BABYLONIANLEGENDDachus ofDamascius,and themovingnn, wind,orspiritofGenesis.Thenextstagein theinscriptiongivestheproductionof Sar orIlsar,andKisar,representingtheupper expanseand the lower expanse,andcorrespondingtotheAssorusandKissareofDamascius.The resemblance in these names isprobablycloserthan hererepresented,for Sar orIlsar isgenerally readAssuras adeityin latertimes,beinganordinarysignfor thesupreme godof theAssyrians.Here the cuneiform text becomes so mutilatedthat little can be made outfromit,but itappearsfrom thefragmentof line 14 that the nextstepwas(asinDamascius)thegenerationof the threegreat gods,Anu, Elu,andHea,theAnus, Illinus,andAusofthatwriter. Anurepresentstheheaven,Elutheearth,andHea thesea,in this newformoftheuniverse.It isprobablethat theinscriptionwent on torelate thegenerationof the othergods,and thenpassedto the successive acts of creationbywhichtheworldwasfashioned.ThesuccessiveformsLahmaandLahama,SarandKisar,arerepresentedin some of thegodlists asnamesormanifestationsof AnuandAnatu. Ineachcase thereappearstobeamaleandfemaleprinciple,whichprinciplescombine in the formation of theuniverse.The resemblance between the extract from Damasciusandthe account inthe Creationtablet as toOF THECREATION. 67these successivestagesor forms in theCreation,isstriking,and leaves nodoubt that there was a connectionbetweenthetwo.The three next tablets in the Creation series areabsent,therebeing only twodoubtfulfragments ofthispartofthestory. Judgingfrom theanalogyof theBookofGenesis,wemayconjecturethat thispartofthenarrativecontainedthedescriptionofthecreationoflight,of theatmosphereorfirmament,of thedryland,andofplants.OnefragmenttowhichI havealludedasprobablybelongingtothisspaceis asmallportionofthetopofatabletreferringtothefixingofthedry land;butitmaybelongtoalaterpartofthestory,for it ispartof aspeechto oneof thegods.Thisfragmentis1. When the foundations of thegroundof rock[thoudidstmake]2. thefoundationof thegroundthoudidst call . .3. thoudidstbeautifytheheaven4. to thefa