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Sumerian Mythology Illustrations

SUMERIAN MYTHOLOGY

A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C.

SAMUEL NOAH KRAMER

REVISED EDITION

University of Pennsylvania Press Philadelphia [1944, revised 1961]

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  PLATES
  Man's Golden Age
   
I. A Scene from the Nippur Excavations: Rooms of the Temple "Tablet House"
II. Oldest Literary Catalogue
III. Nippur Archaic Cylinder
IV. Gudea Cylinder
V. "Chicago" Syllabary
VI. Nippur Grammatical Text
VII. Gods and the Nether World
VIII. The Separation of Heaven and Earth
IX. Enlil Separates Heaven and Earth
X. Miscellaneous Mythological Scenes
XI. Enlil and Ninlil: the Begetting of Nanna
XII. Gods of Vegetation
XIII. Enki and Ninhursag: the Affairs of the Water-god
XIV. Enki, the Water-god
XV and XVI. Inanna and Enki: the Transfer of the Arts of Civilization from Eridu to Erech
XVII and XVIII. The Creation of Man
XIX. Gods and Dragons
20. Inanna's Descent to the Nether World
  TEXT FIGURES
   
1. The Origin and Development of the Sumerian System of Writing
2. The Deluge
  MAP
1. Sumer in the First Half of the Third Millennium B.C.

Man's golden age

SUMERIAN MYTHOLOGY

A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C.

SAMUEL NOAH KRAMER

REVISED EDITION

University of Pennsylvania PressPhiladelphia[1944, revised 1961]

MAN'S GOLDEN AGE

kramer-front

This tablet (29.16.422 in the Nippur collection of the University Museum) is one of the unpublished pieces belonging to the Sumerian epic poem 1 whose hero Enmerkar ruled in the city of Erech sometime during the fourth millennium B. C. The passage enclosed by the black line describes the blissful and unrivalled state of man in an era of universal peace before he had learned to know fear and before the "confusion of tongues"; its contents, which are very reminiscent of Genesis XI:1, read as follows:

1. u4-ba mu-nu-g-la- g nu-g-la-[ka nu-g-la-]
2. ur-maḫ nu-g-la- ur-zir(?) ur-bar-ra nu-g-la-am
3. nte-gsu-zi-zi-i nu-g-la-
4. llu6gaba-u-gar nu-um-tuku-
5. u4-ba kur-ubur ki-ḫme-zi
6. eme-ḫa-mun ki-en-gi kur-gal-me-nam-nun-na-kam
7. ki-uri kur-me-te-g-la
8. kur-mar-tu-sal-la-na
9. an-ki-nigin-na uku-sag-sga
10. den-l-ra eme-a-, he-en-na-da-[si(?)-el(?)]

In those days there was no snake, there was no scorpion, there was no hyena,
There was no lion, there was no wild dog, no wolf,
There was no fear, no terror,
Man had no rival.

In those days the land Shubur (East), the place of plenty, of righteous decrees,
Harmony-tonguedSumer (South), the great land of the "decrees of princeship,"
Uri (North), the land having all that is needful,
The land Martu (West), resting in security,
The whole universe, the people in unison,
To Enlil in one tongue gave praise.

NOTES TO THE REVISED EDITION

1 . The extant text of this poem, which we may entitle "The Epic of Enmerkar," is reconstructed from the following tablets and fragments: CBS29.13.194, 29.16.422; PBS V8; PBS XIII8; SEM14, 16; SRT34. The following pieces may also belong to this composition: BE XXXI44 (cf. Kramer, JAOS60.250); CBS2291, 7859; HAV9. "The Epic of Enmerkar" is to be kept distinct from another epic tale concerned with the same Enmerkar, which we may entitle "Enmerkar and Enmushkeshdanna." The extant text of the latter poem is reconstructed from the following tablets and fragments: Ni 2283; PBS V9, 10; SEM13, 18, 19. The following pieces also probably belong to it: CBS29.16.450; HAV17; SEM17. In SL320 I assumed that we had but one epic composition dealing with the exploits of Enmerkar in the course of subjugating Aratta to Erech. It now seems more likely that we actually have two such epic tales. The first, described in SLas the "larger portion," corresponds to the poem designated above as "The Epic of Enmerkar"; the second, described in SLas the "smaller portion," corresponds to the one designated "Enmerkar and Enmushkeshdanna." Note also that the number of pieces identified as belonging to these two poems is 20, not 25, as stated in SL320.

Sumerian Mythology Contents

SUMERIAN MYTHOLOGY

A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C.

SAMUEL NOAH KRAMER

REVISED EDITION

University of Pennsylvania Press Philadelphia [1944, revised 1961]

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION. The Sources: the Sumerian Literary Tablets Dating from Approximately 2000 B. C
CHAPTER  
I. The Scope and Significance of Sumerian Mythology
II. Myths of Origins
  The Creation of the Universe
  The Organization of the Universe
  Enlil and Ninlil: the Begetting of Nanna
  The Journey of Nanna to Nippur
  Emesh and Enten: Enlil Chooses the Farmer god
  The Creation of the Pickax
  Cattle and Grain
  Enki and Ninhursag: the Affairs of the Water god
  Enki and Sumer: the Organization of the Earth and Its Cultural Processes
  Enki and Eridu: the Journey of the Water-god to Nippur
  Inanna and Enki: the Transfer of the Arts of Civilization from Eridu to Erech
  The Creation of Man
III. Myths of Kur
  The Destruction of Kur: the Slaying of the Dragon
  Inanna's Descent to the Nether World
IV. Miscellaneous Myths
  The Deluge
  The Marriage of Martu
  Inanna Prefers the Farmer
V. References and Notes
  Supplementary Notes
  Index

Sumerian Mythology Chapter 5

SUMERIAN MYTHOLOGY

A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C.

SAMUEL NOAH KRAMER

REVISED EDITION

 University of Pennsylvania PressPhiladelphia[1944, revised 1961]

CHAPTER V

REFERENCES AND NOTES

Following is a list of abbreviations used in the notes:

AO Mus du Louvre, Paris. Antiquit orientales. (Followed by catalogue number).
AOF Archiv f Orientforschung(Berlin, 1923--).
AOR Archiv OrientnPrague, 1928--).
AS Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. Assyriological Studies(Chicago, 1931--).
AS No. 10 Kramer, Samuel N. Gilgamesh and the huluppu-tree(1938).
AS No. 11 Jacobsen, Thorkild. The Sumerian king list(1939).
AS No. 12 Kramer, Samuel N. Lamentation over the destruction of Ur(1940).
ASKT Haupt, Paul. Akkadische und sumerische Keilschrifttexte(Leipzig, 1881-1882).
ATU Altorientalische Texte und Untersuchungen, ed. by Bruno Meissner (Leiden, 1916--).
BA Beitre zur Assyriologie und semitischen Sprachwissenschaft, edited by P. Haupt and F. Delitzsch (Baltimore and Leipzig, 1890-1927).
BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research(Baltimore, 1919--).
BE The Babylonian expedition of the University of Pennsylvania. Series A: Cuneiform texts, ed. by H. V. Hilprecht (Philadelphia, 1893-1914).
BE XXIX Radau, Hugo. Sumerian hymns and prayers to god Nin-ib, from the temple library of Nippur(1911).
BE XXXI Langdon, Stephen H. Historical and religious texts from the temple library of Nippur(1914).
BBI Barton, George A. Miscellaneous Babylonian inscriptions(New Haven, 1918--).
BL Langdon, Stephen H. Babylonian liturgies(Paris, 1913).
CBS Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. Catalogue of the Babylonian section. (Followed by number.) All CBSnumbers listed in the notes are still unpublished.
CT British Museum. Cuneiform texts from Babylonian tablets . . . in the British Museum(London, 1896--).
GSG Poebel, Arno. Grundze der sumerischen Grammatik (Rostock, 1923).
HAV Radau, Hugo. "Miscellaneous texts from the temple library of Nippur," in Hilprecht anniversary volume(Leipzig, 1909):374-457.
HRETA Nies, J. B., and C. E. Keiser. Historical, religious, and economic texts and antiquities(New Haven, 1920).
JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society(Boston, etc., 1849--).
JRAS Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland(London, 1834-).
K British Museum. Kouyunjik collection. (Followed by catalogue number.)
KAR Ebeling, Erich. Keilschrifttexte aus Assur religien Inhalts(Wissenschaftliche Verfentlichungen der Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft, Bd. 28, Heft 1-4, and Bd. 34, Heft 1--; Leipzig, 1919--).
KGV Abel, L., and H. Winkler. Keilschrifttexte zum Gebrauch bei Vorlesungen (Berlin, 1890).
MVAG Mitteilungen der Vorderasiatisch-aegyptische Gesellschaft(Berlin, 1896-1908; Leipzig, 1909--).
Ni Asari atika meleri (Museum of the Ancient Orient), Istanbul. Nippur collection. (Followed by catalogue number.) All Ni numbers listed in the notes will be published in SLTN.
OECT Oxford editions of cuneiform texts(London, 1923--).
OECT I Langdon, Stephen H. Sumerian and Semitic religious and historical texts(London, 1923).
PBS Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. Publications of the Babylonian section(Philadelphia, 1911--).
PBS I 1 Myhrman, David W. Babylonian hymns and prayers(1911).
PBS 1 2 Lutz, Henry F. Selected Sumerian and Babylonian texts(1919).
PBS IV I Poebel, Arno. Historical texts(1914).
PBS V Poebel, Arno. Historical and grammatical texts(1914).
PBS VI 1 Poebel, Arno. Grammatical texts(1914).
PBS X 1 Langdon, Stephen H. Sumerian epic of paradise, the flood, and the fall of man(1915).
PBS X 2 Langdon, S. H. Sumerian liturgical texts(1917).
PBS X 4 Langdon, S. H. Sumerian liturgies and psalms(1919).
PBS XII Langdon, S. H. Sumerian grammatical texts(1917).
PBS XIII Legrain, Leon. Historical fragments(1922).
PRAK Genouillac, Henri de. Premies recherches archlogiques Kich(2 vols.; Paris, 1924-1925).
R Rawlinson, Sir Henry. The cuneiform inscriptions of Western Asia(5 vols.; London, 1861-1884; vol. 4, 2d ed., 1891).
RA Revue d'assyriologie et darchlogie orientale (Paris, 1884--).
SAK Thureau-Dangin, Franis. Die sumerischen und akkadischen Kigsinschriften(Leipzig, 1907).
SBH Reisner, George A. Sumerisch-babylonische Hymnen nach Thontafeln griechischer Zeit(Berlin, 1896).
SEM Chiera, Edward. Sumerian epics and myths(Oriental Institute publications XV; Chicago, 1934).
SL Kramer, Samuel N. "Sumerian literature," in Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society85.293-323, 1942.
SLTN Kramer, Samuel N. Sumerian literary texts from Nippur in the Museum of the Ancient Orient(to appear in the near future under the auspices of the American School of Oriental Research at Bagdad and the American Council of Learned Societies).
SRT Chiera, Edward. Sumerian religious texts(Crozer Theological Seminary. Babylonian publications I; Upland, Pa., 1924).
STVC Chiera, Edward. Sumerian texts of varied contents(Oriental Institute publications XVI; Chicago, 1934).
TRS Genouillac, Henri de. Textes religieux sumiens du Louvre, Tomes I-II (Mus du Louvre, Department des antiquit orientales, Textes cunformes, Tomes XV-XVI; Paris, 1930).
U Joint Expedition of the British Museum and of the Museum of the University of Pennsylvania to Mesopotamia. Ur collection. (Followed by catalogue number.)
VS Staatliche Museen, Berlin. Vorderasiatische Schriftdenkmer(Leipzig, 1907--).
VS II Zimmern, Heinrich. Sumerische Kultlieder aus altbabylonischer Zeit, 1. Reihe (1912).
VS X Zimmern, Heinrich. Sumerische Kultlieder aus altbabylonischer Zeit, 2. Reihe (1913).
VAT Staatliche Museen, Berlin. Tontafelsammlung, Vorderasiatische Abteilung. (Followed by catalogue number.)
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