MYTHS OF BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA Donald A. Mackenzie
Table of Contents Preface Introduction
I The Races and Early Civilization of Babylonia II The Land of Rivers and the God of the Deep III Rival Pantheons and Representative Deities
IV Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts
V Myths of Tammuz and Ishtar
VI Wars of the City States of Sumer and Akkad VII Creation Legend: Merodach the Dragon Slayer VIII Deified Heroes: Etana and Gilgamesh
IX Deluge Legend, the Island of the Blessed, and Hades
X Buildings and Laws and Customs of Babylon
XI The Golden Age of Babylonia
XII Rise of the Hittites, Mitannians, Kassites, Hyksos, and Assyrians
XIII Astrology and Astronomy
XIV Ashur the National God of Assyria
XV Conflicts for Trade and Supremacy
XVI Race Movements that Shattered Empires
XVII The Hebrews in Assyrian History
XVIII The Age of Semiramis
XIX Assyria's Age of Splendour
XX The Last Days of Assyria and Babylonia
Index
List of Figures
1. TEMPTATION OF THE EA-BANI
2. BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA
I.1. EXAMPLES OF RACIAL TYPES
I.2. STATUE OF A ROYAL PERSONAGE OR OFFICIAL OF NON-SEMITIC ORIGIN III.1. WORSHIP OF THE MOON GOD
III.2. WINGED MAN-HEADED LION IV.1. TWO FIGURES OF DEMONS
IV.2. WINGED HUMAN-HEADED COW (?) V.1. ISHTAR IN HADES
V.2. Female figure in adoration before a goddess
V.3. The winged Ishtar above the rising sun god, the river god, and other deities
V.4. Gilgamesh in conflict with bulls (see page 176)
V.5. PLAQUE OF UR-NINA
VI.1. SILVER VASE DEDICATED TO THE GOD NIN-GIRSU BY ENTEMENA VI.2. STELE OF NARAM SIN
VII.1. STATUE OF GUDEA
VII.2. "THE SEVEN TABLETS OF CREATION"
VII.3. MERODACH SETS FORTH TO ATTACK TIAMAT VIII.1. THE SLAYING OF THE BULL OF ISHTAR
IX.1. THE BABYLONIAN DELUGE
IX.2. SLIPPER-SHAPED COFFIN MADE OF GLAZED EARTHENWARE IX.3. STELE OF HAMMURABI, WITH "CODE OF LAWS"
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X.1. THE BABYLONIAN MARRIAGE MARKET
XI.1. HAMMURABI RECEIVING THE "CODE OF LAWS" FROM THE SUN GOD XI.2. THE HORSE IN WARFARE
XII.1. LETTER FROM TUSHRATTA, KING OF MITANNI, TO AMENHOTEP III, KING OF EGYPT XII.2. THE GOD NINIP AND ANOTHER DEITY
XIII.1. SYMBOLS OF DEITIES AS ASTRONOMICAL SIGNS XIII.2. ASHUR SYMBOLS
XIV.1. WINGED DEITIES KNEELING BESIDE A SACRED TREE XIV.2. EAGLE-HEADED WINGED DEITY (ASHUR)
XVI.1. ASSYRIAN KING HUNTING LIONS
XVI.2. TYRIAN GALLEY PUTTING OUT TO SEA
XVII.1. STATUE OF ASHUR-NATSIR-PAL, WITH INSCRIPTIONS
XVII.2. DETAILS FROM SECOND SIDE OF BLACK OBELISK OF SHALMANESER III XVIII.1. THE SHEPHERD FINDS THE BABE SEMIRAMIS
XIX.1. STATUE OF NEBO
XIX.2. TIGLATH-PLESSER IV IN HIS CHARIOT
XIX.3. COLOSSAL WINGED AND HUMAN-HEADED BULL AND MYTHOLOGICAL BEING
XIX.4. ASSAULT ON THE CITY OF ALAMMU (? JERUSALEM) BY THE ASSYRIANS UNDER SENNACHERIB XX.1. ASHUR-BANI-PAL RECLINING IN A BOWER
XX.2. PERSIANS BRINGING CHARIOTS, RINGS, AND WREATHS Preface
This volume deals with the myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria, and as these reflect the civilization in which they developed, a historical narrative has been provided, beginning with the early Sumerian Age and concluding with the periods of the Persian and Grecian Empires. Over thirty centuries of human progress are thus passed under review.
During this vast interval of time the cultural influences emanating from the Tigro-Euphrates valley reached far-distant shores along the intersecting avenues of trade, and in consequence of the periodic and widespread migrations of peoples who had acquired directly or indirectly the leavening elements of Mesopotamian civilization. Even at the present day traces survive in Europe of the early cultural impress of the East; our "Signs of the Zodiac", for instance, as well as the system of measuring time and space by us-ing 60 as a basic numeral for calculation, are inheritances from ancient Babylonia.
As in the Nile Valley, however, it is impossible to trace in Mesopotamia the initiatory stages of prehistoric culture based on the agricultural mode of life. What is generally called the "Dawn of History" is really the beginning of a later age of progress; it is necessary to account for the degree of civilization attained at the earliest period of which we have knowledge by postulating a remoter age of culture of much longer duration than that which separates the "Dawn" from the age in which we now live. Although Sumerian (early Babylonian) civilization presents distinctively local features which justify the application of the term "indigenous" in the broad sense, it is found, like that of Egypt, to be possessed of certain elements which suggest exceedingly remote influences and connections at present obscure. Of special interest in this regard is Professor Budge's mature and well-deliberated conclusion that "both the Sumerians and early Egyptians derived their primeval gods from some common but exceedingly ancient source". The prehistoric burial customs of these separate peoples are also remarkably similar and they resemble closely in turn those of the Neolithic Europeans. The cumulative effect of such evidence forces us to regard as not wholly satisfactory and conclusive the hypothesis of cultural influence. A remote racial connection is possible, and is certainly worthy of consideration when so high an authority as Professor Frazer, author of The Golden Bough, is found prepared to admit that the widespread "homogeneity of beliefs" may have been due to "homogeneity of race". It is shown (Chapter 1) that certain ethnologists have accumulated data which establish a racial kinship between the Neolithic Europeans, the proto-Egyptians, the Sumerians, the southern Persians, and the Aryo-Indians.
Throughout this volume comparative notes have been compiled in dealing with Mesopotamian beliefs with purpose to assist the reader towards the study of linking myths and legends. Interesting parallels have been gleaned from various religious literatures
in Europe, Egypt, India, and elsewhere. It will be found that certain relics of Babylonian intellectual life, which have a distinctive geographical significance, were shared by peoples in other cultural areas where they were similarly overlaid with local colour. Modes of thought were the products of modes of life and were influenced in their development by human experiences. The influence of environment on the growth of culture has long been recognized, but consideration must also be given to the choice of environment by peoples who had adopted distinctive habits of life. Racial units migrated from cultural areas to districts suitable for colonization and carried with them a heritage of immemorial beliefs and customs which were regarded as being quite as indispensable for their welfare as their implements and domesticated animals.
When consideration is given in this connection to the conservative element in primitive religion, it is not surprising to find that the
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growth of religious myths was not so spontaneous in early civilizations of the highest order as has hitherto been assumed. It seems clear that in each great local mythology we have to deal, in the first place, not with symbolized ideas so much as symbolized folk beliefs of remote antiquity and, to a certain degree, of common inheritance. It may not be found possible to arrive at a conclusive solution of the most widespread, and therefore the most ancient folk myths, such as, for instance, the Dragon Myth, or the myth
of the culture hero. Nor, perhaps, is it necessary that we should concern ourselves greatly regarding the