Early Assyriologists were lured to Babylonian studies by the light which cuneiform text shed on ancient history and the Bible, and for later scholars this is still the attraction. The Age of Discovery is not past, and one can still read literature that has been unseen by the eyes of man for millennia. There are myriads of tablets lying in the ancient ruins of Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey, waiting for the excavator's spade; in museums there are quantities of inscriptions that have not yet been made public.
These essays represent a summation of Piotr Steinkeller's decades-long thinking and writing about the history of third millennium BCE Babylonia and the ways in which it is reflected in ancient historical and literary sources and art, as well as of how these written and visual materials may be used by the modern historian to attain, if not a reliable record of histoire événementielle, a comprehensive picture of how the ancients understood their history. The book focuses on the history of early Babylonian kingship, as it evolved over a period from Late Uruk down to Old Babylonian times, and the impact of the concepts of kingship on contemporaneous history writing and visual art. Here comparisons are drawn between Babylonia and similar developments in ancient Egypt, China and Mesoamerica. Other issues treated is the intersection between history writing and the scholarly, lexical, and literary traditions in early Babylonia; and the question of how the modern historian should approach the study of ancient sources of "historical" nature. Such a broad and comprehensive overview is novel in Mesopotamian studies to date. As such, it should contribute to an improved and more nuanced understanding of early Babylonian history.
The collection 'Babylonian and Assyrian Literature' masterfully encapsulates the profound depths and varied expanse of ancient Mesopotamian cultural, religious, and literary traditions. With a rich assortment of epic poems, legal codes, hymns, and historical inscriptions, this anthology represents a wide gamut of literary styles, from the lyrically profound to the rigorously formal, showcasing the diversity and significance of the ancient Near East's written heritage. Standout pieces provide a glimpse into the soul of a civilization that has laid foundational stones for much of Western literature, highlighting themes of creation, morality, and the divine that continue to resonate today. Under the careful curation of Epiphanius Wilson, in concert with the presentation of anonymous ancient texts, the collection offers a bridge to the past, illuminating the literary and philosophical context of Babylonian and Assyrian societies. The contributing editor, Epiphanius Wilson, alongside the enigmatic voices of unknown authors, brings a collective expertise that spans the rich tapestry of Babylonian and Assyrian life. Their works, rooted in the historical and cultural movements of ancient Mesopotamia, forge a connection to the literary traditions that have informed and shaped human understanding for millennia. By aligning with significant literary and philosophical movements, this anthology offers readers a nuanced exploration of themes such as justice, power, and faith, through a compilation that transcends time and geography. 'Babylonian and Assyrian Literature' represents a unique scholarly endeavor, inviting readers into the heart of ancient wisdom and storytelling. It extends an unparalleled opportunity to delve into a world where every tablet and inscription offers a dialogue with the past, enriching our modern understanding of human culture and civilization. Scholars, students, and enthusiasts of ancient literatures will find in this collection a precious gateway to the complexities and beauties of Mesopotamian thought, making it an indispensable resource for those seeking to broaden their knowledge and engage in the profound dialogue between the ancient and contemporary worlds.
The first in a series of volumes publishing the Sumerian literary texts in the Schøyen Collection, this book makes available, for the first time, editions of seventeen cuneiform tablets, dating to ca. 2000 BCE and containing works of Sumerian religious poetry. Edited, translated, and annotated by Christopher Metcalf, these poems shed light on the interaction between cult, scholarship, and scribal culture in Mesopotamia in the early second millennium BCE. The present volume contains fourteen songs composed in praise of the various gods of the Mesopotamian pantheon; it is believed that these songs were typically performed in temple cults. Among them are a song in praise of Sud, goddess of the ancient Mesopotamian city Shuruppak; a song describing the statue of the protective goddess Lamma-saga in the “Sacred City” temple complex at Girsu; and a previously unknown hymn dedicated to the creator god Enki. Each text is provided in transliteration and translation and accompanied by hand-copies and images of the tablets themselves. Expertly contextualizing each song in Babylonian religious and literary history, this thoroughly competent editio princeps will prove a valuable tool for scholars interested in the literary and religious traditions of ancient Mesopotamia.
Shows how hundreds of thousands of clay tablets testify to the history of an ancient society that communicated broadly through letters to gods, insightful commentary, and sales receipts. This book includes many passages, offered in translation, that allow readers an illuminating glimpse into the lives of Babylonians.
In Babylonian studies 'Wisdom' is used to cover a group of texts similar in scope to the Biblical Wisdom books: discussions on the problem of suffering, teaching on the good life, fables or contest literature, and proverbs.
This book examines literary analogies in Christian and Jewish sources, culminating in an in-depth analysis of connections between Christian monastic texts and Babylonian Talmudic traditions.
In ancient Mesopotamia, men training to be scribes copied model letters in order to practice writing and familiarize themselves with epistolary forms and expressions. Similarly, model contracts were used to teach them how to draw up agreements for the transactions typical of everyday economic life. This volume makes available a trove of previously unknown tablets and fragments, now housed in the Shøyen Collection, that were produced in the training of scribes in Old Babylonian schools. Following on Old Babylonian Texts in the Schøyen Collection, Part One: Selected Letters, this volume publishes the contents of sixty-five tablets bearing Akkadian letters used to train scribes and twenty-six prisms and tablets carrying Sumerian legal texts copied in the same context. Each text is presented in transliterated form and in translation, with appropriate commentary and annotations and, at the end of the book, photographs of the cuneiform. The material is made easily navigable by a catalogue, bibliography, and indexes. This collection of previously unknown documents expands the extant corpus of educational texts, making an essential contribution to the study of the ancient world.
