Many scholars during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries argued that ancient Israel simply borrowed most of its culture and religion from Babylonia. In this volume Clay counters that West Semitic cultures (the Amorites) were already a developed civilization before Israel came under Babylonian influence. Writing a decade before the discoveries of Ugarit and Mari, Clay noted that there were numerous clues to West Semitic cultures. While some of his arguments and conclusion are no longer tenable, this work retains its interest for its place in the discussion. Without directly referring to Clay, George Mendenhall affirms Clays fundamental point in this volume: from the MB Age on there was no region of the Levant that had not been influenced by the Amorite language and culture in various ways and various degrees. Their cultural and linguistic influence was a lasting one that is gradually coming to light, especially in the areas of religion and law (The Amorites, in 'Anchor Bible Dictionary').
ÒIn addition to the discussion of the cuneiform inscriptions in these lectures, which bear more particularly upon the Old Testament, several chapters have been included on life in ancient Babylonia. Besides facts published by others, these chapters include a presentation of certain discussions of general interest which I have published in a more technical form in the series: 'The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania.' These chapters, however, also contain much material that appears for the first time. -- from the Preface
The intention of Ancient Texts and Translations (ATT) is to make available a variety of ancient documents and document collections to a broad range of readers. The series will include reprints of long out-of- print volumes, revisions of earlier editions, and completely new volumes. The understanding of ancient societies depends upon our close reading of the documents, however fragmentary, that have survived. --K. C. Hanson Series Editor
The Gilgamesh Epic is the most notable literary product of Babylonia as yet discovered in the mounds of Mesopotamia." The Gilgamesh Epic recount the exploits and adventures of a favorite hero and become the medium of illustrating aspects of life and the destiny of mankind. This Sumerian poems may be regarded as a confirmation of the statement that there are various traditions of the deluge apart from the Biblical one, which is perhaps legendary like the rest. This text (dating (circa 2100 BC) is often regarded as the first great work of literature. While credit should be given to Dr. Langdon for having made this important tablet accessible, Dr Albert T. Cay has shown that attention be called to his failure to grasp the many important data furnished by the tablet, which escaped him because of his erroneous readings and faulty translations. This new edition contains their complete texts (footnotes and commentaries included): (1) An Old Babylonian Version of the Gilgamesh Epic-On the Basis of Recently Discovered Texts by Albert T. Clay and Morris Jastrow Jr. (2) The Epic of Gilgamesh-A Fragment of the Gilgamesh Legend in Old-Babylonian Cuneiform by Stephen Langdon. "Now with the tendency to attach to popular tales and nature myths lessons illustrative of current beliefs and aspirations, Gilgamesh's search for renewal of life is viewed as man's longing for eternal life. The sun-god's waning power after midsummer is past suggests man's growing weakness after the meridian of life has been left behind. Winter is death, and man longs to escape it. Gilgamesh's wanderings are used as illustration of this longing, and accordingly the search for life becomes also the quest for immortality. Can the precious boon of eternal life be achieved? Popular fancy created the figure of a favorite of the gods who had escaped a destructive deluge in which all mankind had perished. Gilgamesh hears of this favorite and determines to seek him out and learn from him the secret of eternal life. The deluge story, again a pure nature myth, symbolical of the rainy season which destroys all life in nature, is thus attached to the Epic. Gilgamesh after many adventures finds himself in the presence of the survivor of the Deluge who, although human, enjoys immortal life among the gods. He asks the survivor how he came to escape the common fate of mankind, and in reply Utnapishtim tells the story of the catastrophe that brought about universal destruction. The moral of the tale is obvious. Only those singled out by the special favor of the gods can hope to be removed to the distant "source of the streams" and live forever. The rest of mankind must face death as the end of life.
The intention of Ancient Texts and Translations (ATT) is to make available a variety of ancient documents and document collections to a broad range of readers. The series will include reprints of long out-of- print volumes, revisions of earlier editions, and completely new volumes. The understanding of ancient societies depends upon our close reading of the documents, however fragmentary, that have survived. --K. C. Hanson Series Editor
Many scholars during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries argued that ancient Israel simply borrowed most of its culture and religion from Babylonia. In this volume Clay counters that West Semitic cultures (the Amorites) were already a developed civilization before Israel came under Babylonian influence. Writing a decade before the discoveries of Ugarit and Mari, Clay noted that there were numerous clues to West Semitic cultures. While some of his arguments and conclusion are no longer tenable, this work retains its interest for its place in the discussion. Without directly referring to Clay, George Mendenhall affirms Clays fundamental point in this volume: from the MB Age on there was no region of the Levant that had not been influenced by the Amorite language and culture in various ways and various degrees. Their cultural and linguistic influence was a lasting one that is gradually coming to light, especially in the areas of religion and law (The Amorites, in 'Anchor Bible Dictionary').
The word Atrahasis means extra wise and refers to the earliest known name of Noah, who built an ark and saved mankind from destruction. This is that story, from ancient Sumeria, which many scholars believe was the original from which all known flood stories came from. This was the most popular story in the ancient world and has survived for over five thousand years. It is the only one that all cultures, worldwide, seem to share. Why? Was there really a great flood? And why do we not explore the oldest known version carefully for clues? That is the purpose of this book, which also includes a number of other interesting flood story fragments and documents.
This epic poem is the oldest known to exist in history, predating Homer's Iliad by about 1500 years. Gilgamesh, the hero, discovers he has godly blood, so sets out on a journey to the land of the gods in an attempt to gain entry. It is of ancient Sumerian origin, from the land called Mesopotamia. It is an important work for those studying ancient literature, history and mythology. This Babylonian version is one of the oldest known, if not the oldest. Later renditions are more common and seem to embellish the story, so this work is important for serious researchers. From the standpoint of literature alone, it is also an interesting tale that is enjoyable to read.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.