Monday, June 22, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
General Texts
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Texts
Adapa and the Food of Life — R.W. RogersThe Babylonian myth of Adapa, who was granted wisdom but denied eternal life, translated by R.W. Rogers from cuneiform tablets.Ancient Fragments — I.P. CoryIsaac Preston Cory's Ancient Fragments — the preserved writings of Sanchuniathon (Phoenician cosmogony), Berossus (Chaldean history), Manetho (Egyptian dynasties), and other ancient authors surviving only in Greek quotation. The primary source collection for ancient Near Eastern religions as known through classical intermediaries.Hymn to BabylonA newly discovered Babylonian hymn praising Marduk, the Esagil temple, and the city of Babylon — celebrating its people as protectors of orphans, liberators of prisoners, and welcomers of foreigners.Ishtar and Izdubar — Leonidas Le Cenci HamiltonLeonidas Le Cenci Hamilton's 1884 Victorian poetic rendering of the Gilgamesh saga, among the first English translations of the Babylonian epic.Myths of Babylonia and Assyria — Donald MackenzieDonald Mackenzie's 1915 survey of Babylonian and Assyrian mythology, religion, history, and culture, from the dawn of Sumerian civilization through the fall of the empires.The Chaldean Account of the Deluge — George SmithGeorge Smith's 1873 paper announcing the discovery of the Babylonian flood narrative from the cuneiform tablets of Nineveh, a landmark in Near Eastern archaeology.The Epic of Gilgamish — R. Campbell ThompsonR. Campbell Thompson's 1928 translation of the Epic of Gilgamish, rendered into English hexameters from a fresh collation of the cuneiform tablets in the British Museum.The Letter of Ilum-maAn Old Babylonian personal letter from a man in fear to his friend, asking Shamash whether he should die or live. From Sippar-Amnanum, circa 1800 BCE.The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria — Theophilus PinchesTheophilus Pinches' survey of the religion of Babylonia and Assyria, covering the pantheon, mythology, cosmology, and religious practices of ancient Mesopotamia.The Second Letter of Ilum-maA second Old Babylonian letter from Ilum-ma to his friends, pleading for counsel and safe passage to Sippar. From Sippar-Amnanum, circa 1800 BCE.