Chapter 05 · 2000 – 1600 BCE
Old Babylonian
Hammurabi, the Epic of Gilgamesh, mathematics.
~1800 BCE · Multiple manuscripts across collections; see ETCSL bibliography for witnesses
An adab to An for Ur-Ninurta (Ur-Ninurta E)
In plain English
An, the most powerful among the gods, laid his hand on Ur-Ninurta and fixed a great destiny for him. Ranging alone to the edges of foreign lands, Ur-Ninurta serves as guardian of the Anuna gods, seizing all the great divine powers and planting his feet on their multitude. An himself — the wise god, the prince who determines destiny — spoke directly to Ur-Ninurta and made him the mightiest ruler in the Land. What An then bestowed upon him is lost; the text breaks off at that point.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“An the powerful, great among the gods, An the respected, brilliantly manifest god! In fixing a great fate for the king, An has laid his hand truly upon Ur-Ninurta. barsud. As he passes, alone, as far as the border of the foreign lands, he is indeed the guardian of the Anuna. He seizes all the great divine powers, and places his feet upon the numerous divine powers. The very wise god, the prince who decides destiny, has truly spoken to him; An has truly spoken to Ur-Ninurta. He has made him the mightiest in the Land; An has made Ur-Ninurta the mightiest in the Land. He has bestowed upon…”
Source: ETCSL c.2.5.6.5: An adab to An for Ur-Ninurta (Ur-Ninurta E). Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.2.5.6.5
Read the full tablet entry~1800 BCE · Multiple manuscripts across collections; see ETCSL bibliography for witnesses
An adab to Bau for Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan B)
In plain English
Bau is addressed as a lady filled with terror and majesty, her greatness acknowledged in heaven and on earth. She is mother, warrior, and powerful goddess who masters the divine powers perfectly — wise and knowledgeable from the moment of her birth. As a daughter of An, she is eloquent and holds everything in her hands; she is the great healer of humanity, keeping people alive and bringing them into the world. She is also Cuhalbi, incantation priestess of the multitudes, and the merciful, compassionate lady of justice. Several phrases in this passage are too damaged to read.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Lady, imbued with fearsomeness, whose greatness is recognised in heaven and on earth, perfect in nobility! Mother Bau, foremost among ladies, warrior ......! Powerful goddess, who perfectly controls the august divine powers, proud one, ...... great intelligence! ......, true woman, wise lady who has been made knowledgeable from birth! Daughter of An, expert, eloquent, who holds everything in her hand! Lady, great doctor of the black-headed people, who keeps people alive, and brings them to birth. Cuhalbi, incantation priestess of the numerous people, ......! Merciful, compassionate one of the Land, lady of justice!”
Source: ETCSL c.2.5.4.02: An adab to Bau for Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan B). Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.2.5.4.02
Read the full tablet entry~1800 BCE · Multiple manuscripts across collections; see ETCSL bibliography for witnesses
An adab to Bau for Luma
In plain English
An chose Bau in his holy heart, across the great sky and the great earth, and declared her worthy to be lady of the Land. From the shining E-kur, Enlil looked on her with favour — on this young woman, this mother Bau — and made her the perfect match for lord Ninjirsu. The passage then turns to the E-tarsirsir, a temple founded for her, but the text breaks off there.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Child of An, he has chosen you in his holy heart in the great sky and on the great earth and made you worthy of the ladyship of the Land. Bau, child of An, he has chosen you in his holy heart in the great sky and on the great earth and made you worthy of the ladyship of the Land. Enlil has looked at you with favour, young woman, mother Bau, from the shining E-kur, and made you eminently fit for lord Ninjirsu. The Great Mountain Enlil has looked at you with favour, young woman, mother Bau, from the shining E-kur and made you eminently fit for lord Ninjirsu. In the E-tarsirsir, founded for you…”
Source: ETCSL c.2.3.1: An adab to Bau for Luma. Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.2.3.1
Read the full tablet entry~1800 BCE · Multiple manuscripts across collections; see ETCSL bibliography for witnesses
An adab to Dagan (?) for Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan U)
In plain English
The poem opens inside the E-kur temple, where the great gods raise their hands toward someone — the surface is too damaged to read the full scene — and prays for a pleasant life and a good reign. Ishme-Dagan, son of Enlil, is celebrated in the Egal-mah, his ladylike house, and is compared to a shining-branched mec tree. Two lines are fragmentary, then the brick-built E-kur and a section called the Sa-jara are mentioned. Dagan, described as the august lord who holds the divine powers of heaven and earth, has clothed the shepherd Ishme-Dagan, son of Enlil, in a royal garment, and has chosen him as the chosen one in the Land — though the closing lines break off before the thought is complete.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“In the E-kur, the house ....... The great gods ...... to your upraised hands. ...... holy lap for your exceedingly pleasant life. ...... for its good reign ....... Icme-Dagan, the son of Enlil ....... ...... joy (?) in the Egal-mah, your ladylike house. ...... the prince ...... mec tree with shining branches ....... ...... to make his life pleasant ...... Icme-Dagan ....... ...... holy ...... the child of An ....... 2 lines fragmentary ...... brick-built E-kur ....... Sa-jara. Dagan, you have ...... the shepherd Icme-Dagan, the son of Enlil, with a royal garment. Jicgijal of the sa-jara. The lofty lord, ...... the divine powers of heaven and the divine powers of the earth; Dagan, the august lord, ...... the divine powers of heaven and the divine powers of the earth. He has chosen Icme-Dagan in the Land, he .......”
Source: ETCSL c.2.5.4.21: An adab to Dagan (?) for Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan U). Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.2.5.4.21
Read the full tablet entry~1800 BCE · Multiple manuscripts across collections; see ETCSL bibliography for witnesses
An adab to Enki for Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan D)
In plain English
Enki is addressed as a great lord whose judgments are both clever and powerful — the supreme dragon who fixes fates and sits enthroned over countless divine powers in brilliant splendor. He is guardian of the gods and respected heir of holy An. Two lines survive only in fragments. The fates he sets are unalterable; he is called the junior Enlil and distributes divine powers among the great Anuna gods, establishing their holy dwelling places as their proud lord. His greatness is beyond approach — the rest of that line is damaged — and he presides over the pure abzu, the mountain built from princely divine powers: the sacred city of Eridu, a shrine spreading across vast marshes thick with snakes.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Great lord, prominent (?) among the gods, your judgments are clever and powerful! Father Enki, respected one, supreme dragon, who determines the fates firmly, who has taken his seat upon the numerous divine powers in colourful brilliance (?), great prince, the guardian of the gods, ...... of holy An! 2 lines fragmentary The fates you determine are firm; you are the junior Enlil. You (?) distribute the divine powers for the Anuna, the great gods. You establish for them a habitation, a holy dwelling place; you are their proud lord. Your greatness is unapproachable ....... You (?) ...... in a pure place the abzu, the mountain built with princely divine powers; ...... Eridug, the shrine, which extends over huge marshes, marshes of snakes.”
Source: ETCSL c.2.5.4.04: An adab to Enki for Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan D). Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.2.5.4.04
Read the full tablet entry~1800 BCE · Multiple manuscripts across collections; see ETCSL bibliography for witnesses
An adab to Enlil for Bur-Suen (Bur-Suen B)
In plain English
Someone — the name or epithet is lost — surpasses heaven and earth alone, stands prominent among the Anuna gods, and speaks words that cannot be overturned. This is Nunamnir, whose decisions no one can change, who sits in terrifying majesty as the foremost among the Great Princes, enthroned in the shrine of Nippur, in Dur-an-ki, in the E-kur temple where fates are decided. When mother Ninlil, equal in rank to the Great Mountain, embraces him, a voice says to someone — the surface is too damaged to read who speaks or who is addressed — that someone has been chosen. An unknown number of lines are then lost entirely.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“...... who alone surpasses heaven and earth, the exalted one, prominent among the Anuna gods, whose utterances cannot be overturned! Nunamnir, whose decisions cannot be altered, proud one imbued with terrifying awesomeness, who alone is exalted (1 ms. has instead: who alone is eminent, the foremost one) among the Great Princes, has taken his seat in the shrine of Nibru, in Dur-an-ki, in E-kur, the temple where the fates are determined, in the holy shining temple. When mother Ninlil, who is equal in rank with the Great Mountain, embraces him ......, ...... says to ......: "...... chosen in the heart by ......." unknown no. of lines missing”
Source: ETCSL c.2.5.7.2: An adab to Enlil for Bur-Suen (Bur-Suen B). Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.2.5.7.2
Read the full tablet entry~1800 BCE · Multiple manuscripts across collections; see ETCSL bibliography for witnesses
An adab to Enlil for Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan H)
In plain English
Father Enlil — Nunamnir, prince among the gods, enthroned over all divine powers and lord of just decrees — has made his fearsome authority known across heaven and earth. He set the gods of heaven in their places and gave them auspicious names. One line survives only in fragments. The great gods of the Anuna array themselves before him, attending closely to his holy words and solemn pronouncements. Nunamnir alone stands supreme over the whole of heaven and earth, and the text names him an august shackle binding all the lands — though the surrounding lines are too damaged to read in full.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“...... the prince of gods ...... seated upon all the divine powers, Nunamnir, the lord of just decrees, who possesses fully the great divine powers, father Enlil, made your fearsomeness manifest in heaven and on the earth. He made the gods of heaven stand by in heaven (?), and gave them (?) auspicious names. ...... its king ....... 1 line fragmentary The Anuna, its great gods, line up before you. Enlil, they pay attention to your holy words and august statements. Nunamnir, you alone are elevated in the entirety of heaven and earth. ...... of the Anuna gods, august shackle on all the lands,…”
Source: ETCSL c.2.5.4.08: An adab to Enlil for Ishme-Dagan (Ishme-Dagan H). Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.2.5.4.08
Read the full tablet entry~1800 BCE · Multiple manuscripts across collections; see ETCSL bibliography for witnesses
An adab to Enlil for Shulgi (Shulgi G)
In plain English
Enlil is the supreme lord whose word can be trusted — the eternal shepherd of the Land, Nunamnir, born of the great mountain. He is the great counsellor, first among all the gods of heaven and earth, master of every divine power, clothed in a fearsomeness befitting his rank, sole guardian of the most ancient and sacred powers. He is the life-giving light that guides all people across the world along a single path, a vast net cast over heaven and earth, a rope stretched across every land. No one has ever instructed Enlil; no one has ever matched him.
AI-generated reading paraphrase; compare with the translation below.
“Enlil, the eminent one, the sovereign lord, whose utterance is trustworthy; Nunamnir, the eternal shepherd of the Land, who hails from the great mountain; the great counsellor, the first and foremost in heaven and on earth, who is in control of all the divine powers; lord, who is imbued with great fearsomeness in accordance with his nobility, a perfected heavenly star, who takes good care of the primeval and choice divine powers, who alone is the lofty god; lord, life-giving light, who leads the people all over the world along one track; huge net spread over heaven and earth, rope stretched over all the lands! Who ever instructed Enlil, who ever rivalled him?”
Source: ETCSL c.2.4.2.07: An adab to Enlil for Shulgi (Shulgi G). Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E. & Zólyomi, G. (eds.), The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford. https://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=c.2.4.2.07
Read the full tablet entry