the stars, the planets, and the moon to rule the night, with its sabbath-rest in the middle of the month. The sixth tablet records the creation of man with the help of Merodach's own blood, but there is much that is wanting at this point, and it is probable that numerous other acts of creation on his part will be found recorded when we have the legend complete. The seventh tablet contains a list of the glorious names conferred upon him. Many of these are of a mystic nature, and one seems to refer to the creation of mankind as having for its object the redemption of the rebellious followers of Tiawath.

Such is, in short, an outline of this remarkable compositiona composition full of poetry, if we could only translate it worthily, like the Hebrew Bible or the classics of Greece and Rome. It is a legend complete in itself, intended, apparently, to teach definite doctrines-the twofold principle of the universe; the origin of the gods, by evolution, from that chaotic twofold principle; its defeat, in the person of Tiawath, Kingu, and their followers, by Merodach, their descendant; the ordering of the world and the creation of mankind to be the "redeemers," so to say, of the rebellious gods; and the reign of Merodach evermore as king of the gods and divine head of the Babylonian people-even as Yahwah was the heavenly king of Israel. Whether the monotheistic idea is intended in the seventh tablet, or not, is uncertain, but it may be noted that the giving of their names, by the gods, to Merodach, identified them with him, and it is in this way that they became his manifestations, as indicated by the tablet published by me in the Journal of this Institute, in 1895.

Another story of the Creation, unfortunately incomplete, is a comparatively short one; but that, too, has for its theme the glorification of Merodach. This is the now well-known bilingual version, prefixed to an incantation for the purification and hallowing of the great temple of Nebo at Borsippa-E-zida, "the everlasting house." This does not describe the creation of the heavens and the earth, and has no mention of Tiawath and Apsû as personages, but simply states that (in the beginning) nothing existed-neither the glorious house of the gods (the heavens), nor a plant, nor a tree, nor a brick, nor a beam, nor a house, nor a city, nor a community. Niffer and its temple, Erech and its temple, the Abyss and the sacred city Êridu, had not been constructed, but

The whole of the lands were sea.

When, however, movement came into that sea, Êridu and

Ê-sagila, "the house of head-raising" within the Abyss, and Babylon with the Ê-sagila there, were built and completed, and the gods and the Anunnaki, or spirits of the great waters, were created. Merodach then dammed back the waters and made a foundation-the tract wherein Babylonia lay, that the gods. might dwell in a pleasant place the land of their temples and their worship.

Then, as the most important thing, he made mankind, and the goddess Aruru-the "mother-goddess," whom we shall meet with farther on under various names-made the seed of mankind with him. He made likewise the beasts of the field and the living creatures of the desert, and he set the Tigris and the Euphrates in their place—“ Well proclaimed he their name." After this he produced the plants, the verdure of the plain; lands, marsh, thicket, cattle, plantations and forests; and wild animals, typified by the wild goats. Lastly he made everything which had not yet been brought into being-the plant and the tree; the brick and the beam; the house, the city, and the community; Niffer, Erech, and their temples.

Here the text breaks off, which is exceedingly unfortunate, as we should all like to know how this story of the Creation formed the introduction to the incantation of which the end is given on the reverse. Were it complete, there is every probability that we should see the plan upon which it was written, and the principle underlying it. Naturally it is less important than the longer Semitic story of the Creation, the more especially so in that its great value lay, seemingly, in the magic power attached to the story, to its words, and its phraseology. But perhaps many would regard it as more important on this

account.

Coming to the best-known Flood-story-that first translated by the late George Smith, we find here something so wonderfully like that given in the sixth and two following chapters of Genesis, that we recognize at once the identity of the two accounts, notwithstanding their many variations. Let us go over the main features of this narrative.

The hero Gilgameš, king of Erech, had lost Enki-du, his dear friend and companion, and desired to bring him back from the abode of the dead. To all appearance, moreover, Gilgameš was suffering from some dire malady, for which he wished to find a cure. In his wanderings, he reaches the place where dwelt Ut-napišti, otherwise Athira-basis, the Babylonian Noah, who had attained to immortality, like the Biblical Enoch, without passing the gates of death. Gilgameš asks Ut-napišti" how he

had attained life in the assembly of the gods. In reply, Ut-napišti relates to him the story of the Flood.

It was in the city of Surippak, an old foundation, that the gods decided to bring about this catastrophe. The gods in question were Anu, Ellila, Ninip, and En-nu-gi. Nin-igi-azaga, "the bright-eyed lord," came to know of it, and communicated the gods' decision to the earth and to the Babylonian Noah himself. The "lord of the bright Eye," who is none other than the god Ea, tells him to build a ship, and convey therein all the seed of life. In answer to enquiries, he was to say that he quitted the country because the god Ellila hated him, and he could not dwell in that land-he was going down to the Abyss to take up his abode with Êa or Aa, his lord.

The ship having been built and provisioned, Ut-napištim took into it all he possessed, with the seed of life, his family, and his relations. To these were added the beasts of the field, and apparently the artificers who had helped him to build the ship. After the sun-god had fixed the time, the navigation of the ship was given into the hands of Buzur-Amurri, the pilot.

Then came the storm, with thunder and lightning, and great darkness, so that people could not see each other. Hadad's destruction, which reached to heaven, terrified even the gods. The goddesses, however, were filled, seemingly, with pity, for Istar spake like a mother," or, as the variant says, "with loud voice"; and the "lady of the gods," the mother-goddess Maḥ, called out, making her voice resound, probably in lamentation. When she consented to the destruction of her people-such, apparently, is what is meant by the goddess having "spoken evil" in the Assembly of the gods-she spoke of their destruction in battle, not in the raging waters, which destroyed all alike, and where, comparable with fishes, they filled the sea. For six days the storm raged, and on the seventh it ceased: the raging flood quieted down, and the sea shrank back. Opening his window, the light fell upon Ut-napištim's face, and he sank back dazzled, as it were, and sitting down, he wept, apparently at the destruction which had been wrought. The ship had been stopped by the mountain of Nişir, and there it remained for seven days. On that day he sent forth a dove, which, finding no resting-place, returned. A swallow was next sent out, with the same result. The third and last attempt to find out the state of the earth was made by sending forth a raven, and this bird, seeing the rushing of the waters, which left the land dry, ate, wading, and croaking joyfully at the contemplation of such a feast and the many others which

promised to follow it. Ut-napištim then sent forth to the four winds, and pouring out a libation, made an offering on the mountain-peak; and the gods, gathering like flies over the sacrificer, found gratification that divine service was held in their honour again. Then the mother-goddess Mah came, and raising the "great signets "* which Anu had made for her, swore by the lapis-stone of her neck that she would not forget these days. All the gods were to come to the sacrifice except Ellila, who had made a flood, and consigned her people to destruction. Ellila, however, when he came, was angry that mankind had escaped total destruction, but Êa argues with him, reproaching him with having sent the flood without due consideration. If it were needful to punish mankind, let it be by wild animals (the lion and the hyæna), by famine, or by the god Ura (pestilence). As for himself, he had not revealed to Atra-hasis the decision of the great gods-he had caused him to see a dream, and the princely patriarch had thus gained knowledge of their decision. Then Ea went up into the ship, and led the patriarch up with his wife, and having touched them, he blessed them, saying: "Formerly Ut-napišti" was a man-now let him and his wife be like unto us gods, and dwell afar at the mouths of the rivers." So Ut-napištim was taken and placed afar at the mouths of the rivers.

The patriarch, having completed his narrative, gives instructions for the restoration of Gilgameš' health, and how he might see the life-eternal life, it may be supposed, like that of Ut-napištim himself-which he sought.

Such is an outline of this interesting legend, the likeness of whose details with the account in Genesis has been recognized from the first. With regard to the variant versions of the story, there is no need for me to touch upon them here. As far as we know them, they are much too fragmentary to make analysis profitable. That of which a very small piece was discovered by George Smith at Kouyunjik, details the command to build and enter the ship, and Atrahasis' reply. This narrative is told, not in the first, but in the third person. A fragment of an archaic tablet with another version (apparently) was discovered and translated by Father V. Scheil some years ago, and now forms part of the Pierpont Morgan Collection; and a fragment of a fourth tablet, also archaic, was discovered by Professor Hilprecht, and described by me in the Journal of this Institute for 1911. This also gives the god's instructions for the

* Or perhaps, "rings," meaning the rainbow.

building of the ship, and is in the Semitic language of Babylonia. It is regarded as being, in the fragments of lines preserved, more like the Biblical version than any of the others. THE NON-SEMITIC ACCOUNT OF THE CREATION AND THE FLOOD FROM NIFFER (identified with the Calneh of Genesis x, 9).

In April last year, I had the pleasure of giving an account of the new story of the Creation and the Flood, as outlined by Dr. Arno Poebel in the Pennsylvania Museum Journal for June, 1913 (see the Journal of this Institute for 1914, lecture read on April 14th). As the same scholar has now given, in the official publication of the Pennsylvania University Museum, the text of this document, with a full translation and very complete commentary, I am able to treat of the inscription much more satisfactorily.

The tablet is described as being 5 inches (143 centimetres) wide by 7 inches (17.8 centimetres) high. About a third of the original text has been preserved to us. Each side has three columns, and as the existing portion is the lower part of the obverse and the upper part of the reverse, both the beginning and the end are wanting, as well as two-thirds of the matter between columns one and two, two and three, four and five, and five and six. It is thought that further fragments belonging to the text may ultimately be found, either at Philadelphia or at Constantinople, where other tablets of the same collection lie. Besides the wanting portions, there are several places where the text is defaced, but, as was to be expected in the case of such an important religious inscription, it has seemingly been very carefully written.

In the first column a goddess, either Nin-tu, the “lady of reproduction," or Nin-hursaga, "the lady of the mountain," speaks of the destruction of mankind, which she apparently wishes to discuss, as well as the question of her creation in general. The people, however, were seemingly to return to their settlements (ki-ura-bi-ta), and were to rebuild the cities (uru-ki-me-a-bi himmindu), and unite under their (the gods') protection. They were to lay the brickwork of (the gods') houses in a pure locality, and in such a place were the gods' vessels to be fashioned (?). The foundation-stones or bricks were to be "set aright" by fire, and the divine law was to be perfected therein. At this point comes the doubtful phrase kia immalgu diga muningar, and then we have the statement that Ana-Enlila, Enki, and the goddess Nin-bursaga had created the black-headed ones (mankind, especially the people