Epics of Sumerian Kings: The Matter of ArattaEpics of Sumerian Kings presents for the first time both the authoritative Sumerian text and an elegant English translation of four key epics from the Sumerian literary canon. These epics, the earliest known in any language, revolve around the conflict between the cities of Uruk (biblical Erech) in ancient Iraq and Aratta in neighboring Iran. Of special interest is “Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta,” which contains the story of the confounding of human language, often cited as a source of the biblical tower of Babel narrative, as well as the Sumerians’ own account of the invention of cuneiform writing. In addition to providing English translations of the epics, Vanstiphout discusses their intellectual and cultural context, their poetics and meaning, and the significance of the epic cycle as a whole. The volume will interest scholars and students of Assyriology and the ancient Near East, biblical scholars, and general readers and will be a valuable text for courses on ancient Near Eastern literature or history. |
Contents
1 | |
Enmerkar and Ensuhgirana | 23 |
Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta | 49 |
The Lugalbanda Poems | 97 |
Bibliography | 167 |
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Common terms and phrases
a-gin a-na Abzu Akkadian amar-bi an-na Anuna Anzud anzudmusen-de arattaki arattaki-as back to Kulab battle bird Brickwork brothers challenge contest COUNTERCHALLENGE den-lil digir dinana-ke dumu Dumuzid dutu e-ne Eana Edited en-me-er-kar Enki Enlil Enmerkar Ensuhgirana Ereš Eridug gal-gal Gilgamesh Gipar giri gisma gismes goat goddess gods Hamazi heaven hero highlands Holy Inana Holy Lugalbanda hur-ru-um hur-sag hur-sag-ga Inana inim ki-a ki-se king kug-sig kur-gi kur-ra kur-ra-ka lapis lazuli lines lord of Aratta lord of Kulab lugal lugal-ban lugal-mu Lugalbanda Lugalbanda poems magic me-a messenger mountain cave mu-na-ab musen na4za-gin nam-me nest Ninhursag Ninkasi Ninlil Nippur Nisaba nu-zu Nudimmud rulers scepter shrine solution sorcerer Spell of Nudimmud story Suen Sumer Sumerian tablets translations ud-ba Unug Unug to Aratta unugki-ga Vanstiphout VOYAGE Wise Woman Sagburu
Popular passages
Page viii - ... tales, and administrative records, to mention but a few. The preparation of this volume was supported in part by a generous grant from the Division of Research Programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Significant funding has also been made available by the Society of Biblical Literature. In addition, those involved in preparing this volume have received financial and clerical assistance from their respective institutions. Were it not for these expressions of confidence in our work,...
Page vii - Series Editor's Foreword Writings from the Ancient World is designed to provide up-to-date, readable, English translations of writings recovered from the ancient Near East. The series is intended to serve the interests of general readers, students, and educators who wish to explore the ancient Near Eastern roots of Western civilization, or compare these earliest written expressions of human thought and activity with writings from other parts of the world. It should also be useful to scholars in the...
Page vii - ... chronological tables, they aim to provide the essential information for an appreciation of these ancient documents. Covering the period from the invention of writing (by 3000 BCE) down to the conquests of Alexander the Great (ca. 330 BCE). the ancient Near East comprised northeast Africa and southwest Asia. The cultures represented within these limits include especially Egyptian, Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hittite, Ugaritic, Aramean, Phoenician, and Israelite. It is hoped that Writings from...
Page ix - Journal of the American Oriental Society Journal of Cuneiform Studies Journal of...
Page vii - ... comparative purposes. Specialists in particular areas of the ancient Near East who need access to texts in the scripts and languages of other areas will also find these translations helpful. Given the wide range of materials translated in the series, different volumes will appeal to different interests. But these translations make available to all readers of English the world's earliest traditions as well as valuable sources of information on daily life, history, religion, etc. in the preclassical...
Page 3 - ... presence at Holy Communion. With these the belief in the resurrection of the flesh, the immortality of the soul and life in a Hereafter, heaven, hell and purgatory as well as in a Second Coming are also fading. Modern man does not listen for the sound of the ArchAngel Gabriel's trumpet, heralding the cosmic battle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness, nor does he get excited at the prospect of the final victory over the Anti-Christ and the glorious moment when all the faithful,...