Myths of Babylonia and Assyria

by Donald A. Mackenzie

MYTHS OF BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA

Donald A. Mackenzie

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Table of Contents

	[Preface]
	[Introduction]
I	[The Races and Early Civilization of Babylonia]
II	[The Land of Rivers and the God of the Deep]
III	[Rival Pantheons and Representative Deities]
IV	[Demons, Fairies, and Ghosts]
V	[Myths of Tammuz and Ishtar]
VI	[Wars of the City States of Sumer and Akkad]
VII	[Creation Legend: Merodach the Dragon Slayer]
VIII	[Deified Heroes: Etana and Gilgamesh]
IX	[Deluge Legend, the Island of the Blessed, and Hades]
X	[Buildings and Laws and Customs of Babylon]
XI	[The Golden Age of Babylonia]
XII	[Rise of the Hittites, Mitannians, Kassites, Hyksos, and Assyrians]
XIII	[Astrology and Astronomy]
XIV	[Ashur the National God of Assyria]
XV	[Conflicts for Trade and Supremacy]
XVI	[Race Movements that Shattered Empires]
XVII	[The Hebrews in Assyrian History]
XVIII	[The Age of Semiramis]
XIX	[Assyria's Age of Splendour]
XX	[The Last Days of Assyria and Babylonia]
	[Index]

List of Figures

1.	[TEMPTATION OF THE EA-BANI]
2.	[BABYLONIA AND ASSYRIA]
I.1.	[EXAMPLES OF RACIAL TYPES]
I.2.	[STATUE OF A ROYAL PERSONAGE OR OFFICIAL OF NON-SEMITIC ORIGIN]
III.1.	[WORSHIP OF THE MOON GOD]
III.2.	[WINGED MAN-HEADED LION]
IV.1.	[TWO FIGURES OF DEMONS]
IV.2.	[WINGED HUMAN-HEADED COW (?)]
V.1.	[ISHTAR IN HADES]
V.2.	[Female figure in adoration before a goddess]
V.3.	[The winged Ishtar above the rising sun god, the river god, and other deities]
V.4.	[Gilgamesh in conflict with bulls (see page 176)]
V.5.	[PLAQUE OF UR-NINA]
VI.1.	[SILVER VASE DEDICATED TO THE GOD NIN-GIRSU BY ENTEMENA]
VI.2.	[STELE OF NARAM SIN]
VII.1.	[STATUE OF GUDEA]
VII.2.	["THE SEVEN TABLETS OF CREATION"]
VII.3.	[MERODACH SETS FORTH TO ATTACK TIAMAT]
VIII.1.	[THE SLAYING OF THE BULL OF ISHTAR]
IX.1.	[THE BABYLONIAN DELUGE]
IX.2.	[SLIPPER-SHAPED COFFIN MADE OF GLAZED EARTHENWARE]
IX.3.	[STELE OF HAMMURABI, WITH "CODE OF LAWS"]
X.1.	[THE BABYLONIAN MARRIAGE MARKET]
XI.1.	[HAMMURABI RECEIVING THE "CODE OF LAWS" FROM THE SUN GOD]
XI.2.	[THE HORSE IN WARFARE]
XII.1.	[LETTER FROM TUSHRATTA, KING OF MITANNI, TO AMENHOTEP III, KING OF EGYPT]
XII.2.	[THE GOD NINIP AND ANOTHER DEITY]
XIII.1.	[SYMBOLS OF DEITIES AS ASTRONOMICAL SIGNS]
XIII.2.	[ASHUR SYMBOLS]
XIV.1.	[WINGED DEITIES KNEELING BESIDE A SACRED TREE]
XIV.2.	[EAGLE-HEADED WINGED DEITY (ASHUR)]
XVI.1.	[ASSYRIAN KING HUNTING LIONS]
XVI.2.	[TYRIAN GALLEY PUTTING OUT TO SEA]
XVII.1.	[STATUE OF ASHUR-NATSIR-PAL, WITH INSCRIPTIONS]
XVII.2.	[DETAILS FROM SECOND SIDE OF BLACK OBELISK OF SHALMANESER III]
XVIII.1.	[THE SHEPHERD FINDS THE BABE SEMIRAMIS]
XIX.1.	[STATUE OF NEBO]
XIX.2.	[TIGLATH-PLESSER IV IN HIS CHARIOT]
XIX.3.	[COLOSSAL WINGED AND HUMAN-HEADED BULL AND MYTHOLOGICAL BEING]
XIX.4.	[ASSAULT ON THE CITY OF ALAMMU (? JERUSALEM) BY THE ASSYRIANS UNDER SENNACHERIB]
XX.1.	[ASHUR-BANI-PAL RECLINING IN A BOWER]
XX.2.	[PERSIANS BRINGING CHARIOTS, RINGS, AND WREATHS]

Preface

This volume deals with the myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria, and as these reflect the civilization in which they developed, a historical narrative has been provided, beginning with the early Sumerian Age and concluding with the periods of the Persian and Grecian Empires. Over thirty centuries of human progress are thus passed under review.

During this vast interval of time the cultural influences emanating from the Tigro-Euphrates valley reached far-distant shores along the intersecting avenues of trade, and in consequence of the periodic and widespread migrations of peoples who had acquired directly or indirectly the leavening elements of Mesopotamian civilization. Even at the present day traces survive in Europe of the early cultural impress of the East; our "Signs of the Zodiac", for instance, as well as the system of measuring time and space by using 60 as a basic numeral for calculation, are inheritances from ancient Babylonia.