The Chaldean account of Genesis

by George Smith

It is extremely unfortunate that the legend of the Creation in days has reached us in so fragmentary a condition. It is evident, however, that in its present form it is of Assyrian, not of Babylonian, origin, and was probably composed in the time of Assur-bani-pal. It breathes throughout the spirit of a later age, its language and style show no traces of an Accadian original, and the colophon at the end implies by its silence that it was not a copy of an older document. No doubt the story itself was an ancient one; the number seven was a sacred number among the Accadians, who invented the week of seven days, and kept a seventhday Sabbath, and excavations in Babylonia may yet bring to light the early Chaldean form of the legend. But this we do not at present possess.

So far as the fragments can be arranged, they seem to observe the following order:—

• 1. Part of the first tablet, giving an account of the Chaos and the generation of the gods.
• 2. Fragment of subsequent tablet, perhaps the second on the foundation of the deep.
• 3. Fragment of tablet placed here with great doubt, possibly referring to the creation of land.
• 4. Part of the fifth tablet, recording the creation of the heavenly bodies.
• 5. Fragment of the seventh? tablet, recording the creation of land animals.

These fragments indicate that the series included at least seven tablets, the writing on each tablet being in one column on the front and back, and probably including over one hundred lines of text.

The first fragment in the story is the upper part of the first tablet, giving the description of the void or chaos, and part of the generation of the gods. The translation is as follows:

• 1. At that time above, the heaven was unnamed:
• 2. below the earth by name was unrecorded;
• 3. the boundless deep also (was) their generator.
• 4. The chaos of the sea was she who bore the whole of them.
• 5. Their waters were collected together in one place, and
• 6. the flowering reed was not gathered, the marsh-plant was not grown.
• 7. At that time the gods had not been produced, any one of them;
• 8. By name they had not been called, destiny was not fixed.
• 9. Were made also the (great) gods,
• 10. the gods Lakhmu and Lakhamu were produced (the first), and
• 11. to growth they ........
• 12. the gods Sar and Kisar were made next.
• 13. The days were long; a long (time passed), (and)
• 14. the gods Anu (Bel and Hea were born of)
• 15. the gods Sar and (Kisar).......

On the reverse of this tablet there are only fragments of the eight lines of colophon, but the restoration of the passage is easy; it reads:—

• 1. First tablet of “At that time above” (name of Creation series).
• 2. Palace of Assur-bani-pal king of nations, king of Assyria,
• 3. to whom Nebo and Tasmit gave broad ears
• 4. (his) seeing eyes regarded the engraved characters of the tablets;
• 5. this writing which among the kings who went before me
• 6. none of them regarded,
• 7. the secrets of Nebo, the literature of the library as much as is suitable,
• 8. on tablets I wrote, I engraved, I explained, and
• 9. for the inspection of my people within my palace I placed.

This colophon will serve to show the value attached to the documents, and the date of the present copies.

The fragment of the obverse, broken as it is, is precious as giving the description of the chaos or desolate void before the Creation of the world, and the first movement of creation. This corresponds with the first two verses of the first chapter of Genesis.