Dilmun

“What you believe about who you are, where you came from, affects your whole worldview.” (Ham) Although everybody has a worldview, they may not know what shapes it. Throughout history, worldviews have shaped civilizations, which have furthermore shaped their societies. Creation stories and legends often have an immense impact on one’s worldview. The Babylonian, Akkadian, and Hebrew civilizations are among the first with strong, yet contradicting, worldviews. Each of their worldviews developed their views of gods, man, and heroism. These civilizations believed in different creation stories and legends, each outlining how they interpreted the world, both natural and supernatural. A creation story really shapes how people view their world, as it affects what gods were involved, how humans were created, and defines heroic attributes. Enuma Elish was the creation story that the Babylonians believed in. The Babylonians believed in multiple gods, who were depicted as a family and were in control of nature: When on high no name was given to heaven, Nor below was the netherworld called by name, Primeval Apsu was their progenitor. And matrix-Tiamat was she who bore them all, …………………………………………………. When no gods at all had been brought forth, Nor called by names, none destinies ordained, Then were gods formed within the(se two). (Tablet 1, Lines 1-4, 7-9) Apsu was portrayed as the father and Tiamat the mother; the…

Throughout our lives we are taught different stories that can affect us dramatically, either in a positive way or negative way. During our childhood we read the Tortoise and the Hare, which is a story that taught us the moral, “slow and steady wins the race”. We also read things such as: The Boy Who Cried Wolf, which taught us essentially not to lie, because if you lie enough, you won’t be believed when you tell the truth. These stories taught us valuable lessons growing up, but not only do…

Origins. What are our origins? Where do we come from? How did we get here? These questions are some of the most highly debated and controversial topics, to this day. Everyone has their own ideas and sources about how the human race started. In the Bible, Genesis 1-3 contains not one but, two stories of creation. These three chapters are still being recreated it in pop culture today. The only problem with these stories is there are several discrepancies between the two. The first question…

"E'din" meaning "plain or steppe." Even though the word garden, plain or steppe does not describe a similar type of environment, but according to the Sumerians the word "E'din" was used to refer to the Mesopotamia Valley as the "valley of E'din," meaning the fertile lands between the Tigris and Euphrates. With the Garden of Eden being considered by many to be a mythological place, the mention of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers influenced many to believe that the location of the Garden of Eden…

This, Kramer suggests, is reminiscent of the Bible verse Genesis 2:6, “But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground” (143). In a primary passage from the tale, Enki eats eight various plants from the garden in Dilmun and — in doing so — upsets the goddess Ninhursag, who curses him with death. Kramer identifies this as being easily associated with Adam’s eating of the fruit from the tree of knowledge in the biblical tale of man’s fall from paradise (143). It…

and the Biblical version both had a similar theme when it comes to why the flood happened but, the details were slightly incompatible. I did not find Kramer’s interpretation of the fall from paradise and the deluge to be persuasive at all. It seem like the story of the Sumerian fall from paradise was made up based off the Biblical version. I feel like that also about the Sumerian version of the flood. The Babylonian version of “The Epic of Gilgamesh” is similar with the Biblical version of the…

archaeological record tell us about the Bronze Age world system? At the minimum your essay should discuss: Artifacts from the Royal Tombs of Ur Uluburun shipwreck Archaeological evidence from Sweden/Scandinavia Begin with a strong thesis that directly answers the question. Provide specific evidence from Early and Late Bronze Age archaeological discoveries and 2-3 supporting quotes from articles we read. Archaeological evidence found in the Royal Tombs of Ur, Uluburun shipwreck and…

Gilgamesh's Search for Immortality in the Epic of Gilgamesh. From since the earlier years, people fear dying and many search for ways to carry on their lives forever. We have seen this theme of immortality appeared in some of the earliest written texts, especially in the Epic of Gilgamesh which was written in Sumerian cuneiform during the 2000 BC. This text has since influenced many works that is present today. Gilgamesh is half man, half god entity and a powerful ruler of Uruk. After his friend…

This epic is written on a cuneiform clay tablet. Gilgamesh was a king described as one third human and two thirds divinity (Sandars). He began an adventure in search of immortality after his friend Enkidu died (Sandars). Gilgamesh traveled to Dilmun to speak to the immortal Utnapishtim (Matthews and Benjamin). Utnapishtim was the person who survived the great flood. This great flood presented in Gilgamesh was written long before it was written in the Bible. It contains parallels with the Flood…

95). Both documents, though different, regulated their practitioners and their practitioners “regulated” their societies. Paradise, as well, shows abundant similarity. It is of no doubt that the Ancient Sumerians inspired and impressed the Hebrews who’d later write the Bible, and therefore there would be a plethora of similarities to compare. However, it is the idea of paradise itself that proves, in Kramer’s words, “illuminating”. In society today, all children hear the stories of…