Vous voulez voir cette page en français ? Cliquez ici.

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others [Paperback]

Stephanie Dalley (Translator)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --   -- --
Paperback CDN $12.56   -- --
Paperback, July 1 1998 --   -- --
There is a newer edition of this item:
Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others 4.2 out of 5 stars (10)
CDN$ 12.56
In Stock.

Product Details

Product Description

Review

`has the great merit of including not only the obvious Gilgamesh and Creation texts but also the Atrahasis, Adapa, Etana, Anzu, and Erra stories and even the slight but highly suggestive "Theogony of Dunnu"' Greece and Rome

'handsomely produced book' A.R. George, SOAS BUlletin

'her enterprise is to be warmly welcomed' John Dillon, Trinity College, Dublin, Hermathera

Book Description

The ancient civilization of Mesopotamia thrived between the rivers Tigris and Euphrates over 4,000 years ago. The myths collected here, originally written in cuneiform on clay tablets, include parallels with the biblical stories of the Creation and the Flood, and the famous Epic of Gilgamesh, the tale of a man of great strength, whose heroic quest for immortality is dashed through one moment of weakness. Recent developments in Akkadian grammar and lexicography mean that this new translation, complete with notes, a glossary of deities, place-names, and key terms, and illustrations of the mythical monsters featured in the text, will replace all other versions.
See all Product Description
Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Atrahasis the wise man, who built an ark and saved mankind from destruction, is a figure of immense prestige and antiquity to whom various literary and religious traditions were attached. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
 
(2)
(2)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most helpful customer reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome! And I wonder what these others expected?, July 9 2003
By 
Alvie Hackle (Claxton, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others (Paperback)
Despite what you see in some other reader reviews, this book is written for intelligent laypeople with an interest in history, not for scholars. Either that, or I'm more of a scholar than I realized, but apparently not, since I don't read any of the original languages. While translating the myths into clear English, this book presents them as they are, instead of constructing a speculative theory of what they might have been. Yes, there are acknowledged gaps. The book also provides multiple versions of some of the tales, with different gaps in each version. This shows the reality of what we are dealing with and lets readers do some theorizing of their own.
For me, the book offered a fascinating glimpse into a part of history that was long suppressed and nearly forgotten and is now often distorted, especially by people who want to transform Mesopotamian literature into external confirmation of the historical truth of biblical stories. Instead, these myths, including the very different version of the flood story in Gilgamesh, open a separate window onto the primitive, very human mindset that produced the Old Testament. Readers who are not prepared to accept that, and who want Discovery Channel-style historical pabulum, undoubtedly feel a need to disparage this book.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


5.0 out of 5 stars A trove of tales at a bargin price, Oct 20 2003
By 
Christopher B. Siren (Medford, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others (Paperback)
Dalley's book is perhaps the most recent compilation of Akkadian (the language of the Babylonian empire) myths in translation. The only rival for completeness here would be the Akkadian sections of James Pritchard's Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament - but Dalley trumps Pritchard in having more complete, more modern translations. Each tale is preceded by a brief introduction placing them in their historical context, and are followed by varying amounts of endnotes.

Dalley's translations include:
Atrahasis - one of the Mesopotamian flood stories which resonates with Noah in Genesis and Utnapishtim in Gilgamesh

The Epic of Gilgamesh - the hero of the Sumerian King Lists, in his story's most complete form

The Old Babylonian version of Gilgamesh - This version is very incomplete and contains bits of Enkidu's introduction and the Humbaba episode, as well as a bit surrounding Gilgamesh's lament/quest for the deceased Enkidu.

The Descent of Ishtar to the Underworld - This brief seasonal dying and rising god/goddess story is much more developed in the surviving Sumerian Inanna cycle than it is here.

Nergal and Ereshkigal - Dalley presents the Sulantepe and the Amarna versions of this tale of Nergal's visit to the Underworld.

Adapa - a brief story of the antediluvian king's loss of immortality could draw some parallels with the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis.

Etana - the story of the king of kish who flew to heaven on the back of an eagle.

Anzu(Standard and Old Babylonian versions) - the storm god Ninurta conquers the bird monster Anzu.

The Epic of Creation - Known elsewhere as Enuma Elish, this is the story of the chaos/water/mother goddess/dragon Tiamat and her defeat at the hands of the storm god Marduk, who uses her body to create the universe, and his conquest to take charge of the pantheon.

Theogony of Dunnu - a brief cosmology that shows that antimosity between cattle herders and shepherds goes back further than the Western.

Erra and Ishum - Erra (Nergal) and Marduk argue, while Isshum calms things down.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


4.0 out of 5 stars Only The Serious Need Apply, April 22 2003
By 
Art (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others (Paperback)
This book is exactly what it purports to be, meaning it is for the serious student only. Because the original tablets and scrolls are incomplete, so is the resulting translation. The missing sections are well marked.

Not for the casual reader, you must truly be interested in the roots of Western Civilization in Ancient Mesopotamia to find this book of any use.

For the non-scholar, this book raises as many questions as it answers. The fault is not with the translation or the publisher, but with the incomplete Sumerian and Assyrian source documents, and with the obscure references to civilizations that predate even the Patriarchs of the Old Testament.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
› Go to Amazon.com to see all 22 reviews  4.1 out of 5 stars 
 
 		 Most recent customer reviews








Only search this product's reviews


Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject























i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?