This volume opens up new perspectives on Babylonian and Assyrian literature, through the lens of a pivotal passage in the Gilgamesh Flood story. It shows how, using a nine-line message where not all was as it seemed, the god Ea inveigled humans into building the Ark. The volume argues that Ea used a 'bitextual' message: one which can be understood in different ways that sound the same. His message thus emerges as an ambivalent oracle in the tradition of 'folktale prophecy'. The argument is supported by interlocking investigations of lexicography, divination, diet, figurines, social history, and religion. There are also extended discussions of Babylonian word play and ancient literary interpretation. Besides arguing for Ea's duplicity, the book explores its implications - for narrative sophistication in Gilgamesh, for audiences and performance of the poem, and for the relation of the Gilgamesh Flood story to the versions in Atra-hasis, the Hellenistic historian Berossos, and the Biblical Book of Genesis. Ea's Duplicity in the Gilgamesh Flood Story will interest Assyriologists, Hebrew Bible scholars and Classicists, but also students and researchers in all areas concerned with Gilgamesh, word-play, oracles, and traditions about the Flood.

Errors of many kinds abound in Akkadian writings, but this fact s far-reaching implications have never been unraveled and systematized. To attempt this is the aim of this book. Drawing on scholarship from other fields, it outlines a framework for the critical evaluation of extant text and the formulation of conjectural emendations. Along the way, it explores issues at the interface of orthography, textual transmission, scribal education, grammar, literacy, and literary interpretation."

This volume opens up new perspectives on Babylonian and Assyrian literature, through the lens of a pivotal passage in the Gilgamesh Flood story. It shows how, using a nine-line message where not all was as it seemed, the god Ea inveigled humans into building the Ark. The volume argues that Ea used a 'bitextual' message: one which can be understood in different ways that sound the same. His message thus emerges as an ambivalent oracle in the tradition of 'folktale prophecy'. The argument is supported by interlocking investigations of lexicography, divination, diet, figurines, social history, and religion. There are also extended discussions of Babylonian word play and ancient literary interpretation. Besides arguing for Ea's duplicity, the book explores its implications - for narrative sophistication in Gilgamesh, for audiences and performance of the poem, and for the relation of the Gilgamesh Flood story to the versions in Atra-hasis, the Hellenistic historian Berossos, and the Biblical Book of Genesis. Ea's Duplicity in the Gilgamesh Flood Story will interest Assyriologists, Hebrew Bible scholars and Classicists, but also students and researchers in all areas concerned with Gilgamesh, word-play, oracles, and traditions about the Flood.

Studies in Ancient Near Eastern Records (SANER) is a peer-reviewed series devoted to the publication of monographs pertaining to all aspects of the history, culture, literature, religion, art, and archaeology of the Ancient Near East, from the earliest historical periods to Late Antiquity. The aim of this series is to present in-depth studies of the written and material records left by the civilizations and cultures that populated the various areas of the Ancient Near East: Anatolia, Arabia, Egypt, Iran, the Levant, Mesopotamia, and Syria. Thus, SANER is open to all sorts of works that have something new to contribute and which are relevant to scholars and students within the continuum of regions, disciplines, and periods that constitute the field of Ancient Near Eastern studies, as well as to those in neighboring disciplines, including Biblical Studies, Classics, and Ancient History in general. All submissions to SANER are thoroughly reviewed by scholars with acknowledged expertise in the subject matter. Once a manuscript is accepted for publication, it goes through the careful production process that has characterized books published by Walter De Gruyter since 1749. General Editor:Gonzalo Rubio, Pennsylvania State University, Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Department of History, University Park, PA, USA. Editors:Nicole Brisch, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.Eva Cancik-Kirschbaum, Free Univeristy of BerlinPetra Goedegebuure, University of Chicago, USA.Amelie Kuhrt, University College London, UK.Peter Machinist, Harvard University, USA.Piotr Michalowski, University of Michigan, USA.Cecile Michel, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France.Beate Pongratz-Leisten, New York University, USA.D.T. Potts, New York University, USA.Kim Ryholt, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Designed for complete beginners, and tested for years with real learners, Complete Babylonian offers a bridge from the textbook to the real world, enabling you to learn the grammar, understand the vocabulary and even how to translate the inscriptions and texts from this ancient cradle of civilization. Structured around authentic material, and introducing cuneiform script for those who wish to take their understanding further, this course also features: -47 short learning units plus glossary and reference section -Authentic materials - language taught through key texts -Teaches the key skills - reading and understanding Babylonian grammar and vocabulary -Covers cuneiform script - one of the earliest written forms -Self tests and learning activities - see and track your own progress "A book at once lucid, reliable and exciting. No other teacher in the world could have managed it. All his pupils are fortunate." Irving Finkel, The British Museum Rely on Teach Yourself, trusted by language learners for over 75 years.