ACKERMANAt a glance
History, context & interpretation
The text and its story
An epic covering creation, the making of humans from clay and divine blood, and a great flood. It explains why the gods limited human lifespans.
Traditional attribution
The story of the wise man Atra-Hasis, warned by the god Enki.
Historical scholarship
Best copy written by the scribe Ipiq-Aya during the reign of Ammi-Saduqa of Babylon.
Context and curiosity
It is one of the oldest stories where humans are created to do the gods' work.
Chronology and transmission
This text belongs to Mesopotamia & the Levant (Old Babylonian). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 1700 BCE and original language or script as Akkadian. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.
Sources and further reading
Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.
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