Enūma Eliš

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

Seven tablets telling how Marduk defeats the primordial sea goddess Tiamat, splits her body to make heaven and earth, and becomes king of the gods.

Traditional attribution

The Babylonian creation epic, recited at the New Year festival.

Historical scholarship

Anonymous; many scholars date it to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar I (c. 1100 BCE).

Context and curiosity

Its title comes from its first words: 'When on high…'

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Mesopotamia & the Levant (Babylon). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 1700–1100 BCE (debated) and original language or script as Akkadian. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En%C5%ABma_Eli%C5%A1

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.