Scholars usually acknowledge that there are primarily 4 oldest Afro-Eurasian cradles of civilisation – Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient India, and China.
Mesopotamia – the word means between two rivers in Greek – refers to the land between Euphrates and Tigris. This historical region included parts of modern day countries of Iraq, Kuwait, Syria and Turkey.
The Mesopotamian civilisation dates back to 4000-3500 B.C. Among its many achievements, it is credited with the ‘Code of Hammurabi‘. Humanity’s best known, earliest attempt at a complex legal code, with laws laid down for different crimes.
It’s also known as the home of the first urban cities, most famously the city of Babylon. There is a chance that you have heard of this city in relation to the ancient wonder of the world, the hanging gardens of Babylon.
So how did this ancient civilisation tell their stories?
Of course, while there might have been specific oral stories and even art-forms, from this era that have been completely lost to the vagaries of time. Yet, historians have discovered actual stories noted down in the cuneiform script. Out of them the most notable is the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ which is dated back to the 3rd millennium BCE. It is often regarded as the earliest surviving piece of literature. It’s a heroic epic that follows the life journey of king Gilgamesh, and his later pursuit of Immortality.
Deciphering Cuneiform Script
The art of translating the cuneiform script was lost as well, given that most societies of this civilisation were gone by the 4th century BC having been conquered and absorbed by other empires.
However, a self-taught British Assyriologist by the name of ‘George Smith‘ finally cracked the puzzle, and in turn we learned of this lost ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’.
For a civilisation spanning three thousand years, this is definitely not the only story left behind, even if it might arguably, be the most famous one.
The stories, fables, myths and other such storytelling artefacts from this period are, collectively referred to as the ‘Mesopotamian Mythology’.
Mesopotamian Creation Myths
The mythology of this era consists of several different creation myths. These myths, while sharing some repetitive motifs, differ completely. Archaeologists have even discovered different versions of the same stories across different regions. It is also acknowledged that the stories were told and written in different languages like Akkadian, Sumerian, Old Babylonian. Meaning that the variations in the different versions could very well have been introduced during the cultural exchange.
These creation myths are a commonality in the earliest civilisations. Human curiosity and the desire to create a narrative about oneself can easily explain this proclivity.
Repeating Storytelling Themes
Temple and the Palace had deep interconnections, and since lots of natural phenomena were attributed to the gods, the influence of religion on all forms of storytelling is very visible.
Even the ‘Code of Hammurabi’, which was a legal text, begins with the declaration that the power to rule was granted to the king by the gods.
Immortality is a common theme in a lot of these stories. ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’, as mentioned above, is one of the examples. Another work, the ‘Myth of Adapa’, also deals with the same theme, However, this myth uses it to explain why humans are mortal, as opposed to Gods.
Another epic, the ‘Story of Atrahasis’, talks about a great flood. Atrahasis is saved from it because he builds a ship after being warned by the gods. Surprisingly, the flood myths are a common storytelling motif across many religions and civilisations. Usually these mythical floods are depicted as a divine act of retribution sent to punish the humans.
Another famous Mesopotamian tale is the ‘Descent of Ishtar’ or ‘Descent of Inanna into the underworld’. This tale explores the descent of the goddess Ishtar (Akkadian version) or Inanna (Sumerian version) into the underworld. This is another one of the story elements that has similarities with myths from other regions and religions.
Stories for children in Ancient Mesopotamia
The Ancient Mesopotamian society was family oriented, with mentions of lullabies sung to children. Some cuneiform scripts even record these lullabies.
There are also satirical works like ‘Schooldays’ and ‘Eduba R’ reflecting on the life of the children studying in the ancient schools.
These works would definitely connect with even modern-day schoolboys facing homework challenges, bridging the gap across civilisations and generations.
What we do know, from the evidence and texts found, is that schooling was available for the kids of the wealthy and the influential. It focused on learning the language and the cuneiform script for the most part, with specialisations for specific professions. While most of the attendees were boys, there is ample proof that girls also did become scribes. Surviving texts written by women have been discovered from most periods of this civilisation.
Even though scribes were paramount in recording these epics and tales, yet they themselves remain nameless for the most part.
Earliest Record of Author by Name
Albeit there was gender disparity in who got access to formal education in this era, yet the patron saint of scribes was a goddess. Even more interestingly, the earliest known named author was a woman – ‘Enheduanna’. A lot of works have been accredited to her. However, owing to archaeological and linguistic discrepancies, this claim is considerably debated amongst modern Assyriologists.
Conclusion
In summary, stories and myths can effectively act as a mirror of a society’s cultural beliefs. They can also give us great insights into the daily lives of the people living then. Their thoughts, their priorities and even their hopes and dreams are given a platform to shine.
Upon taking a look at these traditions and works, it seems like even though this civilisation existed millennia ago, there is not much difference between the people then and the people now.
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