The Role of the Sumerian Goddess

By Faruq Zamani

The Sumerian people once inhabited the region near the Persian Gulf, known as Iraq. Greeks called this country Mesopotamia, which means the land between the rivers, as the Euphrates and Tigris, rising in Anatolia, flowed through Syria and Iraq before discharging into the Persian Gulf. 'Simurrum' is the name given to the northern region by the Semitic peoples later, like the word Sumerian, which was later used for the southern region. According to the Sumerians, their land was called Kien-gi, or 'land of the lordly En,' after the priest-king of Sumer (En).

Sometime after 4000 BC, the Sumerians moved to this coastal area, but it's unclear from where they came. There is no connection between their language and any other language spoken in the region. After sailing upriver from the Persian Gulf, they migrated inland from the coastal area. On the other hand, Sumerians came from the northeast of Mesopotamia and traveled down the river to the south. 'Simurrum' could indicate that the Sumerians once lived in the northern region.

The Sumerians must have encountered people who had already settled in the Persian Gulf area for a long time when they entered since a few cities had names that did not match Sumerians but were most likely derived from an unknown language. Examples include Uruk, Ešnunna, and Shuruppak. Similarly, Buranuna, the name of the Euphrates River, makes no sense in Sumerian, whereas Idigna, the name of the Tigris River, might be explained as 'the blue river.

Farmers had established small settlements along these two great rivers during the fifth millennium BC. To irrigate agricultural crops, they diverted water from rivers through canals. There was little rainfall in this area, and the sun burned mercilessly during the summer months, so everyone lived entirely off floodwater from the rivers. The rivers could be dangerous, though, as the land was flat, and there was always the danger that the river would overflow its banks and change its course, inundating new areas and destroying crops and water supplies.

The great rivers carried silt through the plain, forming swamps along the Persian coast. Here, the inhabitants grew cane for making little reed houses for the gods. God Enki was responsible for this domain. He brought civilization to the Sumerians and lived underground in a freshwater residence, the Abzu, located below the earth's surface but above the ocean's saltwater expanse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LEARN ALCHEMICAL PRESS
• Release date: Nov 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215483701

Faruq Zamani

Faruq Zamani is the world's foremost expert on the oldest known language. Sumerian is said to have been understood by the scholar better than anyone since the beginning of the second millennium B.C. His academic contributions are nothing short of incredible. Unlike any other scholar, he helped shape the modern study of Sumerology. Using modern linguistics and fundamental principles about how languages are structured, Faruq Zamani forged new territory in the understanding of the language by looking at it in a more sophisticated way than had been done before.Faruq Zamani is the world's foremost expert on the oldest known language. Sumerian is said to have been understood by the scholar better than anyone since the beginning of the second millennium B.C. His academic contributions are nothing short of incredible. Unlike any other scholar, he helped shape the modern study of Sumerology. Using modern linguistics and fundamental principles about how languages are structured, Faruq Zamani forged new territory in the understanding of the language by looking at it in a more sophisticated way than had been done before.

Book preview

FARUQ ZAMANI

Copyright © 2022

LEARN ALHEMICAL PRESS

All rights reserved.

DEDICATION

For my wife, a true Goddess in her own right.

©LEARN ALHEMICAL PRESS , Third Edition 2022.

First edition, 2016.

Second edition, 2018.

Our website provides information about our global editorial offices, customer service, and how to obtain permission to reuse the copyright material in this book.

In accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, Learn Alchemical Press has the right to identify itself as the author of this work.

Please note that all rights are reserved. Unless permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the publisher's prior permission.

Learn Alchemical Press also publishes its books electronically. There may be some content that is not available in electronic books that appears in print.

Trademarks are often claimed by companies to distinguish their products from those of their competitors. In this book, all brand names and product names are trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. No product or vendor mentioned in this book is associated with the publisher.

Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: Although the publisher and author have made every effort to prepare this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to its accuracy or completeness and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for purpose. The publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services, and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages resulting from this. You should seek the advice or assistance of a competent professional if you need professional advice or other expert assistance.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

As always, I would love to thank the Editing team who bring my work to life in a professional manner, and for the patience of dealing with someone whose second language is English.

INTRODUCTION

The Sumerian people once inhabited the region near the Persian Gulf, known as Iraq. Greeks called this country Mesopotamia, which means the land between the rivers, as the Euphrates and Tigris, rising in Anatolia, flowed through Syria and Iraq before discharging into the Persian Gulf. 'Simurrum' is the name given to the northern region by the Semitic peoples later, like the word Sumerian, which was later used for the southern region. According to the Sumerians, their land was called Kien-gi, or 'land of the lordly En,' after the priest-king of Sumer (En).

Sometime after 4000 BC, the Sumerians moved to this coastal area, but it's unclear from where they came. There is no connection between their language and any other language spoken in the region. After sailing upriver from the Persian Gulf, they migrated inland from the coastal area. On the other hand, Sumerians came from the northeast of Mesopotamia and traveled down the river to the south. 'Simurrum' could indicate that the Sumerians once lived in the northern region.

The Sumerians must have encountered people who had already settled in the Persian Gulf area for a long time when they entered since a few cities had names that did not match Sumerians but were most likely derived from an unknown language. Examples include Uruk, Ešnunna, and Shuruppak. Similarly, Buranuna, the name of the Euphrates River, makes no sense in Sumerian, whereas Idigna, the name of the Tigris River, might be explained as 'the blue river.

Farmers had established small settlements along these two great rivers during the fifth millennium BC. To irrigate agricultural crops, they diverted water from rivers through canals. There was little rainfall in this area, and the sun burned mercilessly during the summer months, so everyone lived entirely off floodwater from the rivers. The rivers could be dangerous, though, as the land was flat, and there was always the danger that the river would overflow its banks and change its course, inundating new areas and destroying crops and water supplies.

The great rivers carried silt through the plain, forming swamps along the Persian coast. Here, the inhabitants grew cane for making little reed houses for the gods. God Enki was responsible for this domain. He brought civilization to the Sumerians and lived underground in a freshwater residence, the Abzu, located below the earth's surface but above the ocean's saltwater expanse.

Enki's main temple was built in Eridu, a settlement much closer to the coast. Archaeologists discovered a prehistoric temple and dozens of fish remains, indicating that fish offerings were made to this temple's deity.

During the second millennium BC, the Sumerian king lists recorded Eridu as the oldest inhabited city in the world. A mythical record of the ancestors of the Sumerian dynasties is included here, followed by historical kings confirmed by other sources. Various Sumerian towns exercised kingship for a time after the throne descended from Heaven. The king list reports that a Flood came over the land after Eridu, and various places were assigned the kingship successively, such as Sippar and Shuruppak.

There is also a connection between this story and the flood story found in Genesis (6:6-8). As people misbehaved, God decided to wipe them out, and only Noah, a man who had lived righteously, was spared. Noah was given precise instructions on how to build a big ship - an ark - from gopher wood and pitch. As per Sumerian mythology, Enlil, not Yahweh, decided to destroy his people, while Enki saved a righteous man and life on earth by taking the initiative. To save himself, his family, and all the animals, Enki warned Ziusudra, the king of Shuruppak, to build a ship. For six days and seven nights, this vessel endured a terrible storm. Deluges and windstorms continued, leveling the land. Like a woman in labor, the windstorm and deluge ended their struggle on the seventh day. The storm stilled in seven days as the sea calmed, and the deluge ceased. Ziusudra released a dove, but it returned to the boat after finding nowhere to land. Ziusudra released a swallow after some time, but the bird returned and released a raven after some time. As the waters ebbed, the raven flew off. After eating, preening, and leaving droppings, it did not turn around. Survivors realized that land had been exposed once the water subsided. Thanking their gods for their survival, they left the ship. Ziusudra was rewarded with eternal life by the gods for his outstanding merits.

Uruk then exercised its kingship, and the king list records the names of its rulers, including the legendary Gilgamesh. According to the king's list, the kingship spread to twenty other cities after the Flood, the first being Kiš in the northern region. The first actual city of history began as a small settlement near the Euphrates River, near the Persian Gulf. There were a minimum of twenty thousand people living in Uruk by about 3600 BC, and a considerable rampart protected the city.

THE CITY OF URUK

Among all the city names, Uruk endures the longest, having been preserved until today as 'Iraq.' The current Iraqi name for Uruk is Warka, related to the antique name Uruk. Uruk's inhabitants had built a new rampart around 3,400 BC, with a circumference of 9.5 kilometers, an inner wall of 5 meters thick, and an outer wall with pinnacles and observation posts. Agriculture and horticulture were presumably carried out within the city's walls.

In myth, Gilgamesh built this city wall, and its citizens were proud of it. According to Gilgamesh's epos, Uruk's growth resulted from a vast trading network. There is evidence of Uruk culture on cylinder seals, measuring jugs, and architecture, which suggests that the inhabitants played a significant role. In the North, they traveled to Anatolia (today's Turkey); in the East, they founded the city of Susa; in the West, they reached Egypt via the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.

The Urukians came to the North of Mesopotamia to participate in the trade in copper and silver, which had its center in Anatolia with its abundant copper and silver mines. A copper smith's workshop was discovered in Uruk, along with ceramics from Northern Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and Transcaucasia. Archaeologists attribute this 'Uruk expansion to the fact that they followed well-established trade routes along which donkey caravans carried commodities, copper, silver, and precious stones. Their tools, knowledge of production processes, architecture, eating habits, and gods were taken by the Urukians. In some regions, they formed enclaves amid autochthonous people; in other regions, they settled in areas with no population.

The Uruk colonists built a substantial settlement with dead straight roads surrounded by a solid wall around 3,200 BC. Archaeologists from the Netherlands have excavated a substantial settlement of the Uruk expansion, Habuba Kabira, upstream of the Euphrates. This region was likely chosen because it was advantageous for sheep farming and was situated in an area with sufficient rainfall to support agriculture without irrigation. Sheep and goats could be pastured in open fields, and flax could have been grown by immigrants. In Uruk, wool and fibers were highly sought after because the textile industry was a primary source of employment, which required large quantities of sheep's wool and flax.

It lasted about two hundred years, but around 3200 BC, the expansion abruptly ended for unknown reasons. Some places were abandoned altogether, such as Habuba Kabira. However, in other regions, like Subartu in Northern Mesopotamia, the Urukians were absorbed by the native peoples or went their own way. Egypt and Mesopotamia lost contact, and the Elamites seized Susa in the east.

There was a divergent development in northern Mesopotamia due to its isolation from the rest of the region. There had been a breakdown in the trade connection. Northern Mesopotamia's expansion may have ended with the arrival of Semitic nomads, who penetrated the plain from the North and drove a wedge between North and South.

Despite this, the city of Uruk thrived as never before after the end of the Uruk expansion. Uruk shifted the trade routes to the Persian Gulf to maintain trade routes once the North's contacts were broken. Due to this seaway, merchants became familiar with the civilization developed along the Indus River, enabling India to prosper. Indus civilization might be called Meluhha, according to the written sources. As the script of the Indus region has yet to be deciphered, it is unclear how relations with this faraway land developed.

Meluhha was the name of a little town in southern Mesopotamia during the third millennium. This colony could have been established by merchants of the Indus culture since there is also a cylinder seal from Ur, which was once owned by a Meluhha interpreter (see chapter 8, figure 8.3). We see pictures of typical Indian water buffaloes on these cylinder seals, an animal that had been imported from India to Mesopotamia somehow. The water buffalo featured prominently on cylinder seals during the reign of King Sargon of Akkad (2334-2279 BC), and the king boasted that Meluhha-bound ships moored at Akkad's quays.

Uruk's Temples

Uruk was initially divided into two districts. There was a sanctuary of the God of Heaven, An, in the western district of Kullab (or: 'Kulab'). According to legend, he was an old native god who built his temple on a terrace 11 meters high. Due to its