Myth and Politics in Ancient Near Eastern Historiography - Mario Liverani
1. Adapa, guest of the gods
Myth and Politics in Ancient Near Eastern Historiography - Mario Liverani
Mario Liverani [+]
University of Rome “La Sapienza”, (Emeritus)
Description
One of the handful of Akkadian literary texts found at the Egyptian capital of Amarna is the short story of Adapa. By the fourteenth century, the composition was thus known outside Babylonia, which must be its region of origin. We do not have any manuscripts from Mesopotamia proper until the seventh century library of Ashurbanipal, however. Altogether only four fragmentary manuscripts are known so far, but they do allow us to reconstruct the outlines of the story at the beginning of this chapter. The main character, Adapa, was one of the seven antediluvian sages who brought civilisation to humankind. In this story he appears as the priest of the god Ea in the city of Eridu near the Persian Gulf, and is responsible for the care and feeding of his god, having to procure fish for the offerings. In the course of his duties he disturbs the natural order, and is invited by the god Anu in heaven to justify himself. There he misses the opportunity to gain immortality by refusing the food and drink offered him. The chapter here analyses the story as a foundational myth to explain human mortality. The poem was recently fully re-edited by Izre’el 2001. Recent English translations have appeared in Dalley 1989: 182–7; Foster 1993: 429–34; Foster 1995: 97–101.