Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Creation Story

Enuma Elish: The Babylonian Creation Story

Course Description: Enuma Elish (When on high) tells the Babylonian story of creation, describing how the world and the heavens were created and outlining the antics of famous deities like Marduk and Tiamat. This course will start reading through Chapter 1 of the epic in transliterated Akkadian, focusing on Akkadian grammar as well as cultural understanding of the myth itself. We'll also discuss how Enuma Elish fits into the larger scribal tradition (...and the canon) as well as the influence it had on later culture(s). Students will leave this course with a deeper understanding of the Akkadian language as it was used for things BEYOND scientific texts.

DETAILS

Level: Intermediate. Intermediate. Designed for students with some exposure to Akkadian (e.g., the different between logograms and syllable signs).

Textbook: Instructor will provide some materials; others are part of the Electronic Babylonian Library.

Sections capped at: 5 students. If the course is sold-out, please fill out this waiting-list form.

When
Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time

Cost
$250

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Payment amount

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Instructor

E.L. Meszaros

E.L. Meszaros earned her Ph.D. in 2025 from Brown University in Egyptology and Assyriology, focusing on the History of the Exact Sciences in Antiquity. Her research focuses on using algorithms as a lens for examining late Babylonian mathematical astronomical procedure texts.