Sumerian Mythology [Paperback]

Samuel Noah Kramer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

The Sumerians were a non-Semitic, non-Indo-European people who lived in southern Babylonia from 4000-3000 B.C.E. They invented cunieform writing, and their spiritual beliefs influenced all successive Near Eastern religions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. They produced an extensive body of literature, among the oldest in the world. Samuel Noah Kramer spent most of his life studying this literature, by piecing together clay tablets in far-flung museums. This work gives translations or summaries of the most important Sumerian myths.

This book is not a cheap scanned version of the original but has been completely digitally revised and optimized for Kindle, including an interactive table-of-contents.

Contents:

PREFACE
NOTE TO THE REVISED EDITION
INTRODUCTION
THE SOURCES: THE SUMERIAN LITERARY TABLETS DATING FROM APPROXIMATELY 2000 B. C.
CHAPTER I THE SCOPE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF SUMERIAN MYTHOLOGY
CHAPTER II MYTHS OF ORIGINS 1
THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNIVERSE
ENLIL AND NINLIL: THE BEGETTING OF NANNA
THE JOURNEY OF NANNA TO NIPPUR
EMESH AND ENTEN: ENLIL CHOOSES THE FARMER-GOD
THE CREATION OF THE PICKAX
CATTLE AND GRAIN
ENKI AND NINHURSAG: THE AFFAIRS OF THE WATER-GOD
ENKI AND SUMER: THE ORGANIZATION OF THE EARTH AND ITS CULTURAL PROCESSES
ENKI AND ERIDU: THE JOURNEY OF THE WATER--GOD TO NIPPUR
INANNA AND ENKI: THE TRANSFER OF THE ARTS OF CIVILIZATION FROM ERIDU TO ERECH
THE CREATION OF MAN
CHAPTER III MYTHS OF KUR
THE DESTRUCTION OF KUR: THE SLAYING OF THE DRAGON
INANNA'S DESCENT TO THE NETHER WORLD
CHAPTER IV MISCELLANEOUS MYTHS
THE DELUGE
THE MARRIAGE OF MARTU
INANNA PREFERS THE FARMER

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A real addition to the body of world mythology."—American Anthropologist

"No people has contributed more to the culture of mankind than the Sumerians, and yet it has been only in recent years that our knowledge of them has become at all accurate or extensive. [This book is] our first authoritative sketch of the great myths of the Sumerians, their myths of origins, of creation, the nether world, and the deluge. The book . . . makes entrancing reading and for the general reader it opens up a whole new vista undreamed of before."—Theophile J. Meek

About the Author

Samuel Noah Kramer was Clark Research Professor Emeritus of Assyriology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was also Curator Emeritus of the Tablet Collections.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press; Revised edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812210476
• ISBN-13: 978-0812210477
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > History > Ancient > Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Out of date but still worth reading, February 25, 2002

By 

ilmk "ilmk" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sumerian Mythology (Paperback)

Any piece of scholarship that has a preface that baldly states that quite a bit of the following translations are wrong immediately throws out warning signals.
However, this is quite a useful handbook, even if the author pointedly tells the reader that "History begins at Sumer" is more accurate. It has that touch that encompasses all ancient historical secondary sources written in the early part of the twentieth century - a narrative style, whereby it is just as important to provide both a description of actions and a background of the people and methods that got the several thousand clay tablets translated.
Given today's somewhat dry "facts, facts, facts" attitude of most ancient historians, it is most refreshing because understanding those who compiled the work gives a better understanding of the translation.
The book excellently gives a rundown of the pantheon of Sumerian Gods, the acculturation of Sumerian mythology into Semitic and translates a goodly portion (sometimes inaccurately as the preface warns!) of the tablets.
Whilst any serious Sumerian scholar must move on to latter translations and works, this is a good starting point, particularly for those wanting to see a 'decipherment' in progress.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars unsatisfied, May 26, 2007

By 

eluzai "John" (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sumerian Mythology (Paperback)

while i find this book a good read, i was left very unsatisfied. i felt there was much left out of this book that could have been touched on. also i found myself bored to death through the authors commentary on what little translation of the sumerian texts there were. while i was led to believe that this book would discuss much of their religious customs,myths, and beliefs, it touches on very little of any. while this is not a terrible read i am sure there is much better than this.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Really great; really short., March 25, 2006

By 

Brandon B. "Reconstructionist" (Knoxville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sumerian Mythology (Paperback)

I found this book to be a very refreshing introduction to Sumerian mythology.

However, like the author states some of the translations are not that accurate. Also, I wish this book was longer.

Besides those two things, this book is awesome and I recommend it to anyone just beginning to study Sumerian mythology.