World's Oldest Myths: Myths of Mesopotamia and Egypt

Author: (Japanese) Takeyoshi Yajima
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: This book introduces the myths preserved to this day by the representative peoples of Mesopotamia, the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Hittites. Before diving into the main content, let's take a look at the natural environment of Mesopotamia that nurtured these people, the ancient civilizations they created, and the history of their rediscovery by modern archaeologists and linguists. Mesopotamia, meaning "between the rivers" in Greek, refers to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, often called the "land between the two rivers." The name Tigris derives from the Sumerian word Idigna and the Akkadian word Idiglat, while the Hittites called it Aranzazi. The name Euphrates comes from the Sumerian word Brannu and the Akkadian word Brat. The Greek historian Herodotus said: "Egypt is the gift of the Nile." As this phrase suggests, the ancient Egyptians built pyramids or temples, created hieroglyphs (Egyptian pictographic script), and developed an outstanding civilization—all thanks to the Nile River, which originates in the heart of Africa, flows through the edge of the Libyan Desert for thousands of kilometers, and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Because this river flows down from the upper reaches with a large volume of water for several months each year, causing flooding in the lower reaches and delivering nutrient-rich soil that makes the land more fertile, allowing for abundant crop yields. Additionally, many fish and birds can be caught in the Nile and its surroundings; the lush papyrus growing along the riverbanks also provides the material for writing Egyptian hieroglyphs—papyrus. This book introduces the myths preserved to this day by the representative peoples of Mesopotamia, the Sumerians, Akkadians, and Hittites. Before diving into the main content, let's take a look at the natural environment of Mesopotamia that nurtured these people, the ancient civilizations they created, and the history of their rediscovery by modern archaeologists and linguists. Mesopotamia, meaning "between the rivers" in Greek, refers to the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, often called the "land between the two rivers." The name Tigris derives from the Sumerian word Idigna and the Akkadian word Idiglat, while the Hittites called it Aranzazi. The name Euphrates comes from the Sumerian word Brannu and the Akkadian word Brat. The Greek historian Herodotus said: "Egypt is the gift of the Nile." As this phrase suggests, the ancient Egyptians built pyramids or temples, created hieroglyphs (Egyptian pictographic script), and developed an outstanding civilization—all thanks to the Nile River, which originates in the heart of Africa, flows through the edge of the Libyan Desert for thousands of kilometers, and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Because this river flows down from the upper reaches with a large volume of water for several months each year, causing flooding in the lower reaches and delivering nutrient-rich soil that makes the land more fertile, allowing for abundant crop yields. Additionally, many fish and birds can be caught in the Nile and its surroundings; the lush papyrus growing along the riverbanks also provides the material for writing Egyptian hieroglyphs—papyrus.