Mesopotamia and the Anuma Elish

Watching black clad men with sledgehammers and circular saws laying waste to winged bowl statues was horrifying for all of us who know even a little about the history of ancient Iraq. These are fragments of the beginnings of religion in the central Eurasian world as we know it. The modest view of humanity that the Atrahasas and the Anuma Elish convey is unforgettable. To the Babylonians, we are not grand figures who make consequential decisions between good and evil. We are an industrious, useful,. sometimes raucous bunch who can irrigate land and carry heavy loads and brew beer.