The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-10-15
IAN CREATOR,
SAYS old TABLET
Ancient Record Gives New Yer
sion of Creation.
AT LEAST 1900 YEARS OLD.

Hieroslyphios on Old BabyIonian Tablet /
just Deciphered Confirm the Story of
Noah and the Ark and Other Events |
In Biblical History-A Sensation In /
Archaeology.
The Bible story of Noah and the flood |
Is confirmed In many details by hero
glyphics written at least 1000 years
ago, perhaps even more. by a historian
who lived In ancient Babylon, accord
ing to an announcement just made at
Philadelphia by the University of
Pennsylvania.
The writing on a tablet-an epic OF
great length purporting to reach back
to the creation, was deciphered at the
museum of the university by DR. Ar
mold Poebel, the announcement says.
The tablet, said to be the oldest ever
rescued from oblivion, was dug up in
Nippur several years ago by museum
expedition.
In strange symbols, so finely written
that the entire poem is contained on
tablet seven inches square, the prim-
Tive historian harks back to the be-
ginning of all things. Then there were
seven gods, chief of which We're Anu
and EMIL, and a goddess, Nintu, the
tablet says. Nintu it was who created
mankind, whom she called my crea-
TONS"
Tells of the Creation.
Like the first chapter of Genesis, the
Babylonian poem opens with recital
OF the creation. Nintu, god mother Of
humans, is lamenting that the other
god seems bent on their destruction.
AT that time Nintu walled like
woman in travail" reads the transla-
ton. 1.-THE holy Ishtar walled on ae-
count of the people Enki, god of wis
dom, held counsel with Anu. EMIL and
Nintu over the proposed destruction of
mankind. Ziusidda. high priest Of
Shuruppak, made obeisance to the gods
and prayed, prostrating himself in hu-
nifty"
The Ziugidda of the BabyIonians, it
is believed, was the Noah of the He
brews. The tablet tells Of Ziugidda's
learning from the great god, Enzi that
mankind was to be destroyed by a
rainstorm." Then comes a descrip-
ton of terrific WIND and, rQtnS.y <
After seven days the rainstorm had
passed over the land and carried away
the huge boat. Then the sun gods
came forth shedding light over heaven
and earth. Ziugidda opened the roof
of his ship and the light of the sun
god was let in" This version differs
in respect to the duration of the flood
described in Genesis. There it was
said to last forty days
Race Given Immortality.
When the water subsidized Ziueidda
prayed to the gods with a loud voice.
the poem continues, and sacrificed an
OK, a sheep and something with "a
great horn" Through the intercession
of Nintu the gods forgave the survfv-
ing human beings and gave them i'm
mortality which they did not possess
before the flood.
DIR. Poebel has announced that he
will make public later literal transla-
ton of the epic. From other tablets
found by the expedition, it would aD-
pear, the announcement says, that 40
600 years interviewed between creation
and the flood although one epic
writer asserts with painstaking accu-
racy that the exact time was 81, 223
years, some months exact number I'M
decipherable) and eighteen days.
The particular tablet from which the
story from which the flood was trans
lated, the announcement says, may be
as old as 5000 years and is reason
ably certain to be no more recent than
the reign of TTamurabi, about 2100 b.
@. 1t is regarded as the worlds most
ancient historical writing and is i'll u
fairly good state of preservation.