The Washington times., 1913-08-04
WOMEN CREATOR,
SAYS OLD TABLET
New Tale Being 0eciphered
by Pennsylvania University.
Civilization 25O0 B. C.

museum of the University of Penn
sylvania from Babylonia gives what
is believed to be the first story of the
creation. as well as one OF the most
wonderful accounts of civilization in
$500 B. c.
According to this story, which was
written centuries before the Christian
era, the world was created by a god
dess whose hair was black. When
the world became so wicked that it
had to be destroyed the gods became
angry at the goddess and put an end
to everything with a flood. The only
beings saved were a man and his
family, with animals which he put
In an ark.
The tablet also says that woman in
those days had equal authority with
man.
1t contains all the essentials of the
story of the creation and the flood
as told in Genesis. If the missing
fragments are found either at the
nusem or IN Constantinople, where
many of the tablets from Nippur were
deposited, the complete story will be
revealed. The university is trying to
find them.
The creation of man is related. then
things for his life and pleasure and,
hnally. a paradise. from which he is
not elected. There is flood lasting
= Shts SEVEN GGAS lHSledu VI OT
more than q year, in the two ac-
counts in Genesis, and man is men,
toned who was rewarded after the
escape, from total destruction.
Of Abraham's. Time.
If. as it is supposed, the tablet is Of
about the time OF Abraham, it gives an
idea of how the Je~c got the first idea
of the creation and the flood.
Other tablets have INDICATED that
there were about $4,000 years from the
creation to the flood; a new chronology
found in the latest tablet gives the
period from the flood to a date about
220 years before Hamurabi as 30 23S
years, some months (eXact number I'M
decipherable) and eighteen days. This.
II VIII be noted, gives a much longer
period from the creation of man to the
present than any other account on rec
ord. Bishop Ussher's date sof 4004 years
from the creation to the birth of Christ
was based on the genealogies found III
the Bible.
This new account of the creation and
the food throws an immense amount
o. light on the early ideas of the Baby
lonians and the Sumerians.
Like the missing laws of Hamurabi.
which were found a fortnight ago at the
university by DR.. Arno Poebel, the new
story of the creation and the flood was
found in going over an immense collec-
important documents which have been
taken from the ruins of the temples of
Babylonia.
This tablet. which is broken, was
originally about seven inches square. It
is composed of three columns on each
side but the top of each side is missing.
Features of the Tablet.
The new features OF the tablet are
many. but as this is the earliest known
commentary on cosmology. geology and
anthrcpology, the more striking novel
features OF the tablet may be grouped in
this manner:
First-lt was a goddess who created
mankind She was known as The
Black-headed" from. the color of her
hair. ..,......-
Second-The document explains some
of the characteristics of the goddess and
many are suggested in other ways For
example, it refers TO her as the equal of
gods.
Third-It names the first seven ante
diluvian cities and the special god of
each.
Fourth-The older Babylonian name of
the ScripturaI Noah is Ziugidda: this
was never known in history before.
Fifth-The deluge ruins OF the ante
diluvian cities were not all destroyed,
some not until prehistoric times. This
confirms much Of the theories Of archae-
oloRists and geoIogists, who never had
any written documentary proofs Of their
beliefs.
DR.. Poebel says there is more that he
viii decipher. He believes he has found
something that is Of great historic i'm
portRnce. but which ne does not want
TO announce until he has verified his
translation
In the story it appears that Nintu, a
goddess, created mankind and she is
found 1amenting the fact that the gods
are bent upon the destruction OF man.
She speaks Of the human beings as my
creations"
Goddess as the Creator.
Anu and EMIL were the chief gods.
the first being the god of heaven and
the last being the god of earth. Nintu
NOT only was the creator of mankind,
hut properly the patron goddess of mar
riaSe. Then comes the story OF the
'sNintu Cthe black headed created the
human race the helds OF tne
ground produced abundance. the cattle
and the four-legged beasts of the field,
they (the gods called into existence"
The beginning of the second column
is missing, but apparently the poem
deals with the early history of mankind
and especially of the activity of the
gods. since the part that remains says
the gods were at first satisfied with
things and created seven cities, over
each Of which was a god.
The first two cities are named after
Anu and EMIL and the rest are called
after the five other gods. These were
Hunmidad Bad-nigar, Larak, who
gave hiz power to Pabilharaeg: then
Shfppar, who IN turn gave power TO
Sanas. the sun god, and the last 20
ShurTupak.
Priests were assigned to the cities ana
thereafter that the people might live,
the canals, rivers, and the streams were
created and the country was Watered
so that the grain might grow and the
people could cultivate their lands.
At the top OF the third column are
these scattered words: 'TEe-p.ace.-
the people N-trains1 1D-m''-''their'
they made" These seem to indicate
that the wrath of the gods was kindled
against man for some impIousness.
Enki, the Goddess of Wisdom, whom
the two great regent gods consulted on
all occasions, held counsel with Anu,
EMIL and MiEtu over the proposed de-
struction Of mankind.
Poetry Complicated.
Next comes a complicated piece of
poetry full of parallelisms like that in
the Hebrew psalms: the meaning of II
all is that Enki desired to save her hu-
man creatures and ordered Zugidda TO
stand by a wall and listen, and she told