Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria

The Gods of Mesopotamia and Their Cities

Lewis Spence

• Publisher: Aeneas Press
• Year: 2026
• Topic: Social Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9785486950858
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: Social Sciences

Marduk and Tiamat, Gilgamesh, Ishtar's descent, the flood story that predates Genesis - the Mesopotamian material set out in order for the general reader. Spence wrote it while the cuneiform tablets were still being translated. This edition is bound with sixty plates of painting, among them works by Orcagna, Robert Tonge and John Linnell, and includes a preface, glossary and index.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Copyright
• Preface
• Chapter I: Babylonia and Assyria in History and Legend
• The Akkadians
• The Semite Conquerors
• A Babylonian Conqueror
• The First Library in Babylonia
• Gudea
• Khammurabi the Great
• A Court Murder
• Tiglath-Pileser
• Semiramis the Great
• The Second Assyrian Empire
• Sardanapalus the Splendid
• The First Great Library
• The Last Kings of Assyria
• Nebuchadrezzar
• The Last of the Babylonian Kings
• The History of Berossus
• Berossus’ Account of the Deluge
• Analogies with the Flood Myth
• Babylonian Archaeology
• The Tower of Babel
• Nimrod, the Mighty Hunter
• Abram and Nimrod
• A Persian Version
• The ‘Babylonica’
• Cuneiform Writing
• Grotefend
• Rawlinson
• Origin of Cuneiform
• The Sacred Literature of Babylonia
• Hymn to Adar
• Chapter II: Babylonian Cosmogony. The Babylonian Myth of Creation
• The Birth of the Gods
• A Darksome Trinity
• Type of Babylonian Cosmology
• Connexion with the Jonah Legend
• Chapter III: Early Babylonian Religion. The Beginnings of Babylonian Religion
• Spirits and Gods
• Was Babylonian Religion Semitic in Type?
• Totemism in Babylonian Religion
• The Great Gods
• Bel
• Bel and the Dragon
• Beltis
• The Temple of Bel
• Nergal
• Dibarra
• Shamash
• Ea
• The Writings of Oannes
• The Story of Adapa and the South Wind
• Anu
• Ishtar
• The Descent of Ishtar into Hades
• Tammuz and Ishtar
• At the Gates of Aralu
• Ishtar and Persephone
• Lamentations for Tammuz
• An Allegorical Interpretation of the Myth
• Ishtar, Tammuz, and Vegetation
• Ishtar and Esther
• Lang on the Esther Story
• Nin-Girsu
• Bau
• Nannar
• Nannar in Decay
• Aralu, or Eres-ki-Gal
• Dagon
• Nirig, or Enu-Restu
• Chapter IV: The Gilgamesh Epic
• The Birth of Gilgamesh
• Eabani
• Gilgamesh as Tyrant
• The Beguiling of Eabani
• Gilgamesh meets Eabani
• The Monster Khumbaba
• Ishtar’s Love for Gilgamesh
• The Bull of Anu
• The Death of Eabani
• The Quest of Gilgamesh
• Gilgamesh and Ut-Napishtim
• The Deluge Myth
• The Babylonian Ark
• The Bird Messengers
• Chapter V: The Later Pantheon of Babylonia
• Nebo
• Nebo as Grain-God
• Tashmit
• Shamash and Khammurabi
• Hadad
• Hadad, Dáda, David, and Dido
• Ea in Later Times
• Zu
• The Legend of Zu
• Bel
• The Triad of Earth, Air, and Sea
• Dawkina
• Anu
• Chapter VI: The Great God Merodach and His Cult
• A New-Year’s Ceremony
• Chapter VII: The Pantheon of Assyria
• Asshur
• The Secret of Assyrian Greatness
• Asshur as Conqueror
• Ishtar in Assyria
• Ishtar as a War-Goddess
• Ninib as an Assyrian War-God
• Ninib as Hunter-God
• Dagan
• Anu
• Ramman
• Shamash
• Sin in the Northern Land
• Nusku of the Brilliant Sceptre
• Bel-Merodach
• Prisoner-Gods
• The Assyrian Bel and Belit
• Nabu and Merodach
• Ea
• Dibbarra
• Lesser Gods
• Chapter VIII: Babylonian Star-Worship
• Legend of the Origin of Star-Worship and Idolatry
• Speculations of the Chaldeans
• Planets identified with Gods
• Chapter IX: The Priesthood, Cult, and Temples
• Sacrifices
• The Temples of Babylonia and Assyria
• The Great Temple-Builders
• The Temple of E-Kur
• The Brilliant House
• Ur, the Moon-City
• The Twin Temples
• Temples as Banks
• Feasts and Festivals
• The Chamber of Fates
• Lamentation Rituals
• The Terror of Eclipse
• Chapter X: The Magic and Demonology of Babylonia and Assyria
• The Roots of Science
• Priestly Wizards
• A Toothache Myth
• The Word of Power
• Babylonian Vampires
• The Bible and Magic
• The Speaking Head
• Gods once Demons
• The Legend of Ura
• Purification
• The Chamber of the Priest-Magician
• The Witch-Finding
• The Magic Circle
• Babylonian Demons
• Taboo
• Popular Superstitions
• Omens
• The Ritual of Hepatoscopy
• The Missing Caravan
• Chapter XI: The Mythological Monsters and Animals of Chaldea
• Winged Bulls
• The Dog in Babylonia
• A Dog Legend
• Gazelle and Goat Gods
• The Goat Cult
• The Invasion of the Monsters
• The Eagle
• Chapter XII: Tales of the Babylonian and Assyrian Kings
• Poet or Braggart?
• The Autobiography of Assur-bani-pal
• Dream of Gyges
• Assur-bani-pal as Architect
• A ‘Likeable’ Monarch
• The Fatal Eclipse
• A Royal ‘Day’
• Chapter XIII: The Comparative Value of the Babylonian and Assyrian Religions
• Semitic Conservatism
• Teutonic and Celtic Comparisons
• Babylonian Religion Typically Animistic
• A Mother-Goddess Theory
• Babylonian Influence on Jewish Religion
• Babylonian Influence upon the other Semites
• The Canaanites
• The Gods of the Phoenicians
• The Carthaginian Religion
• The Religion of Zoroaster
• Babylonian Ethics
• Chapter XIV: Modern Excavation in Babylonia and Assyria
• Sir Henry Layard
• Where Rawlinson Slept
• George Smith
• The Palace of Nimrûd
• Hormuzd Rassam
• De Sarzec
• The American Expedition of 1889
• The Business Quarter of Nippur
• The Fourth Campaign
• Hilprecht Returns
• The House of the Dead
• The Temple Library
• A Babylonian Museum
• Haynes’ Work at Nippur
• Recent Research
• The Babylon of Nebuchadrezzar II
• The Outer Wall
• Bâbil as a Citadel
• Babylon’s Water-Supply
• Nebuchadrezzar’s Palace
• The Palace without Windows
• The Great Throne Room
• The Drainage System
• The Hanging Gardens
• The Great Gate of Ishtar
• The Street of Processions
• The Temples of Babylon
• E-Sagila
• The Great Tower of Nabu (E-Zida)
• The Euphrates Bridge
• The Elder Babylon
• Town-Planning
• Chapter XV: The Twilight of the Gods
• The Conquering Cyrus
• A Great Lesson
• The Pronunciation of Assyrian
• About the Author