𒀜𒊏𒄩𒋀

Atra-Hasis

Author

Unknown

Language

Akkadian

Year

c. 1600 BCE

Country

Akkadian

Genre

Epic / Long-form / Standalone Poem

0

📷2 photos

Atra-Hasis is an 18th-century BC Akkadian epic, recorded in various versions on clay tablets and named for one of its protagonists, the priest Atra-Hasis. The narrative has its origins in Sumerian historiography and comprises four focal points: An organisation of allied upper and lower gods shaping Mesopotamia agriculturally; a political conflict between them, pacified by manufacturing of a first human couple to serve as their labour force; the human's mass reproduction within a few millennia; and a devastating deluge linked to the intention of the upper gods to destroy their imperfect artificial creatures.