Epic of Atrahasis

Creation, Flood Myth

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About this myth

Epic of Atrahasis is a Creation, Flood myth originating from the Babylonian belief system. The oldest attested artifact in our index that contains this myth was likely created around 1750 BCE. The main deity depicted in this myth is likely Atra-Hasīs. Others include An, Enlil, and Ninurta.

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bm-78943-atrahasis-tablet-full
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Sourceomnika.conscious.aiRetrieval date07/03/2020
Sourceomnika.conscious.aiRetrieval date07/03/2020
MediumDigital iconImage date2019CreatorOMNIKA FoundationSource notesMyth icon for the Epic of Atrahasis creation and flood myth.
Source record No.BM 78943 + BM 78941MediumTabletsMaterialClayOrientationObverseImage dateUnknownCreatorThe British MuseumSource notesBritish Museum, BM 78943 / Tablet.

© The Trustees of the British Museum
Source record No.pl. I-XIIMediumPrint sketchesOrientationObverse and reverseImage date1965CreatorW.G. LambertSource notesLambert and Millard, CT 46, pl. 1-12.

In a nutshell

Myth summary

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Attested: 1750—1650 BCE
Created: Unknown
Myth type: Creation, Flood
Main deity: Atra-Hasīs
Belief system: Babylonian
Origin: Asia › Middle East › Iraq

Belief system

Babylonian Religion

Polytheistic

The Babylonian religion was practiced throughout modern-day Iraq and the general near east (Mesopotamia) during antiquity. Its chief deity was Marduk.

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Belief system

Atra-Hasīs

Main deity

Atra-Hasīs ("extra wise") was a mortal human depicted in Babylonian and Akkadian stories related to creation and the great flood in the "Epic of Atra-Hasīs" myth.

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Main deity

Other deities mentioned

An
Enlil
Ninurta

Artifact

BM 78943

The British Museum

The artifact named BM 78943 has contents related to this mythological story.

Condition: Just OK
Type: Tablet
Material: Clay
Date: c. 1750 BCE
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Main artifact
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Translation

"Atrahasis": Composite English Translation by Stephanie M. Dalley

Book · Stephanie Mary Dalley · 1989

"Atrahasis" is a composite English translation of the Epic of Atrahasis creation and flood myth. It was likely created by Ipiq-Aya in ca. 1700 BCE; and, it was translated by Stephanie M. Dalley. Dalley's version is a mixture of the Old Babylonian and Standard Babylonian versions, owing largely to the lacunae (gaps) in the original artifacts.

Included: Translation
Language: Akkadian ⟶ English
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More information

Background

The Epic of Atrahasis is a creation and flood myth of Babylonian origins. Notably, Atrahasis contains a flood (deluge) story that predates the Biblical flood story by almost two thousand years.

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Artifacts related to this myth

BM 78941

Clay Tablet

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BM 78943

Clay Tablet

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Texts related to this myth

See full texts of this myth via related artifacts. Where available, a translation is included.

All texts

Title
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"Atrahasis" Book · Stephanie Mary Dalley · 1989
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Full Translation

Akkadian ⟶ English a

Source(s) a Ipiq-Aya, "Atrahasis," 9-35. More info launch

How did we get this date?

1750—1650 BCE

The attested date for the myth named 'Epic of Atrahasis' is derived from the oldest artifact we have: BM 78941. The creation date for this artifact is a range because the exact date is unknown. We derived this from the source(s) listed below:

Notes (see bottom of page for full bibliography)

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    How did we get this date?

    We're not quite sure about the creation date for this myth.

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    Cite this page

    MLA Modern Language Association (8th ed.)

    OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "Epic of Atrahasis." OMNIKA – World Mythology Index, OMNIKA Foundation, 14 Apr. 2019, omnika.org/stable/64. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

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    APA American Psychological Association (6th ed.)

    OMNIKA (2019, April 14). Epic of Atrahasis. Retrieved from https://omnika.org/stable/64

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    CMS Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.)

    OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "Epic of Atrahasis." Las Vegas, NV: OMNIKA Foundation. Created April 14, 2019. Accessed December 26, 2024. https://omnika.org/stable/64.

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    Bibliography

    Black, Jeremy, and Anthony Green. Gods, Demons, and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. Illustrations by Tessa Rickards. London, United Kingdom: The British Museum Press, 1992.
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    Dalley, Stephanie M. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1989.
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    Ipiq-Aya. "Atrahasis." In Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others, 9-35, translated by Stephanie M. Dalley. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1989.
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    Lambert, Wilfred G., and Alan R. Millard. Cuneiform Texts From Babylonian Tablets in the British Museum. Part XLVI: Babylonian Literary Texts. Vol. 46. London, England: The Trustees of the British Museum, 1965.
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    The British Museum. Tablet / BM 78941, 1635 BCE. Middle East Department, BM 78941, The British Museum, London, United Kingdom.
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    The British Museum. Tablet / BM 78943, 1635 BCE. Middle East Department, BM 78943, The British Museum, London, United Kingdom.
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    Fast facts

    Myth
    Babylonian Belief system
    Atrahasis Main deity
    Origin
    location_city Iraq Middle East
    event_note c. 1750 BCE Attested

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