24 THEOPHILUS G. PINCHES, ESQ., LL.D., M.R.A.S., ON 



of the other inscriptions we see that the account of the revolt 

 of Tiamthu and her followers also terminated here. It is an 

 appropriate place for the conclusion of the first chapter. 



11. 



Naturally these preparations could not long be kept secret 

 from the gods, and fia, the wise one among them, was the first 

 to hear about it, and it was he who carried the news of the revolt 

 of Tiamthu and her followers to his father Ansara, the deity 

 apparently representing the heavenly host, and to his divine 

 ■companions. The succeeding lines of the tablet therefore give 

 the words of the messenger in announcing his news, and he tells 

 the whole history of the uprising of the goddess of the watery 

 waste exactly as it is related in the first tablet. Though such 

 repetitions are exceedingly tedious, especially when at such 

 length, they nevertheless serve to carry on the narrative, and 

 their variants enable us to control the text, and sometimes form 

 a valuable aid in explaining it. 



Having heard what had taken place, Ansara gave way to 

 despair, striking his breast and biting his lips (such is the 

 restoration suggested here). With a loud cry, he called out to 

 Anu, his son, whom he urges to join him in resisting the enemy ; 

 and judging from what remains, Anu is instructed to attack 

 Apsu, the son of Tiamthu, whilst Ansara occupies herself with 

 the mother. For this restoration of the passage, however, I am 

 not responsible, the rendering here adopted being that of 

 Delitzsch and Jensen ; and there is no doubt that the suggestions 

 of these scholars are at least very probable.* 



A gap occurs here, after which another fragment takes up the 

 story, and from this piece it would seem that, in the end, it was 

 decided that Anu should undertake the task of defeating the 

 Dragon alone. The conversation between Ansara and Anu 

 apparently ends with a final word of instruction, in which the 

 latter is told to speak to her, giving the message of them both, 

 so that, should she be defiant, and not hear his voice (at first), 

 she might at least be appeased afterwards. Anu then set out, 

 but seeing Tiamthu's snarling face, and finding himself powerless 

 to do anything against her, he turned back and reported his 

 non-success to his father Ansara. 



King has a different rendering, but as tlie text is defective, I allow 

 the above to remain for the present. 



