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



its present condition, which is saying much. In all probability 

 the series to which it belonged, if not the tablet itself, con- 

 tained the names of the deities of the Babylonian pantheon as 

 far back as Tiawthu, the first principle, herself, and it certainly 

 contained explanations of the names of the gods under all their 

 different attributes. 



Other lists which exist give the Babylonian pantheon in 

 another order, beginning with Ann and Anatu, the male and 

 female personifications of the heavens. This is followed by 

 other names, among them being Ansara and Kisara, " the host 

 of heaven," and " the host of earth," Lahma and Bahama, who 

 were synonymous with Anu and Anatu, and many others, all 

 identified with these. The children of Anu and Anatu follow, 

 and afterwards come Ann's messengers and attendants, including 

 Gaga, who is stated in the Semitic story of the Creation to have 

 taken the news of Tiawthu's rebellion and Merodach's under- 

 taking to subdue her to Bahma and Bahama. All these inscrip- 

 tions seem, therefore, to be in agreement, though it is to be 

 noted that there are others in which a different system is 

 adopted. This, however, may be simply because they are 

 extracts from larger texts, and not intended to give the names 

 of the deities as they are supposed to have been created in 

 chronological order. 



Yet further inscriptions bearing on this legend are tlie astro- 

 nomical tablets, of which a very important one was published 

 in the fifth volume of the Cuneiform Inscriptions of Western 

 Asia in 1884. In this text are apparently given the names of 

 certain constellations, among them being two which are described 

 as " the weapon of the hands of Merodach," namely, the gamin 

 or "finisher" (to all appearance this, or something similar, is its 

 meaning), the star or constellation of the Eam being described 

 as its head ; and the mulmuUa, the name of which occurs in the 

 account of Merodach's fight with the Dragon of Evil, and is 

 generally rendered " spear," or something of the kind. In this 

 text the " star of the king," probably Eegalus, is explained as 

 Merodach, and recalls the fact that he had that title as one of 

 his names, and was also really a king in the earthly sense of the 

 word. Indeed, it is he whose kingdom's beginning was " Babel, 

 and Erech, and Akkad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar," 

 Nimrod, to whom this domain is attributed in the tenth chapter 

 of Genesis, being nothing else than a corruption of the name of 

 Merodach, due to prefixing an n to the original form Amaruduk, 

 taking off* the last two letters, and changing the vowels. 

 Another important inscription is that giving many of these and 



