Part 8 (2/2)

[Ill.u.s.tration: 192.jpg TABLET INSCRIBED IN SUMERIAN WITH DETAILS OF A SURVEY OF CERTAIN PROPERTY.]

Probably situated in the neighbourhood of Telloh. The circular shape is very unusual, and appears to have been used only for survey-tablets. Photograph by Messrs. Mansell & Co.

Gudea caused many statues of himself to be made out of the hard diorite which he brought for that purpose from the Sinaitic peninsula, and from the inscriptions preserved upon them it is possible to ascertain the buildings in which they were originally placed. Thus one of the statues previously found was set up in the temple of Ninkharsag, two others in E-ninn, the temple of the G.o.d Ningirsu, three more in the temple of the G.o.ddess Bau, one in E-anna, the temple of the G.o.ddess Ninni, and another in the temple of Gatumdug. The newly found statue of the king was made to be set up in the temple erected by Gudea at Girsu in honour of the G.o.d Ningishzida, as is recorded in the inscription engraved on the front of the king's robe, which reads as follows:

”In the day when the G.o.d Ningirsu, the strong warrior of Enlil, granted unto the G.o.d Ningishzida, the son of Ninazu, the beloved of the G.o.ds, (the guardians.h.i.+p of) the foundation of the city and of the hills and valleys, on that day Gudea, patesi of s.h.i.+rpurla, the just man who loveth his G.o.d, who for his master Ningirsu hath constructed his temple E-ninnu, called the s.h.i.+ning Imgig, and his temple E-pa, the temple of-the seven zones of heaven, and for the G.o.ddess Nina, the queen, his lady, hath constructed the temple Sirara-shum, which riseth higher than (all) the temples in the world, and hath constructed their temples for the great G.o.ds of Lagash, built for his G.o.d Ningishzida his temple in Girsu. Whosoever shall proclaim the G.o.d Ningirsu as his G.o.d, even as I proclaim him, may he do no harm unto the temple of my G.o.d! May he proclaim the name of this temple! May that man be my friend, and may he proclaim my name! Gudea hath made the statue, and 'Unto - Gudea - the - builder - of - the - temple - hath life-been-given hath he called its name, and he hath brought it into the temple.”

The long name which Gudea gave to the statue, ”Unto - Gudea - the - builder - of - the - temple - hath - life-been-given,” is characteristic of the practice of the Sumerian patesis, who always gave long and symbolical names to statues, stelae, and sacred objects dedicated and set up in their temples. The occasion on which the temple was built, and this statue erected within it, seems to have been the invest.i.ture of the G.o.d Ningishzida with special and peculiar powers, and it possibly inaugurated his introduction into the pantheon of s.h.i.+rpurla. Ningishzida is called in the inscription the son of Ninazu, who was the husband of the Queen of the Underworld.

In one of his aspects he was therefore probably a G.o.d of the underworld himself, and it is in this character that he was appointed by Ningirsu as guardian of the city's foundations. But ”the hills and valleys”

(i.e. the open country) were also put under his jurisdiction, so that in another aspect he was a G.o.d of vegetation. It is therefore not improbable that, like the G.o.d Dumuzi, or Tammuz, he was supposed to descend into the underworld in winter, ascending to the surface of the earth with the earliest green shoots of vegetation in the spring.*

* Cf. Thureau-Dangin, Rev. d'a.s.syr., vol. vi. (1904), p. 24.

A most valuable contribution has recently been made to our knowledge of Sumerian religion and of the light in which these early rulers regarded the cult and wors.h.i.+p of their G.o.ds, by the complete interpretation of the long texts inscribed upon the famous cylinders of Gudea, the patesi of s.h.i.+rpurla, which have been preserved for many years in the Louvre.

These two great cylinders of baked clay were discovered by the late M.

de Sarzec so long ago as the year 1877, during the first period of his diggings at Telloh, and, although the general nature of their contents has long been recognized, no complete translation of the texts inscribed upon them had been published until a few months ago. M. Thureau-Dangin, who has made the early Sumerian texts his special study, has devoted himself to their interpretation for some years past, and he has just issued the first part of his monograph upon them. In view of the importance of the texts and of the light they throw upon the religious beliefs and practices of the early Sumerians, a somewhat detailed account of their contents may here be given.

The occasion on which the cylinders were made was the rebuilding by Gudea of E-ninn, the great temple of the G.o.d Ningirsu, in the city of s.h.i.+rpurla. The two cylinders supplement one another, one of them having been inscribed while the work of construction was still in progress, the other after the completion of the temple, when the G.o.d Ningirsu had been installed within his shrine with due pomp and ceremony. It would appear that Southern Babylonia had been suffering from a prolonged drought, and that the water in the rivers and ca.n.a.ls had fallen, so that the crops had suffered and the country was threatened with famine. Gudea was at a loss to know by what means he might restore prosperity to his country, when one night he had a dream, and it was in consequence of this dream that he eventually erected one of the most sumptuously appointed of Sumerian temples. By this means he secured the return of Ningirsu's favour and that of the other G.o.ds, and his country once more enjoyed the blessings of peace and prosperity.

In the opening words of the first of his cylinders Gudea describes how the great G.o.ds themselves took counsel and decreed that he should build the temple of E-ninn and thereby restore to his city the supply of water it had formerly enjoyed. He records that on the day on which the destinies were fixed in heaven and upon earth, Enlil, the chief of the G.o.ds, and Ningirsu, the city-G.o.d of s.h.i.+rpurla, held converse. And Enlil, turning to Ningirsu, said: ”In my city that which is fitting is not done. The stream doth not rise. The stream of Enlil doth not rise. The high waters s.h.i.+ne not, neither do they show their splendour. The stream of Enlil bringeth not good water like the Tigris. Let the King (i.e.

Ningirsu) therefore proclaim the temple. Let the decrees of the temple E-ninn be made ill.u.s.trious in heaven and upon earth!” The great G.o.ds did not communicate their orders directly to Gudea, but conveyed their wishes to him by means of a dream. And while the patesi slept a vision of the night came to him, and he beheld a man whose stature was so great that it equalled the heavens and the earth. And by the crown he wore upon his head Gudea knew that the figure must be a G.o.d. And by his side was the divine eagle, the emblem of s.h.i.+rpurla, and his feet rested upon the whirlwind, and a lion was crouching upon his right hand and upon his left. And the figure spoke to the patesi, but he did not understand the meaning of the words. Then it seemed to Gudea that the sun rose from the earth and he beheld a woman holding in her hand a pure reed, and she carried also a tablet on which was a star of the heavens, and she seemed to take counsel with herself. And while Gudea was gazing he seemed to see a second man who was like a warrior; and he carried a slab of lapis lazuli and on it he drew out the plan of a temple. And before the patesi himself it seemed that a fair cus.h.i.+on was placed, and upon the cus.h.i.+on was set a mould, and within the mould was a brick, the brick of destiny.

And on the right hand the patesi beheld an a.s.s which lay upon the ground.

Such was the dream which Gudea beheld in a vision of the night, and he was troubled because he could not interpret it. So he decided to go to the G.o.ddess Nina, who could divine all mysteries of the G.o.ds, and beseech her to tell him the meaning of the vision. But before applying to the G.o.ddess for her help, he thought it best to secure the mediation of the G.o.d Ningirsu and the G.o.ddess Gatumdug, in order that they should use their influence with Nina to induce her to reveal the interpretation of the dream. So the patesi set out to the temple of Ningirsu, and, having offered a sacrifice and poured out fresh water, he prayed to the G.o.d that his sister, Nina, the child of Eridu, might be prevailed upon to give him help. And the G.o.d hearkened to his prayer. Then Gudea made offerings, and before the sleeping-chamber of the G.o.ddess Gatumdug he offered a sacrifice and poured out fresh water. And he prayed to the G.o.ddess, calling her his queen and the child of the pure heaven, who gave life to the countries and befriended and preserved the people or the man on whom she looked with favour.

”I have no mother,” cried Gudea, ”but thou art my mother! I have no father, but thou art a father to me!” And the G.o.ddess Gatumdug gave ear to the patesi's prayer. Thus encouraged by her favour and that of Ningirsu, Gudea set out for the temple of the G.o.ddess Nina.

On his arrival at the temple, the patesi offered a sacrifice and poured out fresh water, as he had already done when approaching the presence of Ningirsu and Gatumdug. And he prayed to Nina, as the G.o.ddess who divines the secrets of the G.o.ds, beseeching her to interpret the vision that had been sent to him; and he then recounted to her the details of his dream.

When the patesi had finished his story, the G.o.ddess addressed him and told him that she would explain the meaning of his dream to him. And this was the interpretation of the dream. The man whose stature was so great that it equalled the heavens and the earth, whose head was that of a G.o.d, at whose side was the divine eagle, whose feet rested on the whirlwind, while a lion couched on his right hand and on his left, was her brother, the G.o.d Ningirsu. And the words which he uttered were an order to the patesi that he should build the temple E-ninn. And the sun which rose from the earth before the patesi was the G.o.d Ningishzida, for like the sun he goes forth from the earth. And the maiden who held a pure reed in her hand, and carried the tablet with the star, was her sister, the G.o.ddess Nidaba: the star was the pure star of the temple's construction, which she proclaimed. And the second man, who was like a warrior and carried the slab of lapis lazuli, was the G.o.d Nindub, and the plan of the temple which he drew was the plan of E-ninn. And the brick which rested in its mould upon the cus.h.i.+on was the sacred brick of E-ninn. And as for the a.s.s which lay upon the ground, that, the G.o.ddess said, was the patesi himself.

Having interpreted the meaning of the dream, the G.o.ddess Nina proceeded to give Gudea instruction as to how he should go to work to build the temple. She told him first of all to go to his treasure-house and bring forth his treasures from their sealed cases, and out of these to make certain offerings which he was to place near the G.o.d Ningirsu, in the temple in which he was dwelling at that time. The offerings were to consist of a chariot, adorned with pure metal and precious stones; bright arrows in a quiver; the weapon of the G.o.d, his sacred emblem, on which Gudea was to inscribe his own name; and finally a lyre, the music of which was wont to soothe the G.o.d when he took counsel with himself.

Nina added that if the patesi carried out her instructions and made the offerings she had specified, Ningirsu would reveal to him the plan on which the temple was to be built, and would also bless him. Gudea bowed himself down in token of his submission to the commands of the G.o.ddess, and proceeded to execute them forthwith. He brought out his treasures, and from the precious woods and metals which he possessed his craftsmen fas.h.i.+oned the objects he was to present, and he set them in Ningirsu's temple near to the G.o.d. He worked day and night, and, having prepared a suitable spot in the precincts of the temple at the place of judgment, he spread out upon it as offerings a fat sheep and a kid and the skin of a young female kid. Then he built a fire of cypress and cedar and other aromatic woods, to make a sweet savour, and, entering the inner chamber of the temple, he offered a prayer to Ningirsu. He said that he wished to build the temple, but he had received no sign that this was the will of the G.o.d, and he prayed for a sign.

While he prayed the patesi was stretched out upon the ground, and the G.o.d, standing near his head, then answered him. He said that he who should build his temple was none other than Gudea, and that he would give him the sign for which he asked. But first he described the plan on which the temple was to be built, naming its various shrines and chambers and describing the manner in which they were to be fas.h.i.+oned and adorned. And the G.o.d promised that when Gudea should build the temple, the land would once more enjoy abundance, for Ningirsu would send a wind which should proclaim to the heavens the return of the waters. And on that day the waters would fall from the heavens, the water in the ditches and ca.n.a.ls would rise, and water would gush out from the dry clefts in the ground. And the great fields would once more produce their crops, and oil would be poured out plenteously in Sumer[sp.] and wool would again be weighed in great abundance. In that day the G.o.d would go to the mountain where dwelt the whirlwind, and he would himself direct the wind which should give the land the breath of life. Gudea must therefore work day and night at the task of building the temple. One company of men was to relieve another at its toil, and during the night the men were to kindle lights so that the plain should be as bright as day. Thus the builders would build continuously. Men were also to be sent to the mountains to cut down cedars and pines and other trees and bring their trunks to the city, while masons were to go to the mountains and were to cut and transport huge blocks of stone to be used in the construction of the temple. Finally the G.o.d gave Gudea the sign for which he asked. The sign was that he should feel his side touched as by a flame, and thereby he should know that he was the man chosen by Ningirsu to carry out his commands.

Gudea bowed his head in submission, and his first act was to consult the omens, and the omens were favourable. He then proceeded to purify the city by special rites, so that the mother when angered did not chide her son, and the master did not strike his servant's head, and the mistress, though provoked by her handmaid, did not smite her face. And Gudea drove all the evil wizards and sorcerers from the city, and he purified and sanctified the city completely. Then he kindled a great fire of cedar and other aromatic woods, to make a sweet savour for the G.o.ds, and prayers were offered day and night; and the patesi addressed a prayer to the Anun-naki, or Spirits of the Earth, who dwelt in s.h.i.+rpurla, and a.s.signed a place to them in the temple. Then, having completed his purification of the city itself, he consecrated its immediate surroundings. Thus he consecrated the district of Gu-edin, whence the revenues of Ningirsu were derived, and the lands of the G.o.ddess Nina with their populous villages. And he consecrated the wild and savage bulls which no man could turn aside, and the cedars which were sacred to Ningirsu, and the cattle of the plains. And he consecrated the armed men, and the famous warriors, and the warriors of the Sun-G.o.d. And the emblems of the G.o.d Ningirsu, and of the two great G.o.ddesses, Nina and Ninni, he installed before them in their shrines.

Then Gudea sent far and wide to fetch materials for the construction of the temple. And the Elamite came from Elani, and men of Susa came from Susa, and men brought wood from the mountains of Sinai and Melukh-kha.

And into the mountain of cedars, where no man before had penetrated, the patesi cut a road, and he brought cedars and beams of other precious woods in great quant.i.ties to the city. And he also made a road into the mountain where stone was quarried, into places where no man before had penetrated. And he carried great blocks of stone down from the mountain and loaded them into barges and brought them to the city. And the barges brought bitumen and plaster, and they were loaded as though they were carrying grain, and all manner of great things were brought to the city. Copper ore was brought from the mountain of copper in the land of Kimash, and gold was brought in powder from the mountains, and silver was brought from the mountains and porphyry from the land of Melukhkha, and marble from the mountain of marble. And the patesi installed goldsmiths and silversmiths, who wrought in these precious metals, for the adornment of the temple; and he brought smiths who worked in copper and lead, who were priests of Nin-tu-kalama. In his search for fitting materials for the building of the temple, Gudea journeyed from the lower country to the upper country, and from the upper country to the lower country he returned.

The only other materials now wanting for the construction of the temple were the sun-dried bricks of clay, of which the temple platform and the structure of the temple itself were in the main composed. Their manufacture was now inaugurated by a symbolical ceremony carried out by the patesi in person. At dawn he performed an ablution with the fitting rites that accompanied it, and when the day was more advanced he slew a bull and a kid as sacrifices, and he then entered the temple of Ningirsu, where he prostrated himself. And he took the sacred mould and the fair cus.h.i.+on on which it rested in the temple, and he poured a libation into the mould. Afterwards, having made offerings of honey and b.u.t.ter, and having burnt incense, he placed the cus.h.i.+on and the mould upon his head and carried it to the appointed place. There he placed clay in the mould, shaping it into a brick, and he left the brick in its mould within the temple. And last of all he sprinkled oil of cedar-wood around.

The next day at dawn Gudea broke the mould and set the brick in the sun.

And the Sun-G.o.d was rejoiced at the brick that he had fas.h.i.+oned. And Gudea took the brick and raised it on high towards the heavens, and he carried the brick to his people. In this way the patesi inaugurated the manufacture of the sun-dried bricks for the temple, the sacred brick which he had made being the symbol and pattern of the innumerable bricks to be used in its construction. He then marked out the plan of the temple, and the text states that he devoted himself to the building of the temple like a young man who has begun building a house and allows no pleasure to interfere with his task. And he chose out skilled workmen and employed them on the building, and he was filled with joy. The G.o.ds, too, are stated to have helped with the building, for Enki fixed the temennu of the temple, and the G.o.ddess Nina looked after its oracles, and Gatumdug, the mother of s.h.i.+r-purla, fas.h.i.+oned bricks for it morning and evening, while the G.o.ddess Bau sprinkled aromatic oil of cedar-wood.

Gudea himself laid its foundations, and as he did so he blessed the temple seven times, comparing it to the sacred brick, to the holy libation-vase, to the divine eagle of s.h.i.+rpurla, to a terrible couching panther, to the beautiful heavens, to the day of offerings, and to the morning light which brightens the land. He caused the temple to rise towards heaven like a mountain, or like a cedar growing in the desert.

<script>