Sumerian Literary Texts in the Schoyen Collection: Volume 1: Literary Sources on Old Babylonian Religion

This book is the first in a series that publishes the Sumerian literary texts in the Schøyen Collection. It contains seventeen cuneiform tablets, dating to ca. 2000 BCE, with works of Sumerian religious poetry. Edited, translated, and annotated by Christopher Metcalf, these poems shed light on the interaction between cult, scholarship, and scribal culture in Mesopotamia in the early second millennium BCE. The volume contains fourteen songs composed in praise of the Mesopotamian gods, including a song in praise of Sud, a song describing the statue of Lamma-saga, and a previously unknown hymn dedicated to Enki. Each text is provided in transliteration and translation and accompanied by hand-copies and images of the tablets. This editio princeps will be a valuable tool for scholars interested in the literary and religious traditions of ancient Mesopotamia.

Format: Hardback
Length: 168 pages
Publication date: 01 July 2019
Publisher: Eisenbrauns

The Schøyen Collection's first publication in a series of volumes makes seventeen cuneiform tablets dating to around 2000 BCE and containing works of Sumerian religious poetry available for the first time. These poems, which have been edited, translated, and annotated by Christopher Metcalf, shed light on the interaction between cult, scholarship, and scribal culture in Mesopotamia in the early second millennium BCE.

The fourteen songs included in this volume are believed to have been performed in temple cults and are dedicated to the various gods of the Mesopotamian pantheon. These songs include a hymn dedicated to the creator god Enki, a song in praise of Sud, the goddess of Shuruppak, and a song describing the statue of the protective goddess Lamma-saga in the "Sacred City" temple complex at Girsu. Each text is provided in transliteration and translation, accompanied by hand-copies and images of the tablets themselves.

Expertly contextualizing each song in Babylonian religious and literary history, this thoroughly competent editio princeps will prove a valuable tool for scholars interested in the literary and religious traditions of ancient Mesopotamia.

Weight: 800g
Dimension: 221 x 288 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781575067308