THE RELIGIONS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.
57
" He, (Anu ?) constructed dwellings for the great gods ; he fixed the constellations, whose figures were like animals.
He made
the year into portions
;
he divided
it
;
twelve
months he
established, with their constellations, three by And from among the days of the year he appointed three. festivals ; he made dwellings for the planets, for their rising and for their setting. And, that nothing should go wrong, nor come to a stand, he placed along with them the dwellings of Bel and Hea ; and he opened great gates on
making strong the portals on the left and on the Moreover, in the centre he placed luminaries. The moon he set on high to circle through the night, and made
all sides,
right.
it wander all the night until the dawning month without fail it brought together
of the day.
Each
assemblies ; in the beginning of the month, at the rising of the night, shooting forth its horns to illuminate the heavens, and on the seventh day a holy day appointing, and commanding on that day a cessation from all business. And he (Anu) set the sun in his place in the horizon of heaven."* The following is the Chaldsean account of the Deluge, as rendered from the original by the late Mr. George festal
Smith f :
"
Hea spake
to
me and
said
' :
Son of Ubaratutu, make
a ship after this fashion .... for I destroy the sinners and life .... and cause to enter in all the seed of life, that
thou mayst preserve them. The ship which thou shalt make, .... cubits shall be the measure of the length thereof, and .... cubits the measure of the breadth and height thereof and into the deep thou shalt launch it.' I understood, and said to Hea, my Lord Hea, my Lord, this which Thou commandest me, I will perform [though I be derided] both by young and old, it shall be done.' ' Hea opened his mouth, and spake This shalt thou say to them .... (hiatus of six lines) .... and enter thou into the ship, and shut to the door ; and bring into the midst of it thy grain, and thy furniture, and thy goods, thy wealth, thy servants, thy female slaves and thy young Mien. And ;
'
:
* " Records of the Past," vol. ix. pp. 117-11& t Mr. Smith's paper, read on Dec. 3. 1872, was first published in " the Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology," in 1874. " It was afterward revised, and republished in the Records of the Past," vol. xii. pp. 135-141. The translation is taken mainly from this
second version.