Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria

About this book

The goddess Ishtar descends into the underworld. Gilgamesh searches for a way past death, while ancient cities preserve stories of gods who send floods, make kings and quarrel over the order of the world.

Donald A. Mackenzie brings Mesopotamian mythology into a single readable narrative, drawing on the tablets and scholarly interpretations available in his time. Creation, demons, celestial omens and royal legends appear alongside accounts of archaeological discoveries. His historical conclusions sometimes reflect early twentieth-century assumptions, but the mythic episodes retain their force and strangeness.