Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria is a book written by Lewis Spence, published in 1916. It comprises 15 chapters, covering the most important and interesting events and figures in the history of Babylonia and Assyria, and provides some historical background. [1]
Spence was a Scottish journalist and scholar with particular interest folklore and occultism. [2] Before Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria was published, he wrote a series of books investigating myths and legends from other cultures like the Egyptian, Mexican and Peruvian, and the North American Indian culture. [3] His friend Charles Cammell describes Spence as a precise and organized man, something that was also reflected in his literary works. [4]
In 1915 another book was published, also called Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria but written by Donald Alexander Mackenzie. [5]
The book is not written in chronological order, nor is it intended by the author to provide a full overview of all tales from these two cultures. It is a selection of myths and legends of Babylonia and Assyria that Spence found interesting or considered essential to a popular reader. He aims for this book to be "a popular account of the religion and mythology of ancient Babylonia and Assyria". [1]
The book begins with an introduction chapter, which is also the longest chapter of the book. Here it describes the history of the Babylonia and Assyria, shedding light onto the most significant figures and events. Spence mentions the relevance of this book and the provided background: these ancient societies had a substantial influence on the cultures surrounding them, mainly on law, literature and religion. [6]
One chapter describes the Gilgamesh Epic, a mythical story that dates back to 2150 - 1400 BC and is considered the oldest piece of epic literature, as it predates Homer's Odyssey. There were multiple other tales woven into this myth over time, with slight changes made by the different authors that rewrote the story. [7] In the second upon last chapter Spence describes the modern excavations in Babylonia and Assyria, with 'modern' referring to up until 1916. The book is not only text, but also contains circa 40 images and illustrations. [6]
Throughout the book he makes comparisons to western culture, for example comparing a high priest in one of the tales to an English king. This way he can explain certain figures or events by referring to familiar concepts for an Englishmen. The book is written for the British public, relying on the common knowledge a Brit would have back then, and referring to the English people as ‘us’. [1]
Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria has received some critical reviews, with multiple pointing toward inaccuracies throughout the book and considering the title to be misleading, as it is mostly a discussion of the religion and history of the two civilizations. [8] [9] One review by Theophile James Meek critiques the book "The book abounds in inaccuracies, hardly pardonable even in one who is not a specialist". He accuses Spence of relying on unreliable sources, misusing certain terms and points out Spence being inconsistent with the spelling of the names of certain important figures. Meek ends his review on some positive notes though, mentioning the book gives on the whole a very fair treatment of the subject and concludes with "It is a pleasure to find a book that has given the Assyrians due credit for the development of their civilization, instead of making it a mere reflection of that of Babylonia, as most writers do." [8] Another review gives credit to the great amount details, but again points out the "inadequate preparation for the work he has undertaken". [10]
Spence has published more than 40 literary works, [11] and has contributed to the revival of the modern neo-pagan witchcraft. [2] His book An Encyclopaedia of Occultism, published in 1920, is still used in the 21st century and considered one of the best books in the folklore and occult scene. [12]
Chaldea was a small country that existed between the late 10th or early 9th and mid-6th centuries BC, after which the country and its people were absorbed and assimilated into the indigenous population of Babylonia. Semitic-speaking, it was located in the marshy land of the far southeastern corner of Mesopotamia and briefly came to rule Babylon. The Hebrew Bible uses the term כשדים (Kaśdim) and this is translated as Chaldaeans in the Greek Old Testament, although there is some dispute as to whether Kasdim in fact means Chaldean or refers to the south Mesopotamian Kaldu.
Babylonia was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia. It emerged as an Akkadian populated but Amorite-ruled state c. 1894 BC. During the reign of Hammurabi and afterwards, Babylonia was retrospectively called "the country of Akkad", a deliberate archaism in reference to the previous glory of the Akkadian Empire. It was often involved in rivalry with the older ethno-linguistically related state of Assyria in the north of Mesopotamia and Elam to the east in Ancient Iran. Babylonia briefly became the major power in the region after Hammurabi created a short-lived empire, succeeding the earlier Akkadian Empire, Third Dynasty of Ur, and Old Assyrian Empire. The Babylonian Empire rapidly fell apart after the death of Hammurabi and reverted to a small kingdom centered around the city of Babylon.
Mesopotamian religion was the original religious beliefs and practices of the civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia, particularly Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia between circa 6000 BC and 400 AD. The religious development of Mesopotamia and Mesopotamian culture in general, especially in the south, were not particularly influenced by the movements of the various peoples into and throughout the area. Rather, Mesopotamian religion was a consistent and coherent tradition, which adapted to the internal needs of its adherents over millennia of development.
Akkadian literature is the ancient literature written in the Akkadian language in Mesopotamia during the period spanning the Middle Bronze Age to the Iron Age.
Nabopolassar was the founder and first king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from his coronation as king of Babylon in 626 BC to his death in 605 BC. Though initially only aimed at restoring and securing the independence of Babylonia, Nabopolassar's uprising against the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which had ruled Babylonia for more than a century, eventually led to the complete destruction of the Assyrian Empire and the rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in its place.
Ashurbanipal was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 669 BC to his death in 631. He is generally remembered as the last great king of Assyria. Ashurbanipal inherited the throne as the favored heir of his father Esarhaddon; his 38-year reign was among the longest of any Assyrian king. Though sometimes regarded as the apogee of ancient Assyria, his reign also marked the last time Assyrian armies waged war throughout the ancient Near East and the beginning of the end of Assyrian dominion over the region.
James Lewis Thomas Chalmers Spence was a Scottish journalist, poet, author, folklorist and occult scholar. Spence was a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, and vice-president of the Scottish Anthropological and Folklore Society. He founded the Scottish National Movement.
Ancient Semitic religion encompasses the polytheistic religions of the Semitic peoples from the ancient Near East and Northeast Africa. Since the term Semitic itself represents a rough category when referring to cultures, as opposed to languages, the definitive bounds of the term "ancient Semitic religion" are only approximate.
Simo Kaarlo Antero Parpola is a Finnish Assyriologist specializing in the Neo-Assyrian Empire and Professor emeritus of Assyriology at the University of Helsinki.
Myths and Legends of Babylonia and Assyria is a book by Donald Alexander Mackenzie published in 1915. The book discusses not only the mythology of Babylonia and Assyria, but also the history of the region (Mesopotamia), biblical accounts similar to the region's mythology, and comparisons to the mythologies of other cultures, such as those of India and northern Europe.
The history of Mesopotamia ranges from the earliest human occupation in the Paleolithic period up to Late antiquity. This history is pieced together from evidence retrieved from archaeological excavations and, after the introduction of writing in the late 4th millennium BC, an increasing amount of historical sources. While in the Paleolithic and early Neolithic periods only parts of Upper Mesopotamia were occupied, the southern alluvium was settled during the late Neolithic period. Mesopotamia has been home to many of the oldest major civilizations, entering history from the Early Bronze Age, for which reason it is often called a cradle of civilization.
Donald Alexander Mackenzie was a Scottish journalist and folklorist and a prolific writer on religion, mythology and anthropology in the early 20th century.
The ancient temple-complex, perhaps of Huzirina, now represented by the tell of Sultantepe, is a Late Assyrian archeological site at the edge of the Neo-Assyrian empire, now in Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey. Sultantepe is about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Urfa on the road to Harran. The modern village of Sultantepe Köyü lies at the base of the tell.
There are many references to ghosts in ancient Mesopotamian religion – the religions of Sumer, Babylon, Assyria and other early states in Mesopotamia. Traces of these beliefs survive in the later Abrahamic religions that came to dominate the region.
Theophilus Goldridge Pinches M.R.A.S., was a pioneer British assyriologist.
Assyrian continuity is the study of continuity between the modern Assyrian people, a Semitic indigenous ethnic, religious and linguistic minority in the Middle East, and the people of ancient Assyria and Mesopotamia generally. Assyrian continuity is a key part of the identity of the modern Assyrian people. No archaeological, genetic, linguistic or written historical evidence exists of the original Assyrian and Mesopotamian population being exterminated, removed, bred out or replaced in the aftermath of the fall of the Assyrian Empire, modern contemporary scholarship "almost unilaterally" supports Assyrian continuity, recognizing the modern Assyrians as the ethnic, linguistic and genetic descendants of the East Assyrian-speaking population of Bronze Age and Iron Age Assyria, and Mesopotamia in general, which were composed of both the old native Assyrian population and of neighbouring settlers in the Assyrian heartland.
The Statue of Gilgamesh at the University of Sydney, Camperdown, was created by Assyrian-Australian artist Lewis Batros on commission from the Assyrian community, and unveiled in 2000. The 2.5m statue depicts Gilgamesh, an ancient Sumerian king of the city-state of Uruk whose legendary exploits are told in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an Akkadian epic poem written during the late second millennium BC, based on much earlier material.
Stephanie Mary Dalley FSA is a British Assyriologist and scholar of the Ancient Near East. Prior to her retirement, she was a teaching Fellow at the Oriental Institute, Oxford. She is known for her publications of cuneiform texts and her investigation into the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and her proposal that it was situated in Nineveh, and constructed during Sennacherib's rule.
A History of Babylonia and Assyria is a two volume non-fiction work written by Robert William Rogers and originally published in 1900 or 1901 by Eaton & Mains of New York City. It went through successive rewrites that updated the work and the sixth edition was published in 1915 by Abingdon Press.
The Myths and Legends of the North American Indians is a book written by Lewis Spence and was first published in 1914 by London George G. Harrap & Company. It contains a collection of legends and myths of different Native American tribes and 32 coloured illustrations relating to some of the stories, which were created by James Jack.