When 19th-century scholars succeeded in deciphering the mysterious symbols of cuneiform writing that had been inscribed by the ancient Mesopotamians on clay tablets over 5000 years ago, a rich legacy of inspired and creative writing was revealed.
Familiar themes emerged that compelled the Victorian world to re-evaluate its faith in the Bible as the sole source of truth. Imagine the impression made by the Epic of Gilgamesh - the epic of a man searching for the secret of eternal life - which includes scenes of a flood that predates the story of Noah and the Ark.
In contrast, an alternative version for the origin of humankind is described in the Mesopotamian Epic of Creation, while the story of Etana foreshadows the Greek myth of Ganymede. These and other myths are recounted in this book, based on the latest translations and illustrated with works by contemporary or later artists inspired by the second discovery of these ancient characters and themes.
The myths of Mesopotamia are not only a source of the Western literary tradition but also captivating narratives.
(. . .) [Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]
