Seven-tablet cuneiform epic detailing the elevation of Marduk and creation of the cosmos from watery chaos (Tiamat)
The definitive Babylonian cosmogonic epic consisting of ~1,000 lines across seven tablets, describing a primal conflict between freshwater Apsu and saltwater Tiamat, culminating in Marduk crafting heaven and earth from Tiamat's corpse.
Rigorous 4-part empirical analysis separating ancient text from bias and consensus
Tablet IV lines 135–140: Marduk slays Tiamat, splits her body in half like a dried fish, and uses one half to establish the firmament of heaven while assigning the sun, moon, and stars to mark seasons.
Provides the comparative literary and cosmological backdrop for Genesis 1: the deep watery abyss (Hebrew 'Tehom' cognate with Akkadian 'Tiamat'), separation of waters above and below, and appointing celestial luminaries.
Genesis 1 functions as a theological polemic: creation is achieved not through divine warfare (theomachy) or violent dismemberment, but through the effortless sovereign spoken word ('And God said, Let there be light').
State political propaganda crafted to legitimize the city of Babylon as the religious center of the cosmos and establish Marduk as king of the gods.