The Vigilance of Sumer

The Vigilance of Sumer

The Sumerians are the next civilization that we will introduce. They play an important role in contrasting with the Egyptians. The people of ancient Sumer lived in a harsh environment. They were people living near unpredictable rivers which can be contrasted with the Nile. These rivers would flood and threaten their very existence. To protect themselves these people developed a series of canals and channels to regulate the flow of the rivers. Because of the ongoing threat of natural disaster they became innovative and resourceful. Had the people of the New Orleans flood demonstrated this resourcefulness and innovation the city may have been preserved? Perhaps now that they have had to face the hardship of a flood they may gain the virtue of vigilance.
The Sumerians lived in isolated city states much like Singapore today. It is interesting to see the benefits of isolationism and cooperation working together as they did here. It brought the cities success wealth and a quality of life that was an incubator for progress. Isolation can be defined as a fear of strangers. Cooperation can be defined as sharing ideas, effort and marketable items toward a common goal. Examples of the kind of goal that cooperation fostered in Sumer were the walls providing defense around the City States. Isolation and cooperation seem to be dialectic elements comprising the virtue of vigilance. Vigilance is the next vocabulary word to be added to the language of virtue. It is a verb because it commands us to ongoing action.

Tablet X of the Epic of Gilgimesh. Vigilance in the flood story.

Tear down the house and build a boat! Abandon wealth and seek living beings! Spurn possessions and keep alive living beings! Make all living beings go up into the boat. The boat which you are to build, its dimensions must measure equal to each other: its length must correspond to its width. Roof it over like the Apsu.I understood and spoke to my lord, Ea: 'My lord, thus is the command which you have uttered I will heed and will do it. But what shall I answer the city, the populace, and the

Elders!'Ea spoke, commanding me, his servant: 'You, well then, this is what you must say to them: "It appears that Enlil is rejecting me so I cannot reside in your city (?), nor set foot on Enlil's earth. I will go down to the Apsu to live with my lord, Ea, and upon you he will rain down abundance, a profusion of fowl, myriad(!) fishes. He will bring to you a harvest of wealth, in the morning he will let loaves of bread shower down, and in the evening a rain of wheat!"'Just as dawn began to glowthe land assembled around me-the carpenter carried his hatchet,the reed worker carried his (flattening) stone,... the men ...The child carried the pitch,the weak brought whatever else was needed.On the fifth day I laid out her exterior.It was a field in area,its walls were each 10 times 12 cubits in height,the sides of its top were of equal length, 10 times It cubits each.I laid out its (interior) structure and drew a picture of it (?).I provided it with six decks,thus dividing it into seven (levels).The inside of it I divided into nine (compartments).I drove plugs (to keep out) water in its middle part.I saw to the punting poles and laid in what was necessary.Three times 3,600 (units) of raw bitumen I poured into the bitumen kiln,three times 3,600 (units of) pitch ...into it,there were three times 3,600 porters of casks who carried (vege- table) oil,apart from the 3,600 (units of) oil which they consumed (!)and two times 3,600 (units of) oil which the boatman stored away.I butchered oxen for the meat(!),and day upon day I slaughtered sheep.I gave the workmen(?) ale, beer, oil, and wine, as if it were river water,so they could make a party like the New Year's Festival.... and I set my hand to the oiling(!).The boat was finished by sunset.The launching was very difficult.They had to keep carrying a runway of poles front to back,until two-thirds of it had gone into the water(?).Whatever I had I loaded on it:whatever silver I had I loaded on it,whatever gold I had I loaded on it.All the living beings that I had I loaded on it,I had all my kith and kin go up into the boat,all the beasts and animals of the field and the craftsmen I had go up.Shamash had set a stated time: 'In the morning I will let loaves of bread shower down, and in the evening a rain of wheat! Go inside the boat, seal the entry!'That stated time had arrived.In the morning he let loaves of bread shower down,and in the evening a rain of wheat.I watched the appearance of the weather--the weather was frightful to behold!I went into the boat and sealed the entry.For the caulking of the boat, to Puzuramurri, the boatman,I gave the palace together with its contents.Just as dawn began to glowthere arose from the horizon a black cloud.Adad rumbled inside of it,before him went Shullat and Hanish,heralds going over mountain and land.Erragal pulled out the mooring poles,forth went Ninurta and made the dikes overflow.The Anunnaki lifted up the torches,setting the land ablaze with their flare.Stunned shock over Adad's deeds overtook the heavens,and turned to blackness all that had been light.The... land shattered like a... pot.All day long the South Wind blew ...,blowing fast, submerging the mountain in water,overwhelming the people like an attack.No one could see his fellow,they could not recognize each other in the torrent.The gods were frightened by the Flood,and retreated, ascending to the heaven of Anu.The gods were cowering like dogs, crouching by the outer wall.Ishtar shrieked like a woman in childbirth,the sweet-voiced Mistress of the Gods wailed: 'The olden days have alas turned to clay, because I said evil things in the Assembly of the Gods! How could I say evil things in the Assembly of the Gods, ordering a catastrophe to destroy my people!! No sooner have I given birth to my dear people than they fill the sea like so many fish!'The gods--those of the Anunnaki--were weeping with her,the gods humbly sat weeping, sobbing with grief(?),their lips burning, parched with thirst.Six days and seven nightscame the wind and flood, the storm flattening the land.When the seventh day arrived, the storm was pounding,the flood was a war--struggling with itself like a woman writhing (in labor).The sea calmed, fell still, the whirlwind (and) flood stopped up.I looked around all day long--quiet had set inand all the human beings had turned to clay!The terrain was as flat as a roof.I opened a vent and fresh air (daylight!) fell upon the side of my nose.I fell to my knees and sat weeping,tears streaming down the side of my nose.

I looked around for coastlines in the expanse of the sea,and at twelve leagues there emerged a region (of land).On Mt. Nimush the boat lodged firm,Mt. Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway.One day and a second Mt. Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway.A third day, a fourth, Mt. Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway.A fifth day, a sixth, Mt. Nimush held the boat, allowing no sway.When a seventh day arrivedI sent forth a dove and released it.The dove went off, but came back to me;no perch was visible so it circled back to me.I sent forth a swallow and released it.The swallow went off, but came back to me;no perch was visible so it circled back to me.I sent forth a raven and released it.The raven went off, and saw the waters slither back.It eats, it scratches, it bobs, but does not circle back to me.Then I sent out everything in all directions and sacrificed (a sheep).I offered incense in front of the mountain-ziggurat.Seven and seven cult vessels I put in place,and (into the fire) underneath (or: into their bowls) I poured reeds, cedar, and myrtle.The gods smelled the savor,the gods smelled the sweet savor,and collected like flies over a (sheep) sacrifice.Just then Beletili arrived.She lifted up the large flies (beads) which Anu had made for his enjoyment(!): 'You gods, as surely as I shall not forget this lapis lazuli around my neck, may I be mindful of these days, and never forget them! The gods may come to the incense offering, but Enlil may not come to the incense offering, because without considering he brought about the Flood and consigned my people to annihilation.'