古代美索不達米亞 FIRST STEPS INTO THE ANCIENT WORLD

HYMNAL PRAYER OF ENHEDUANNA

THE ADORATION OF INANNA OF UR

Source: Pritchard, James D. (1975): The Ancient Near East, Volume II, Princeton University Press, Chichester, USA. 

Queen of all the ME, Radiant Light,

Life-giving Woman, beloved of An (and) Urash,

Hierodule of An, much bejeweled,

Who loves the life-giving tiara, fit for High Priestesshood,

Who grasps in (her) hand, the seven ME,

My Queen, you who are the Guardian of All the Great ME,

You have lifted the ME, have tied the ME to Your hands,

Have gathered the ME, pressed the ME to Your breast.

You have filled the land with venom, like a dragon.

Vegetation ceases, when You thunder like Ishkur,

You who bring down the Flood from the mountain,

Supreme One, who are the Inanna of Heaven (and) Earth,

Who rain flaming fire over the land,

Who have been given the me by An,

Queen Who Rides the Beasts,

Who at the holy command of An, utters the (divine) words,

Who can fathom Your great rites!

Destroyer of the Foreign Lands,

You have given wings to the storm,

Beloved of Enlil - You made it (the storm) blow over the land,

You carried out the instructions of An.

My Queen,

the foreign lands cower at Your cry,

In dread (and) fear of the South Wind, mankind

Brought You their anguished clamor,

Took before You their anguished outcry

Opened before You wailing and weeping,

Brought before You the "great" lamentations in the city streets.

In the van of battle, everything was struck down before You,

My Queen,

You are all devouring in Your power,

You kept on attacking like an attacking storm,

Kept on blowing (louder) than the howling storm,

Kept on thundering (louder) than Ishkur,

Kept on moaning (louder) than the evil winds,

Your feet grew not weary,

You caused wailing to be uttered on the "lyre of lament."

My Queen,

[all] the Anunna, the great gods,

Fled before You like fluttering bats,

Could not stand before Your awesome face,

Could not approach Your awesome forehead. Who can soothe Your angry heart!

Your baleful heart is beyond soothing!

Queen, Happy of "Liver," Joyful of Heart,

(But) whose anger cannot be soothed, daughter of Sin,

Queen, Paramount in the Land,

Who has (ever) paid You (enough) homage!

The mountain who kept from paying homage to You -

vegetation became "tabu" for it,

You burnt down its great gates,

Its rivers ran with blood because of You,

its people had nothing to drink,

Its troops were led off willingly (into captivity) before You,

Its forces disbanded themselves willingly before You,

Its strong men paraded willingly before You,

The amusement places of its cities were filled with turbulence,

Its adult males were driven off as captives before You.

Against the city that said not "Yours is the land,'

That said not "It belongs to the father who begot you,"

You promised Your Holy Word, turned away from it,

Kept Your distance from its womb,

Its woman spoke not of love with her husband,

In the deep night she whispered not (tenderly) with him,

Revealed not to him the "Holiness" of Her heart.

Rampant Wild Cow, elder daughter of Sin,

Queen, greater than An,

who has (ever) paid You (enough) homage!

You who in accordance with the life giving me,

Great Queen of Queens,

Have become greater than Your mother who gave birth to you,

(as soon as) you came forth from the Holy Womb,

Knowing, Wise, Queen of All the Lands,

Who multiplies (all) living creatures (and) peoples --

I have uttered Your Holy song.

Life-Giving Goddess, fit for the ME,

whose acclamation is exalted,

Merciful, Live-Giving Woman, Radiant of Heart,

I have uttered it before You in accordance with the ME.

I have entered before You in my holy gipar,

I the En, Enheduanna,

Carrying the masab-basket, I uttered a joyous chant,

(But now) I no longer dwell in the goodly place You established.

Came the day, the sun scorched me

Came the shade (of night), the South Wind overwhelmed me,

My honey-sweet voice has become strident,

Whatever gave me pleasure has turned into dust. Oh Sin, King of Heaven, my (bitter) fate,

To An declare, An will deliver me,

Pray declare it to An, he will deliver me.

The kingship of heaven has been seized by the woman (Inanna),

At whose feet lies the flood-land.

That woman (Inanna) so exalted,

who has made me tremble together the city (Ur),

Stay Her, let Her heart be soothed by me.

I, Enheduanna will offer supplications to Her,

My tears, like sweet drinks.

Will I proffer to the Holy Inanna, I will greet Her in peace,

Let not Ashimbabbar (Sin) be troubled.

She (Inanna) has changed altogether the rites of Holy An,

Has seized the Eanna from An,

Feared not the great An,

That house (the Eanna) whose charm was irresistible,

whose allure was unending,

That house She has turned over to destruction,

Her . . . that She brought there has . . .

My Wild Cow (Inanna) assaults there its men, makes them captive.

I, what am I among the living creatures!

May An give over (to punishment)

the rebellious lands that hate your (Inanna's) Nanna,

May An split its cities asunder,

May Enlil curse it,

May not its tear-destined child be soothed by her mother,

Oh, Queen who established lamentations,

Your "boat of lamentations," has landed in an inimical land,

There will I die, while singing the holy song.

As for me, my Nanna watched not over me,

I have been attacked most cruelly.

Ashimbabbar has not spoken my verdict.

But what matter, whether he spoke it or not!

I, accustomed to triumph, have been driven forth from (my) house,

Was forced to flee like the cote like a swallow, my life is devoured,

Was made to walk among the mountain thorns,

The life-giving tiara of En-ship was taken from me,

Eunuchs were assigned to me -

"These are becoming to you," it was told me.

Dearest Queen, Beloved of An,

Let your Holy heart, the Noble, return to me,

Beloved wife of Ushumgalanna (Dumuzi),

Great Queen of the Horizon and the Zenith,

The Anunna have prostrated themselves before you.

Although at birth You were the younger sister,

How much greater You have become than the Anunna,

the Great Gods!

The Anunna kiss the ground before You.

It is not my verdict that has been completed,

it is a strange verdict that has been turned into my verdict,

The fruitful bed has been abolished,

(So that) I have not interpreted to man the commands of Ningal.

For me, the Radiant En of Nanna,

May your heart be soothed, You who are the Queen beloved of An.

"You are known, You are known" -

it is not of Nanna that I have recited it,

it is of You that I have recited it.

You are known by Your heaven-like height,

You are known by Your earth-like breadth,

You are known by Your destruction of rebel-lands,

You are known by Your massacring (their people),

You are known by Your devouring (their) dead like a dog,

You are known by Your fierce countenance.

You are known by the raising of Your fierce countenance,

You are known by Your flashing eyes.

You are known by Your contentiousness (and) disobedience,

You are known by Your many triumphs" --

It is not of Nanna that I have recited it,

it is of You that I have recited it.

My Queen, I have extolled You,

who alone are exalted,

Queen Beloved of An, I have erected your daises,

Have heaped up the coals, have conducted the rites,

Have set up the nuptial chamber for You,

may Your heart be soothed for me,

Enough, more than enough innovations,

Great Queen, have I made for You.

What I have recited to You in the deep night,

The gala-singer will repeat for You in midday.

It is because of Your captive spouse, your captive son,

That Your wrath is so great, Your heart so unappeased.

The foremost Queen, the prop of the assembly,

Accepted Her prayer.

The heart of Inanna was restored,

The day was favorable for Her,

She was clothed with beauty, was filled with joyous allure,

How she carried (her) beauty -- like the rising moonlight!

Nanna who came forth in wonder true,

(and) her Ningal, proffered prayers to Her,

Greeted her at the doorsill (of the Temple).

To the hierodule whose command is noble,

The destroyer of foreign lands, presented by An with the me,

My Queen garbed in allure,

O Inanna, praise!

歷史開始於古代美索不達米亞

「美索不達米亞」一詞，希臘文義為兩條河，即底格里斯河和幼發拉底河之間的地方，其他大抵為北起托魯斯山脈，南至波斯灣，地質肥沃，人類定居於此甚早，是古文明的發祥地之一。

西元前4000-3000年起，許多民族在美索不達米亞平原建立政權。政權與文化的更迭，因而締造了多元而璀璨的文明。約在西元前2900年間，原居住於土耳其、伊朗高地的蘇美人（Sumerian)進入兩河流域南部，從聚落逐漸擴大為城邦政體，發明了楔形文字，建立宏偉的神廟、殿堂、神像、雕刻、石碑與華麗的祭器等等；為解決兩河流域定期泛濫，蘇美人興建了良好的水利系統。

梁啟超在其寫於1900年的《二十世紀太平洋歌》中，認為“地球上古文明祖國有四：中國、印度、埃及、小亞細亞是也”。

其後北方閃族的阿卡德人(Akkadian)崛起，征服了蘇美城邦，建立阿卡德王國；但由於內部戰爭頻頻，政權難以維繫，於西元前2191年亡於波斯游牧民族。一世紀後，蘇美人奪回政權，但又於西元前2000年前後被閃族的阿摩瑞提人(Amorites)征服，建立了古巴比倫王朝(Babylonian Dynasty)。

        

古巴比倫王朝統治時期，文治、武功都達於顛峰；國王漢摩拉比(Hammurabi,1728-1686BC)曾制定堪稱西方最完備的法典—《漢摩拉比法典》。

西元前1500年左右，底格里斯河上游的亞述人(Assyrians)崛起，並迅速擴張到黑海及地中海區域，締造了亞述帝國(Assyrian Empire)。亞述人承繼蘇美文化，擅長建築，並將高度尚武文化表現在藝術作品上。

亞述帝國之後，米提人(Medes)和加爾底亞人(Chaldens)於西元前612年建立新巴比倫王國；然而過了沒多久又於西元前539年被波斯帝國(Persian Empire)所滅。

        波斯人繼承蘇美人的楔形文字、亞述人的軍隊組織等，並將美索不達米亞文化傳播到東至印度河，西至地中海。西元前330年，波斯帝國亡於亞歷山大帝(Alexander the Great,356-323)；亞歷山大去世後，馬其頓帝國(Macedonian Empire)分裂為三，其中美索不達米亞進入塞琉卡斯王朝(King of the Seleucids)時期，到了西元前一世紀，終為羅馬帝國所併吞。

兩河流域歷史發展概表

Chronological Table

時期	Southern Mesopotamia 南美索不達米亞	Northern Mesopotamia 北美索不達米亞	World events 世界事件
10000BC	中石器時代文化		中石器時代文化 埃及、南歐地區
8000BC			中石器時代文化 北歐
7000BC	新石器時代
6000 5000	Pre-Historic Ubaid culture 史前歐貝德文化 (5500-4000)	Pre-Historic Northern Ubaid culture (5000-4000)史前北部歐貝德文化
4000	Early and Middle Uruk Periods烏魯克前期、中期 (4000-3500)	Tepe Gawra culture 高拉土丘文化	Megalithic cultures of W Europe 西歐巨石文化
3500	Late Uruk Period烏魯克晚期 (3500-3100)		紐格萊奇墓，位於愛爾蘭東北部的米斯郡，是博因河河曲地區的一座通道式墳墓。是愛爾蘭最為著名的史前墳墓之一。是世界文化遺產博因河河曲考古遺址的一部分。
3000 2500	Early Dynastic Period (Sumerian city states) (3100-2390)早王朝時期	Ninevite 5 culture 尼尼微第五文化	Great Pyramid of Cheops 胡夫金字塔 beginning of Stonehenge 卡內克(Camac)巨石大道 英格蘭巨石陣
	Akkadian (Sargonic)薩爾貢 Kingdom阿卡德時期 (2390-2210)	Taya culture
	Neo-Sumerian Period新蘇美爾時期 Gudea of Lagas古地亞，拉格什第二王朝 Third Dynasty of Ur (2168-2050)烏爾第三王朝
2000	Isin and Larsa kingdoms (2073-1819)「伊辛—拉薩爾時期」
	Old Babylonian Period (1950-1651)古巴比倫時期 (Hammurabi of Babylon, 1848-1806)巴比倫國王漢謨拉比	Old Assyrian Period (Samsi-Adad Ⅰ,1869-1837) 古亞述時期
1500	Middle Babylonian (Kassite) Period中巴比倫時期喀西特人 (1651-1157)		Completion of Stonehenge
		Mitannian Kingdom (1500-1350)米坦尼王國 胡利安人
		Middle Assyrian Period (1350-1000)中亞述時期	Akhenaten/ 古埃及第十八王朝法老：阿肯那頓Tutankhammun 古埃及新王國時期第十八王朝法老：圖坦卡頓
1000	Neo-Babylonian Empire (625-539)新巴比倫	Neo-Assyrian Empire (883-612)新亞述時期	Hallstatt/La Tene (Celtic) culture 居爾特文化 First Olympiad 776 Foundation of Rome c.753 第一屆奧林匹克
500	Persian (Achaemenid) Empire (550-331)波斯帝國，阿契美尼德王朝		Beginning of Maya culture 馬雅文化
	Alexander the Great (331-323) 亞歷山大大帝征服巴比倫
	Hellenistic Period (Seleucid Empire)希臘化時期，塞琉古帝國 (305-64)
BC/AD	Parthian(Arsacid)Empire 安息帝國（帕提亞）	(126BC-227AD)	Great Wall of Chian 214BC 中國萬里長城
	Sasanian Empire 薩珊王朝(226-651AD)
	Advent of Islam 636 伊斯蘭哈里發王國