Sumerian myth
The Descent of Inanna into the Underworld (or, in its Akkadian version, Descent of Ishtar into the Underworld) or Angalta ("From the Great Sky") is a Sumerian myth that narrates the descent of the goddess Inanna (Ishtar in Akkadian) into the Underworld to overthrow its ruler, her sister Ereshkigal, the "Queen of the Dead." But following the removal of her adornments, she perishes and her corpse is suspended on a nail. The god Enki intervenes indirectly, restoring Inanna to life. However, on her return journey, Inanna is required to deliver another living human in exchange for her freedom. She selects Dumuzi, her spouse, who is abruptly transported to the Underworld. In response to the pleas of Dumuzi's sister, Geshtinanna, his circumstances are somewhat ameliorated: he is permitted to remain in the Underworld for only a portion of the year, with his sister assuming his role for the remaining duration.
The myth exists in two main versions: one in Sumerian and the other in Akkadian. The Akkadian version was first discovered and translated in the 1860s. The existence of the longer and older Sumerian version was first established in the early 20th century, but it required approximately fifty years for epigraphists to fully reconstruct and translate it.
The story of Descent of Inanna into the Underworld offers insights into Mesopotamian culture through its numerous characters and developed plot. The influence of this culture on subsequent civilizations is evident in the traces of Mesopotamian elements found in Greece, Phoenicia, and the Old Testament. In the 20th century, the story was used by some psychoanalysis theorists to illustrate psychic mechanisms.
A long epigraphic reconstruction [ edit ]
The myth of Descent of Inanna into the Underworld is presented in two versions: one written in Sumerian and another rewritten in Akkadian, where the goddess is referred to as Ishtar. These two versions are not faithful translations of each other; instead, they represent two distinct renditions.[1]
The Akkadian version of the myth, comprising 138 lines and entitled The Descent of Ishtar into the Underworld, was the initial version to be unearthed. Among the numerous clay tablet fragments unearthed in Nineveh and Assur during the 1860s, two comprehensive texts dating from the early first millennium BCE particularly stand out. However, their provenance appears to originate from as early as 1600 BCE.[2] Except for a few minor displacements and stylistic divergences, the two texts are strikingly similar and can be used to reconstruct the plot. The translation of these fragments was among the first Akkadian literary works to be published in a modern language.[3]
Archaeologist Edward Chiera (1924), who found the second piece of the Istanbul tablet at the University museum in Philadelphia.
The Sumerian version, entitled Descent of Inanna into the Underworld, comprises 400 lines and is the modern designation for the myth. The incipit, which designates the Sumerian text, bestows upon it the title Angalta, which translates to "From the Great Sky."[4] This version, discovered after the Akkadian version, is of a more archaic provenance. It was composed circa 1700 BCE, although the precise date of its origin remains uncertain.[5] In the early 20th century, epigraphists painstakingly pieced together the text from numerous tablet fragments unearthed in Nippur.[6] Arno Poebel and Stephen Langdon initiated the initial reconstruction efforts with small text fragments and the upper half of a four-column tablet preserved in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. However, due to the absence of numerous elements, it was not feasible to establish a logical reconstruction of the narrative. Consequently, archaeologist Edward Chiera identified the second portion of the Istanbul tablet at the University museum in Philadelphia, and a preliminary complete translation was published in 1936.[7]
But for historian Samuel Noah Kramer the narrative remained incomplete. A considerable number of passages in the Akkadian version appeared to be too allusive to be linked to the Sumerian version. Furthermore, some fragments were challenging to situate within the appropriate sequence. Consequently, Kramer proceeded to collate the disparate fragments in his possession, which were located between Istanbul and Philadelphia. The discovery in 1942[6] of a 94-line tablet at Yale University prompted a fundamental shift in the narrative structure. Contrary to the prevailing view among researchers at the time,[7] which was influenced by the myth of Orpheus[8] and the initial translations of Descent of Ishtar, Inanna did not descend to the Underworld to search for Dumuzi. Instead, her purpose was to extend her power. Accordingly, her descent precedes that of her husband. In addition to the association with the Orpheus myth, this misunderstanding can also be attributed to the intricate complexity of the Akkadian version's conclusion. The final twelve lines, which pertain to Dumuzi, continue to present interpretive challenges in the present era (2021).[9] Consequently, the Sumerian version of the myth, of which only approximately twenty lines were absent by 1951,[10] was ultimately nearly fully comprehended and published in the 1950s.[7] Other reconstruction efforts, notably illuminated by the discovery of a 74-line tablet in the ancient city of Ur, translated in 1963,[11] continued to produce a more complete English version in 1974 by William R. Sladek and a French one in 1980 by Jean Bottéro.[12]
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