have been a belief in the Creation and some of the leading features of this story long before these Creation legends were committed to writing, and there is evidence of other stories, related to those already given, which were at about the same time committed to writing. The story of the Creation transmitted through Berosus (see chapter iii. pp. 37-50) supplies us with a totally different story, differing entirely from the cuneiform account in the last chapter and from the Genesis account, and some fragments of tablets from Kouyunjik belonging to the library of Assurbanipal give a copy, mutilated as usual, of another version having many points of agreement with the account of Berosus. This legend, of which the following is a translation, is stated to be copied from a tablet at Cutha.
Legend of Creation from Cutha tablet.
(Many lines lost at commencement.)
1. lord of . . . .
2. . . . . his lord the strength of the gods . . . .
3. . . . . his host . . . . host . . . .
4. lord of the upper region and the lower region lord of angels . . . .
5. who drank turbid waters and pure water did not drink,
6. with his flame, his weapon, that man he enclosed,
7. he took, he destroyed,
8. on a tablet nothing was then written, and there were not left the carcasses and waste?
