The God Ninurta in the Mythology and Royal Ideology of Ancient Mesopotamia.

• Author: Pearce, Laurie
• Position: Book review

The God Ninurta in the Mythology and Royal Ideology of Ancient Mesopotamia. By AMAR ANNUS. State Archives of Assyria Studies, vol. 14. Helsinki: THE NEO-ASSYRIAN TEXT CORPUS PROJECT, 2002. Pp. xvi + 202. $57.50 (paper).

Anyone familiar with even a smattering of Mesopotamian literary and religious texts can attest to the diverse representations of any divine or heroic figure in his or her numerous textual appearances. From the plethora of material and depictions arises the difficulty in responding to the inevitable question "Who was (fill in the name of your favorite divinity/hero) and what was his/her nature?" In the present volume, Amar Annus addresses this problem by compiling Ninurta material into a convenient assemblage.

The introduction lays out Annus' methodological approach, which is in part responsible for the book's strengths and weaknesses. In stating that he aims to be descriptive and synthetic (p. 4), Annus exposes a problem that permeates the book: synthesis overshadows reflection and analysis. While he addresses the fluid identity of Ninurta and points out his similarities to deities such as Nanna/Suen and Iskur/Adad (and even proclaims Ninurta as "identical" to Nabu as the divine scribe), Annus neglects to point out that multiple attributes and syncretisms characterize other Mesopotamian deities as well. His reliance on extensive citation from secondary sources (which he claims results from his non-native command of English and his desire to avoid simplification or misrepresentation of prior research) prevents the author from exploring in depth many of the important questions he raises, including the processes by which Ninurta came to assume the identity of various gods.

The volume is generally well organized; its chapters group the material topically, although chapter three contains material already discussed in the preceding two. Chapter one, "Ninurta's Role in Ancient Mesopotamian Kingship," begins with a review of the history of Ninurta texts in the Sumero-Akkadian tradition, providing ED references to Nippur and attestations of Ninurta in Fara/Abu Salabikh godlists. Annus' brief discussion of the early history of Mesopotamian kingship provides the groundwork for his depiction of Ninurta as divine power and king and his syncretism with Marduk, who assumes kingship over the gods as a result of his triumph over chaos.

Chapter two, "Ninurta in Royal Rituals and Ideology," extends the discussion to consider the identification...