The God Enki in Sumerian Royal Ideology and Mythology.

• Author: Gadotti, Alhena
• Position: Book review

The God Enki in Sumerian Royal Ideology and Mythology. BY PEETER ESPAK. Philippika, vol. 87. Wiesbaden: HARRASSOWITZ VERLAG, 2015. Pp. xviii + 235. [euro]52 (paper).

The volume under review is the updated version of the dissertation Peeter Espak defended in 2010 at the Faculty of Theology, University of Tartu. Its purpose, in the author's words, is "to understand how the god Enki was described by ancient priests and scribes, and how that description and methodology evolved during the different periods of Sumero-Akkadian history" (p. 3). In order to achieve this goal, Espak begins his examination with a short introduction about the history of the topic (pp. 1-6), followed by an analysis of the attestations of the god Enki in documents from the Early Dynastic to the Old Babylonian Period (chapters 1-7). He then provides an overview of the role Enki played as a creator in Sumerian mythology (chapter 8) and reviews the literature pertaining to the alleged conflict between the Nippur and Eridu theologies (chapter 9). Some general conclusions end the book, which is also provided with ample bibliography as well as indexes.

The book has an ambitious scope, since it aims at exploring two interconnected albeit different topics: the position Enki held in Sumerian royal ideology and Enki's role in Sumerian mythology. In addition, Espak wishes to explore some questions which pertain specifically to the nature of the god Enki. In order to do so, Espak focuses on royal inscriptions and mythological, or literary, texts.

Rather than examining each chapter in detail, the present review offers some remarks about alternative avenues of research the author may wish to consider, as well as some corrections and suggestions. These remarks should by no means detract from the importance this study has in furthering our understanding of the position Enki had in the Mesopotamian pantheon.

First, a note on terminology: I found the lack of any discussion as to what exactly Espak means by "Sumerian Royal Ideology and Mythology" problematic, especially in light of the material used in the analysis. Are we talking about the royal ideology and the mythological texts composed by the "Sumerians," whoever they might have been? Are we alluding to a "Sumerian" consciousness, which transcended chronological, geographical, and ethnical borders (a Sumerian invented tradition, to borrow from N. Veldhuis 2004)? Or are we referring to documents written in Sumerian? The latter does not...