Fragment of an essay on ancient Egypt

attributed to Bawa, the Great Mara of Nippur

Besides the brief description in her geography, Death in all Directions, theres a fragment of another text of Mara on Egypt. This was found in the clay tablet library of the city Mari on the Euphrates. This parallel tex in Hurrian and Sumerian has been translated and reconstructed to the best of our ability.

Lo! The great water in the land of Kemmu*1 is larger than Buraduna*2 or Idiina*3. And a strange water it be indeed. Verily this river is inverted, it runneth in the wrong direction. Yeah, it moveth upstream from the mountains of the Upper Abzu*4 northwards to the great western sea. The water floweth the opposite way that do Buraduna, Idiina or Retenu*5 in Kinanu.*6 More over hath it none of other rivers that feed it. Nay, it is solitary, one single endless stream from the remote land of Ubat*7 unto just beyond Ankitawu*8 where it divideth into seven streams that pour themselves into the great western sea.

This enormous river, called Idiruna*9 by the people of Kemmu, swelleth not in early summer like Buraduna and Idiina. Nay, Idiruna floodeth the dry land in the autumn season, when bursting its banks, it covereth the land like a blanket, making all of Kemmu a shallow lake.

For this reason the Mezeru people build their houses on stilts or far from the river bank. Also, their temples they build on high stone platforms against the inundation. And in the autumn months they sail amongst the pathways of their villages and along the streets of their cities in boats, for verily they cannot walk on the earth. Thus they conduct their tasks and their trade from boat to boat.

As for their animals, the Mezeru love and adore them. Their animals live with them in their homes except the larger herds of shope and cattle which are moved to the edge of the flood plain, to higher ground, before the inundation. There they are guarded by armed shepherds against the desert wolf and the lion that would devour them were it not for those weapon-wielding shepherds.

Of cities, the land of Kemmu hath many and splendid ones. First, there is Ankitawu, a great city where three ziggurats as high as mountains loom up to heaven. The sharp tops of the ziggurats are made of gold so that they gleam and glitter in the sunlight and likewise by night they reflect the silvery light of the moon. And many temples there are in Ankitawu, for the Mezeru are pious albeit misguided. Most wondrous is the statue of the lion angel.

Hark, the Mezeru show proper respect for Irkalla and the Kingdom of Death yet also worship they animals and insects, even the dung beatle! Verily existeth a temple for everything they serve, from the sun to the bull to the man-eating water lizard they name ebek and the cat they call Beet.

Between Ankitawu and the great western sea Idiruna divides into seven [streams] and many narrow canals, not unlike the marshland afore Buraduna and Idiina empty into the Sea of Dilmun*10. This is where the land of Kemmu extendeth the widest from east to west a land of rich fertility and abundance. On the seashore there are cities whither come merchants by ship from Hattu*11, Elusu*12 and Kaptaru*13 and further unknown western lands.

To the other side of the great city an abundance of creatures dwell in the water and on the banks of Idiruna. There are man-eating water lizards, the water beast*14 and many different types of wild bucks and gazelles.

Idiruna is indeed deep and wide so that large ships sail from the port cities through Ankitawu for long leagues past many cities to the great metropolis of the south. This is the city of the ram. It is called Tapi*15 or Upastu, and it rivaleth Ankitawu in magnificent temples and palaces. Also there is a holy well which goeth down to the Abzu.

Far beyond Tapi there is a waterfall at the city of Subun.*16 Large ships can sail no further. This is the border of Kemmu where the land of Ubat begineth, a land of scorching heat. The people of Ubat are taller than the Mezeru and are known as archers expert in the shooting of long arrows. Buoyant trade taketh place at Subun between the Mezeru and the Ubat people. Ivory and gold from the south are eagerly sought after by the Mezeru. The priests of Ubat speak the language of Kemmu. Few have ventured deeper into Ubat but it is said that there be another waterfall and then another, and that there be a magical mountain where Idiruna maketh a bend on which resideth another lion angel.
6

FOOTNOTES

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

Egypt Euphrates Tigris Central Africa Jordan River Canaan Wawat = Nubia Memphis Iteru = Egyptian for The Nile Persian Gulf Anatolia Cyprus Crete Hippo Thebes Aswan

SOURCES OF IMAGES
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