Atrahasis Epic
Creation of humans and a flood in one Old Babylonian poem
Found 1876 — Fragments first published by George Smith (1876); the full three-tablet Old Babylonian version was reconstructed by W. G. Lambert and A. R. Millard (1969)
Where Sippar (Tell Abu Habbah) and other Babylonian sites, Iraq (Iraq)
Dates from c. 1650–1600 BCE (main copy dated to the reign of Ammi-saduqa) · Old Babylonian · Primeval history (Genesis 1–9)
Now at British Museum, London (main tablets); other copies in the Iraq Museum and elsewhere
How Atrahasis Epic was found
The best copy was written by a scribe named Ipiq-Aya in Sippar and reached the British Museum through 19th-century excavations and purchases; its meaning was only pieced together in the 1960s.
What it is
An Akkadian poem on three clay tablets, about 1,245 lines. The gods create humans from clay mixed with the blood of a slain god to do their work; humans multiply and grow noisy; the gods send plague, famine, and finally a flood, which the wise man Atrahasis survives in a boat.
Why it matters for the Bible
Atrahasis is the oldest known text that joins creation of humankind, population growth, and a flood into one story—the same sequence as Genesis 1–9. Humans made from clay, a warned survivor, a boat, and a post-flood sacrifice all appear. The contrast in motive is sharp: in Genesis the flood answers violence and corruption, not noise, and YHVH's covenant with Noach replaces the gods' birth-control scheme.
The Hebrew word: ah-dah-MAH
אֲדָמָה
אֲדָמָה is pronounced ah-dah-MAH and means ground, soil, from which Adam was formed (Strong's H127).
People this discovery connects to
- Noah — נֹחַ (NO-ach) — rest, comfort
- Adam — אָדָם (ah-DAHM) — human, from the ground (adamah)
Events
Creation of humankind · Humans multiply on the earth · The Flood
Atrahasis Epic in Scripture
Genesis 2:7 Humans formed from the dust of the ground; Atrahasis has humans made from clay.
Genesis 5:29 First mention of Noah in Scripture.
Genesis 6:5-7 The reason for the flood in Genesis is human wickedness, contrasting with the gods' complaint about noise.
Questions people ask
What is Atrahasis Epic?
An Akkadian poem on three clay tablets, about 1,245 lines. The gods create humans from clay mixed with the blood of a slain god to do their work; humans multiply and grow noisy; the gods send plague, famine, and finally a flood, which the wise man Atrahasis survives in a boat.
When was Atrahasis Epic discovered?
It was found in 1876 by Fragments first published by George Smith (1876); the full three-tablet Old Babylonian version was reconstructed by W. G. Lambert and A. R. Millard (1969), at Sippar (Tell Abu Habbah) and other Babylonian sites, Iraq.
Where is Atrahasis Epic today?
British Museum, London (main tablets); other copies in the Iraq Museum and elsewhere.
Which Bible verses does Atrahasis Epic relate to?
Genesis 2:7, Genesis 5:29, Genesis 6:5-7.
Related discoveries
- כֹּפֶרThe 'Ark Tablet' (Old Babylonian round-ark instructions)A palm-sized cuneiform text giving the flood hero a coracle to build
- תֵּבָהGilgamesh Flood Tablet (Tablet XI)The Babylonian flood story that shook Victorian London
- תֵּבָהDurupınar Site ('Noah's Ark' boat-shaped formation)A ship-shaped mound in eastern Turkey promoted by Ron Wyatt and recent scan teams
- גִּבֹּרKish and Its 'Flood' DepositThe city where the King List says kingship resumed after the flood
- מַבּוּלSumerian King List (Weld-Blundell Prism)Long-lived kings before the flood, and kingship after it
- מַבּוּלShuruppak (Fara) and Its Flood LayerThe Sumerian flood hero's home city, with a river-flood deposit of about 2900 BCE
Sources
- Lambert & Millard, 'Atra-hasis: The Babylonian Story of the Flood' (Oxford, 1969)
- Wikipedia: Atra-Hasis