Sumerian Liturgies and Psalms

This volume presents a carefully rendered selection of ancient Sumerian liturgical and didactic compositions, drawn from the temple library of Nippur. The scholar’s deep familiarity with the tablets—both the Philadelphia and Constantinople collections—allows listeners to hear translations that preserve the original’s graceful style while explaining the historical context of each piece.

Among the texts are the striking creation and flood hymn, a near‑complete Paradise and Fall narrative, and powerful verses celebrating the virgin mother goddess and the earth god Enlil. A centerpiece is the rare “zag‑sal” hymn to the deified king Dungi, a messianic poem that links Sumerian myth to later ideas of a lost golden age. The commentary highlights how these prayers and epics illuminate the early roots of religious thought, offering a vivid glimpse into the theological world of one of humanity’s first civilizations.