Nimrod's Reign (aka Marduk) as Priest-King or Lord (1 jan 3000 ano antes da era comum – 1 jan 2950 ano antes da era comum)

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DID NIMROD BUILD THE TOWER OF BABEL ? by Gerard Gertoux

The Mesopotamian empire founded by Marduk is characterised by the following elements:
• Forms of the temples. These temples (city halls) were built on a raised terrace (mastaba) surrounded by a wall, they have a tripartite rectangular shape, their walls are notched with large vertical indentations, their flat roofs were surrounded by a horizontal band, they are decorated with coloured geometric patterns in the form of lozenges, they do not contain any inscriptions or signs of writing, they do not contain any religious forms of gods or goddesses in the form of statues or reliefs.
• Only one leader. This ruler wore a crown and a kind of kilt. He is called the Priest-King because his title, written in Sumerian cuneiform EN meaning “Lord”, was represented by four stacked ration bowls. The role of the “Lord” was to religiously supervise the redistribution of food brought to the temple. This rudimentary conical clay ration bowl was produced in phenomenal quantities throughout the empire.
• Use of cylinder seals. To record and redistribute the necessary supplies, the temple administrator used a cylinder seal representing him next to the temple and the Priest-King (EN).
• The Euphrates at the heart of the empire. The Priest-King is depicted on a cylinder seal sailing down the Euphrates with a barge to build a new city.

As we have seen, the Priest-King is systematically represented in the same way: he has a vigorous gait and both feet are moving, he wears a kilt with rhombuses, he has a rounded crown on his head, he is bearded and has abundant hair.

The first to speak of Bel Marduk (Jr 50:2), bēl (EN) means “Lord” in Babylonian, was the Babylonian king Hammurabi (1697-1654) when he chose Babylon as his capital. The Code of Hammurabi begins with a long prologue in which the king explains that the masters of the pantheon, having raised Marduk to the head of the young gods, created and magnified Babylon for him, call Hammurabi to the throne. According to this religious view, things only exist once their name is spoken, therefore, Marduk became king over Babylon when the primordial deities (Anunnaki) had just created Babylon, similarly, Hammurabi became king over Babylon when these deities appointed him to this role (Finet: 1996, 31-33). As this prologue confirms the biblical account: Babylon was indeed founded by the first king of the world, called Marduk by the Babylonians, Assyriologists consider that Hammurabi invented this myth to legitimise his kingship and then this myth was taken over by the Jews, replacing Marduk by Nimrod, when they were deported to Babylon in the 6th century BCE. This double accusation of plagiarism and falsehood can be refuted by archaeological findings and linguistic analysis (Johandi: 2020, 551-573). Since the latter is important, the prologue is quoted in a literal translation2 with the Sumerian names (in brackets) that appear in the text:

When the august Anu (AN), king of the Anunnaki (dAN.NUN.NA.KI)3, and Enlil (EN.LÍL), lord of heaven and earth, he who determines the destiny of the land, to god Marduk (dAMAR.UTU), the firstborn son of Ea, supreme power over all peoples, allotted, among the Igigi (I2.GI4.GI4), exalted him, Babylon (Bab-ilaKI), with its august name named, and within the regions made it supreme; and within it eternal kingship whose, like heaven and earth, foundations are fixed, established for him; at that time, Hammurapi the prince pious, who venerates the gods, me justice in the land, to make prevail, the wicked and the evil to destroy, that the strong the weak not oppress, like the (divine) Sun (dUTU) to the black-headed ones to rise, the land to illuminate, Anu and god Enlil the flesh of the people to improve, by my name named. Hammurapi, the shepherd, selected by the god Enlil am I, he who heaps high abundance and plenty who perfects every possible thing for Nippur Band-of-Heaven-and-Earth (DUR.AN.KI), provider pious of Ekur (É.KUR); capable king, restorer of Eridu (ERI4.DU10KI), to its place, purifier of the rites of Eapsu (ÉABZU) the onslaught of the regions four (the whole world) who magnifies the name of Babylon, who sweetens heart of god Marduk his lord (bēl), whose days he stands for Esagila (É.SAG.ÍL); seed of royalty, he whom Sîn (DSUEN) created enricher of Ur (URI2KI).

Representations of Marduk are late but he is always depicted as a king (wearing a cylindrical feathered tiara) but never as a god (wearing a conical tiara with triple horns). On the kudurru4 of Meli-Shipak (1187-1172), Marduk is depicted wearing a crown covered with royal rosettes and having the mušḫuššu “fierce serpent” at his feet as on the one (below right) of Marduk-zâkir-šumi I (855-819).

The divine king Marduk had a statue of worship enthroned in the É.UMUŠ.A (“House of Command”), Marduk’s cella in É.SAG.ÍL (“temple whose top is lofty”) but it was repeatedly taken captive and then returned. The temple whose top is lofty referred more specifically to the temple of Marduk, which was at the top of the É.TEMEN.AN.KI (“temple of the foundation of heaven/sky and earth”), the Tower of Babel. The cult statue of the divine king Marduk was taken by the Hittites in 1499 BCE after the capture of Babylon by King Muršili I and was later recovered by the Kassite king Agum II (1503-1487) at the end of his reign (Joannès: 2001, 493-496).

The Enuma Elish is the Babylonian creation myth. The composition of the text probably dates to the late 2nd millennium BCE, or even earlier, to the time of Hammurabi but it is only attested from King Marduk- kabit-aḫḫešu (1159-1141). The text of Enuma Elish, called the Babylonian Epic of Creation, confirms that Babylon was founded by Marduk (Nimrod) and the purpose of this city was essentially religious:
When Marduk heard the gods' speech he conceived a desire to accomplish clever things. He opened his mouth addressing Ea, he counsels that which he had pondered in his heart (...) After the wise Ea (ENKI “Lord of the land”) had created mankind and had imposed the service of the gods upon them -That task is beyond comprehension. For Nudimmud (god Ea) performed the creation with the skill of Marduk— King Marduk divided the gods, all the Anunnaki into upper and lower groups. He assigned 300 in the heavens to guard the decrees of Anu and appointed them as a guard (...) The Anunnaki opened their mouths and addressed their lord Marduk, "Now, lord, seeing you have established our freedom what favour can we do for you? Let us make a shrine of great renown: Your chamber will be our resting place wherein we may repose. Let us erect a shrine to house a pedestal wherein we may repose when we finish (the work)." When Marduk heard this, he beamed as brightly as the light of day, "Build Babylon, the task you have sought. Let bricks for it be moulded and raise the shrine!" The Anunnaki wielded the pick. For one year they made the needed bricks. When the second year arrived, they raised the peak of Esagil (É.SAG.ÍL “temple whose top is lofty”), a replica of the Apsû (ZU.AB “deep water”). They built the lofty temple tower (Tower of Babel) of the Apsû (...) After they had completed the work on Esagil all the Anunnaki constructed their own shrines (Enuma Elish VI:1-4,35-42, 47-63, 67-68).

The unnamed lord (EN), conventionally referred to by the title of Priest-King, thus founded the first Sumerian cities, built the first temple-palaces, led a powerful administration (which created the first writing signs). Therefore this powerful king founded a unified empire over all Mesopotamia. These characteristics apply to the biblical Nimrod, or Babylonian Marduk, and so this powerful king was able to found the city of Babylon and build his huge tower, a “Gate of God” of the whole of Mesopotamia, the first world empire. We can therefore say that history begins at Sumer. Although the city of Eridu was founded around 3000 BCE by the same “Priest-King” and powerful Lord (EN) who founded the city of Uruk, Sumerian mythology only gives his title as “Lord” (EN), neither mythology nor Sumerian king lists give his name.

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