htar, and Ea, that the time when they did not
exist was not differentiated from the creation of the heavens and of
plant life. This conception is more clearly emphasized by the
parallelism implied between Eridu and the 'deep.' The 'formation' of
Apsu corresponds to the 'structure' made by Marduk according to the
first version, as the seat of Ea. The waters were not created by Marduk,
but they were confined by him within a certain space. In a vague way,
the 'deep' itself rested in a vast tub. The waters flowed freely and yet
not without limitation.

The contest with Tiamat is not referred to in this second version, and
this may be taken as an indication that the 'nature' myth was not an
ingredient part of cosmological speculations, but only introduced into
the first version because of its associations with Marduk.

The appearance of dry land is described somewhat vaguely as follows:

There was a channel[786] within the sea.
At that time Eridu was erected, E-Sagila[787] was built,
E-Sagila in the midst of the 'deep,' where the god of the glorious
abode[788] dwells.

The mention of the channel appears to imply that the waters were
permitted to flow off in a certain direction.

The conception would then be similar to the view expressed in Genesis,
where the dry land appears in consequence of the waters being 'gathered'
into one place.[789] The temple at Eridu is regarded as synonymous with
the city, as the temples E-Kur and E-Anna are synonymous with Nippur and
Erech respectively. Eridu at the head of the Persian Gulf, which for the
Babylonians was the beginning of the great 'Okeanos' surrounding the
world,[790] is the first dry land to appear and hence the oldest place
in the world. At this point in the narrative a line is interpolated
which clearly betrays the lateness of the version. The mention of
E-Sagila suggests to a Babylonian, naturally, the great temple of Marduk
in the city of Babylon--'the lofty house.' Local pride and the desire to
connect Babylon with the beginning of things leads to the insertion:

Babylon was reared, E-Sagila built.

With this mention of Babylon, the connecting link is established which
leads easily to the glorification of Babylon and Marduk. The thought
once introduced is not abandoned. The rest of the narrative, so far as
preserved, is concerned with Marduk. Eridu alone is beyond his
jurisdiction. Everything else, vegetation, mankind, rivers, animals, and
all cities, in