second millennium BC, and as is commonly believed by some, many elements in this type of story undoubtedly derived from still older written or oral traditions. From the biblical point of view the differences involved in the Babylonian account would have been introduced by gradual corruption from polytheistic conceptions. The second phase in the process of Creation involved Enki, Nintu, and some assistant birth goddesses who broke bits of clay from the central stock and formed these pieces into inert statuettes of seven men and seven women. These were located adjacent to the birth ''bricks," the place of parturition for Babylonian women in labor. The womb broke open in the 10th month and mankind was born. At this point Nintu diverges to give advice on marriage and obstetrics. Evidently the reading of this story served as a good-luck omen at the time of childbirth. III. Antediluvian Life The next major segment of the Atra-hasis Epic concentrates upon antediluvian adversities. Before 1200 years had passed, Enlil brought a plague to reduce the population and squelch their noise. Enki circumvented this plan by instructing Atra-hasis to offer sacrifice to Namtara, the goddess of the plague. This Atra-hasis and the people did, and the effects of the plague were averted.After another 1200 noisy years, Enlil developed another plan to reduce the human population by starvation through drought and famine: "The noise of mankind (has become too intense for me),(With their uproar) I am deprived of sleep.Cut off supplies for the peoples,Let there be a scarcity of plant-life to satisfy their hunger.Adad should withold his rain,And below, the flood should not come up from the abyss.Let the wind blow and parch the ground,Let the clouds thicken but not release a downpour,Let the fields diminish their yields".Again Enki instructed Atra-hasis to lead the people in offering sacrifice to Adad, the storm god. Thus satisfied, Adad yielded his rains and the fiel...
