DEBATE BETWEEN SUMMER AND WINTER

MS 3283
MS Short Title DEBATE BETWEEN SUMMER AND WINTER
Text
  1. DEBATE BETWEEN SUMMER (EMESH) AND WINTER (ENTEN)
  2. CREATION OF THE WORLD, PART OF THE SUMERIAN CREATION STORY
Description MS in Neo Sumerian on clay, probably Larsa Babylonia, 1900-1700 BC, a 4-sided prism, 20x12x11 cm, 2 columns per side, 50 lines per column in cuneiform script.
Context Other tablets of the Sumerian creation story are MSS 2110, 2423/1-5 and 3293.
Commentary The prism had the full text of some 400 lines, but with losses along one corner. This is the most substantial MS of the text. The end is different from the published edition, which has 318 lines. The disputation between Summer and Winter remains unsolved, since their verdict insists that they are complementary and should remain so. There are parallels to the Biblical creation story: "The Lord lifted his head in pride, bountiful days arrived. Heaven and earth he regulated and the population spread wide" (Genesis 1:31-2:1), with further references to Genesis 1:11-13; 20-25.
Place of origin probably Larsa Babylonia
Dates 1900 - 1700 BC