Sumerian Literary Texts in the Schoyen Collection

Sumerian Literary Texts in the Schoyen Collection, Volume 1, presents a significant collection of cuneiform tablets focused on Old Babylonian religion. This scholarly work provides the first editions of seventeen Sumerian literary texts dating to approximately 2000 BCE. Christopher Metcalf edits, translates, and annotates these works of Sumerian religious poetry to examine the relationship between Mesopotamian cultic practices, scholarship, and scribal culture. The volume includes fourteen songs composed to praise various gods within the Mesopotamian pantheon, including a hymn to the creator god Enki and a song dedicated to the goddess Sud.

As a vital resource for Middle eastern philology and Sumerian language studies, this book offers transliterations, English translations, and hand-copies of the original tablets. These texts offer deep insight into the religious traditions of the early second millennium BCE. This volume of Sumerian Literary Texts in the Schoyen Collection serves as a primary source for researchers studying Sumerian literature and cuneiform tablets through the lens of ancient Mesopotamian history.