CELESTIAL MARDUK IN AND BEYOND ENŪMA ELIŠ

This article presents an analysis of celestial Marduk in Enūma Eliš and in sources that are pastiches of the poem or include quotations from it, including references to its recitation. These hymns, prayers, and exegetic compositions, attested by tablets from the early first millennium B.C.E. to the Hellenistic period, are often related to the calendar and ritual. The paper gives an integrated view of celestial Marduk and his associations and relates developments to scholars’ varying priorities. This includes insights into the so-called Babylonian man in the moon, schematized Late Babylonian astralizations, and the antithesis of light and darkness.