George Smith 
Chaldean Account of Genesis 
Containing the Description of the Creation, the Deluge, the Tower of Babel, the Destruction of Sodom, the Times of the Patriarchs, and Nimrod; Babylonian Fables, and Legends of the Gods; From the Cuneiform Inscriptions

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Read an invaluable collection of ancient Mesopotamian texts in <i>The Chaldean Account of Genesis: Containing the Description of the Creation</i> by George Smith. Smith pioneered the study of Assyriology, which investigates the history and culture of Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). Assyriology encompasses Biblically significant locations such as Assyria, Babylonia and Sumer. During his studies in Assyria, Smith discovered the <i>Epic of Gilgamesh</i>, the oldest known work of literature, which is an account of the Great Flood. <br><br><i>The Chaldean Account of Genesis: Containing the Description of the Creation</i> collects translations of all of the major tablets that Smith discovered, including the story of Gilgamesh. He translates the story of the Creation as it appeared in ancient texts, as well as the <i>Tower of Babel</i> and the <i>Destruction of Sodom</i>. In addition to the texts that are parallel to stories from the Christian Bible, Smith gathered tablets which tell the history, culture and religion of ancient Mesopotamian cultures. Smith discovered a tablet with the story of Ishtar, goddess of sexuality and warfare, who descended to the Underworld. He also tells the story of the Babylonian god Zu, which was then an obscure religious story to the Babylonian and Assyrians.<br><br>The text also includes illustrations of significant events. Some of the texts are incomplete due to the nature of the ancient tablets, many of which are merely fragments. Still, because of the meticulous work of Smith and his contemporaries, readers can learn about history that had previously been lost. <i>The Chaldean Account of Genesis: Containing the Description of the Creation</i> is a must-read.