We’re exploring themes from the current Getty Villa exhibition “Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins,” and today’s theme is myths about the creation of the world!⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Creation myths show how the Mesopotamians believed the cosmos and humankind came into being. These myths were recorded on cuneiform tablets and provide insight into the Mesopotamian worldview.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Because myths originated as oral traditions, various different versions were passed down and eventually recorded according to place and time. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ The first tablet pictured, which dates to about 2400 B.C. and was excavated at Girsu (present-day Tello, Iraq), describes the cosmic pairing of the male Heaven (An) and the female Earth (Ki). Their union brought an end to primeval chaos, setting the stage for the creation of the gods, who would later create humans. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ The second tablet, dating to about 2000–1600 B.C., relates a Sumerian myth in which Enki, the god of wisdom and fresh waters, and his mother, the earth goddess Ninmah,...