The Intent Behind the Enuma ElishThe Enuma Elish, often known as the Epic of Creation, is often considered the primary source of Mesopotamian cosmology. However, viewing the Enuma Elish as a cosmological myth obscures the true intention of the epic's author. The cosmological elements of the Enuma Elish are secondary to the author's efforts to explain Marduk's supremacy, to justify absolute Eastern monarchy, and to defend Babylon as an axis mundi. The Enuma Elish was composed in Babylon at the beginning of the second millennium BCE. Sumerian civilization allowed the Babylonian Empire to become the cultural and political center of Mesopotamia. Babylon was ruled by absolute and despotic kings, able to wield enough power to ensure the continuation of massive construction projects and large-scale irrigations. The hostile environment of Mesopotamia often required absolute rule by a king powerful enough to have the resources necessary to maintain civilization. The poet behind the Enuma Elish sought to justify Ba's position and government....