Nature and Life Mesopotamian’s attitude towards nature and life evolves with each piece of literature and can closely be compared to Ancient Egyptian civilizations. Although the two civilizations differed economically, politically, and culturally, both civilizations did have a couple things in common which were their polytheistic beliefs and their associations with nature and its forces. In the Epic of Creation, Gilgamesh, and the Great Hymn to the Aten one sees the role nature played and its significance in both cultures. In Mesopotamia’s Epic of Creation, it is stated in the beginning that creation of the heavens started with two types of water intermingling- sweet water, also known as fresh water, Apsu and bitter water, known as sea water, Tiamat. Already, there is a prominence placed on water. The waters represent good and evil. The Hymn to the Aten also hits on good and evil with night and day, showing how when it is dark everything dies, but when the sun is out everything is alive. (Lichthiem, pg. 96-99) There is also an importance placed on water in Gilgamesh, when he travels across the water to meet Utnapishtim, who tells him about the flood, that wiped out mankind. (The Epic of Gilgamesh, pg. 92-93) Water is represented as both rejuvenating and destructive. Another interesting aspect in both Mesopotamian myths is the emphasis on the power of the natural elements. Marduk defeats Tiamat using the winds to fill her belly then slices her in half and uses her body to
