Chapter 5 Lecture Two of Two The Five Races of Men The Universal Flood Themes in Human Origins ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

The Five Races Not compatible with the Pandora stories Different source The descent into the wretched, modern age ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

The Five Races ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

The Five Races Hesiod’s world “blown apart” by the alphabet Later, the Age of Cronus was seen as a Golden Age because it fit chronologically with the Golden Race of the five races. ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

THE UNIVERSAL FLOOD ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Universal Flood Mesopotamia – Sumerians – 4000–2400 – Akkadians – Semites – 2300 – Babylonians – Hammurabi 1750 “Terah was a man of Ur” ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

THE UNIVERSAL FLOOD Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah The earliest flood (Sumerian) Thousands of years earlier than the biblical texts Mankind is progressing, and the gods decide to exterminate them We’re not told why Enki (Prometheus) decides to save one: Ziusudra ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah Tells him to build a boat Ziusudra survives the seven-day flood and sacrifices to Utu (the sun god) after it. ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah The Babylonian variation of the Sumerian flood Humankind proves too fruitful and too noisy Various plagues and other ideas fail to check their growth, so Enlil (storm god) decides to send a flood ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah But Ea (Enki) warns one “very wise man,” Atrahasis ( = Ziusudra) Instructs him to build a boat and save his family and all kinds of animals ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah A flood of seven days and nights kills off humanity But the gods, deprived of their smoke, begin to starve They gather around Atrahasis’s sacrifice and breathe the pleasant smoke — even Enlil (who demanded the flood) is pleased ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Ziusudra, Athrahsis, and Noah To check population, measures are taken to increase infant mortality and decrease the fertility rate of women: – some would be barren – ritual chastity – demons to kill some of the newborn. ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

THE UNIVERSAL FLOOD Lycaon, Deucalion, and Pyrrha ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Lycaon, Deucalion, and Pyrrha Not in Hesiod Perhaps he didn’t know about it — i.e., the story hadn’t made its way into the Greek world yet in 8th/7th c. BC Source is the Roman Ovid (1c. BC) ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Lycaon, Deucalion, and Pyrrha Zeus investigates the alleged wickedness of humankind In disguise, comes to the house of Lycaon (“wolf”), king of Arcadia Lycaon planned to test whether the visitor was divine (as some of his people thought). ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Lycaon, Deucalion, and Pyrrha Feed him human flesh and see whether he notices Zeus (of course) knows, and turns Lycaon into a wolf (“lycanthropy”) First he wants to destroy the world with fire Changes his mind to a flood ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Lycaon, Deucalion, and Pyrrha Only Deucalion (son of Prometheus) and Pyrrha survive on a raft They land on Mt. Parnassus (Delphi), near a small temple to Themis Zeus relents and Poseidon orders the rains to stop and the flood to recede ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Lycaon, Deucalion, and Pyrrha How to repopulate the earth? “Toss the bones of your mighty mother over your shoulders.” Deucalion understands the riddle Stones are the bones of the “mother” (mother earth) Most important of the children were eponymous heroes of the Greeks ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

THEMES IN STORIES OF HUMAN ORIGINS ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Themes No authoritative Greek account. Men emerge like plants or are the product of a craftsman god. There are delays and restarts: it doesn't happen all at once. Gods and human have a common origin, but something happens to cause a break. ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

Themes There is punishment for the offense. The Greek accounts explain where Greeks come from; it doesn't explain where people of other races come from. ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.

End ©2012 Pearson Education Inc.