Ancient Babylonian hymn on morality and womanhood unearthed in Iraq

BABEL, Iraq — In a remarkable archaeological breakthrough, a team of German researchers uncovered fragments of a 2,100-year-old hymn carved into clay tablets amidst the ruins of Sippar, an ancient city located approximately 65 kilometers north of modern-day Babel. The text, dedicated to the deity Marduk — guardian of Babylon — offers a poetic glimpse into life in the city during the height of Mesopotamian civilization, evoking its flowing rivers, jewel-encrusted gates, and the sanctity of its priesthood.

Led by scholars from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the team used artificial intelligence to reconstruct 30 scattered cuneiform tablets — a task that would have taken decades using traditional methods. The hymn, originally comprising some 250 lines, has been partially deciphered, with about one-third of the text now translated.

“This is a text of exceptional literary sophistication and structural elegance,” said Professor Enrique Jiménez, who heads the project.

The hymn opens with an exaltation of Marduk, describing him as the “architect of the universe,” before turning to celebrate Babylon as a paradise filled with divine blessings. Vivid descriptions follow of the Euphrates River and the lush plains where livestock graze—images interwoven with moral and social themes that paint a striking portrait of Babylonian values.

One passage extols priests who “treat foreigners with honor, liberate captives, and care for orphans.” Particularly striking is a reference to priestesses serving as midwives, a role not previously documented in Babylonian sources, offering a new window into the societal roles of women in ancient Mesopotamia.

Researchers estimate the hymn was composed between 1500 and 1300 BCE, placing it among the earliest extended literary works of the Babylonian canon. Although it is younger than the Epic of Gilgamesh, it appears to have been studied and copied alongside that foundational text for centuries. Scholars believe it was likely composed by a single author, though their identity remains unknown.

The discovery adds a vital thread to the tapestry of Babylonian literature, bridging myth, theology, and civic ethics in a society that left behind few traces of its inner moral universe. The hymn’s reverence for justice, compassion, and dignity—especially toward the marginalized—stands as a timeless testament from an ancient world still speaking to our own.