Ancient Sumerian inscriptions tell the story of a father, Shuruppak, eager to counsel his son Ziusudra. Shuruppak gives his son all sorts of advice, but his real concern is his own tenuous authority.

In Sumerian myth, Ziusudra or Utnapishtim survives a divine deluge. In Greek tales, Deucalion and Pyrrha repopulate the Earth after a flood sent by Zeus. But the Matsya-Avatar narrative is the ...

Researchers know about Ziusudra because all the names of ancient kings and dynasties about 4,000 years ago were written on a clay block. In this list, the dynasties are divided into those before the ...