The Tower of bA.I.ble
An excerpt from Ancient Mesopotamia's most popular podcast, the Jo-Rogunushu Experience.
Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.”
Genesis 11:1-4
Archaeologists have recently uncovered a cuniform tablet dated to approximately 2200 B.C.E. that contains in part the transcript of a dialogue between two renowned story-tellers of Ancient Mesopotamia discussing the recent advances in technology and an ambitious project that seems to be on the cusp of fundamentally changing human life forever. Available now for the first time in over 4000 years is a translation of that discussion.
The text begins mid-sentence.
[…] today, people become mighty men. Do you have understanding? They excel at subduing the world, an incredible feat. And on top of ambition, you place talent in addition?
Jo-Rogunushu: If one is wise and one knows how to utilize the environment. I want to say “manipulate” but that is the wrong word, it really is “utilize.” Like Nimrod, he is an exemplar. Nimrod learned how to fashion weapons of war unlike any other. He learned the secrets to slay the great beasts of old, the best direction to approach, the best angle to place the spear. And then he discovered that to generously share the spoils of the hunt, endeared himself to all men that dwell on the earth.
Dadanelli-Ralatee: I am in agreement. However, it is that same skill set that will bring an end to man’s toil altogether. With so much abundance provided by a mighty man like Nimrod, what should compel a man to toil under the sun?
[J]: Nimrod is like unto the leviathan, though, one of a kind. […] a plan to build a tower, greater than the ziggurats of Akkad or Ur. One could build high enough to reach the very heavens, a direct connection to the gods. Direction and counsel could be sought and a plan for each individual among mankind transmitted directly from god to man. The gods could say thus, “It is in this way you shall achieve success.” And the gods shall lay down individual commandments for each man: “If you make the proper sacrifices in such and such a manner, your food stores shall increase by fifty or a hundredfold.” And the wise men and the foolish man shall question alike the message of the gods asking, “Is this real?” And, lo, it will be found to be true in every case.
[D]: In that day […] pursuing his craft of pottery. And arise these men holding simply the commandments of the gods from the tower. How then shall the artisan compete? For what the artisan produces from his heart and his mind, these other men shall make without thought or passion. Lo, I wish myself dead before such a day arises. For in that day […]
[J]: […] and from the tower of Nimrod shall come a “god-king.” One imbued with the knowledge of the gods, and the power to direct all other men in the way of the gods. That is what I prophesy. Man is but as a mindless beast compared to the gods. Man is ruled by emotion, easily distracted, and corruption fills his heart. A god shall surely set every man on his path and assure none shall go astray.
[D]: Shall there surely be a god-king on earth?
[J]: As sure as the tower shall be built.
[D]: I should desire to partake of the fungus you have partaken. For then I could see as you see. So how shall this be? Shall a god-king be proclaimed by the assembly?
[J]: It shall be thus. The gods are able to distribute all wealth, all food, all that is necessary for life according to the needs of all the earth. Every desired thing shall be available for every man, and every man shall be apportioned an equal portion. One portion for this man, and another same portion for the next man, and so on. It is impossible for man to accomplish such a deed, but it is as nothing to the gods, for surely they know and they understand. And with each man having his portion, and all men being satisfied, all war and conflict shall cease. Every man shall speak the same language and possess the same tongue. The entire earth shall have peace and be at peace. But first, the god-king must be given rule over all things.
[D]: But surely there shall be a man who makes known the needs of the people to the god-king, and in like fashion, a man who accomplishes the will of the god-king. Who shall be appointed priest to the god-king? For surely his weakness, being a man, shall corrupt the perfect will of the gods. And what shall prevent such a priest from declaring the god-king said thus when the god-king did not say thus? And what shall prevent such a priest from amassing for himself more than his equal portion with which he should be satisfied as you prophesied?
[J]: May it never be. For it shall be that the gods will […] and they shall dwell among us, and they shall become our kings. And it shall happen in the day the tower shall be built tall enough to reach the heavens. And in that day, too, nothing shall separate man from god, or god from man. And we ourselves shall be as gods, and the gods will dwell among us, and we shall be one and the same. No longer will a man say to his neighbor, “What do the gods command?” For all shall know, and all shall be known. […] The skills of the mason increase year after year. It shall not be long before we shall reach the heavens and make a name for ourselves. […] No longer shall a man be troubled in spirit, for the gods shall produce an elixir that once imbibed shall make one joyous and glad. May the tower be built with all haste!
[D]: So how is a man to toil and work in order to provide for himself and his kin? Once the tower is built and the gods among us, what shall be left for man to do? There will be no longer a need for masons or builders. No longer a need for doctors or priests. Indeed, no longer a need for skill or craftsmanship. If we have the gods on earth, how shall a man survive?
[J]: Verily, such a man shall not survive. That is certain. Man shall not survive. And verily it comes swiftly, as sure as the sun rises in the morning.
This story was inspired by a clip from a recent episode of the Joe Rogan podcast. The section I used begins at around the 5 minute mark of this clip. Language warning for those that need one.