CHAPTER IV.
BABYLONIAN GODS PRIOR TO THE DAYS OF HAMMURABI.
With these preliminary remarks, we may turn, as the first part of our subject, to a consideration of the oldest of the Babylonian gods.

Our main sources are the inscriptions of the old Babylonian rulers, above referred to.

These are, in most cases, of a dedicatory character, being inscribed on statues, cylinders, or tablets, placed in the temples or on objects--cones, knobs, stones--presented as votive offerings to some god.

Besides the inscriptions of the rulers, we have those of officials and others.

Many of these are likewise connected directly or indirectly with religious worship.
The advantage of the historical texts over the purely religious ones consists in their being dated, either accurately or approximately.