Apsû through the eyes of sculptors, painters, and craftsmen across the ages
Fragment of the Babylonian *Enuma Elish* (Epic of Creation), unearthed in Nineveh in the Library of Ashurbanipal, 7th century BC. British Museum.
The Sumerian cuneiform sign 𒀊𒍪 (abzu) — the primordial freshwater abyss beneath the earth, Akkadian *apsû*.
God Ea (Sumerian Enki) holding a cup from which water flows; one of a pair found at the Sin Temple, Khorsabad, 710–705 BC. Iraq Museum, Baghdad.
Akkadian marble cylinder seal depicting Enki/Ea, god of the freshwater abyss and wisdom, with his two-faced vizier Ushmu. Louvre, MNB 1905.
Detail of the Adda Seal showing Ea/Enki with streams of water and fish flowing from his shoulders; British Museum.
Assyrian relief drawing (after Layard, 1853) of a god battling a winged lion-dragon; traditionally associated with the Marduk–Tiamat combat that follows Apsu’s death in the *Enuma Elish*. British Museum.
