Sumerians 1: only humankind can choose to pursue good behavior on earth.

This is Item 2 of a series started on January 11, 2026.

Only Homo sapiens may and can choose to order life on earth; Genesis 1:26-28, originating 5500 years ago, ya. See https://grokipedia.com/page/Sumer.

Sumer civilization is recognized for inventing writing and grammar in Mesopotamia, about 10,000 years ago. Their language seems an isolate-; that is, not derived from a prior language. They were polytheists, and individual cities maintained, housed, and fed patron gods.

Sumer-mythology seemed to express that 2 goddesses and 4 gods --- Namma, Ninhursag, An, Ki, Enki, and Gestu --- created and activated existence. Namma as a primeval mother-goddess and Ninhursag as associated with fertility and creation. Enki is god of water, knowledge, crafts, art, intelligence, trickery, mischief, magic, fertility, virility, healing, and creation. In creation, perhaps Enki led the female and male team.

A sequence of Sumerian kings developed law codes from about 5500 ya until the Babylonians conquered them and Hammurabi published his improvement, about 3700 ya.

Before that, a Semitic-speaking family, Terah, son Abram and family with servants left Ur about 3900 ya. I speculate that a Semitic scribe wrote Genesis 1 through Genesis 2:3 to record prior-imagined creation. Then a second scribe wrote Genesis 2 to develop competitive thought under Yahweh/Hashem and patriarchy. I take the liberty to modify Genesis 1:26-28, in order to reflect my theory about Sumerian polytheism:

And [Enki] said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and they shall rule . . . over all the earth and over all [life on] earth." And Enki created man in His image; in the image of Enki He created him; male and female He created them. And Enki blessed them, and Enki said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over [all species] on the earth."

Since the gods assigned to mankind, Homo sapiens, the responsibility to order life on earth, it is futile to assume another power will usurp human action. In other words, peace on earth may and can be chosen by humankind and no other entity. There is no hope beyond human goodness-which-motivates-good-behavior. To deny the power, authority, and responsibility to pursue goodness-which-motivates-good-behavior begs ruin.

To pray for power higher than good behavior seems arrogant.

Copyright©2026 by Phillip R. Beaver. All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted for the publication of all or portions of this paper as long as this complete copyright notice is included.