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. Occasionally, a citizen stood in for a king perceived under threat, then was killed to keep the secret: human sacrifice.

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 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 group of gods.

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. The earliest discovered code is from Ur-Nammu, about 4100 ya. It specifies fines instead of “eye for eye”.

Before that, a Semitic-speaking family, Terah, son Abram and family with servants departed Ur about 3900 ya. I speculate that a Semitic scribe wrote Genesis 1 through Genesis 2:3 to record prior-imagined, gender-neutral creation. Then a second scribe wrote Genesis 2 to develop competitive patriarchy and divinity under Yahweh/Hashem. 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 mythical 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.

Updated for clarity, February 28, 2026.

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.