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178 manner in which the lands would be settled by mankind! We read that Enki "before the feet of the adversary [Enlil] laid the cities that were allotted him"; Enlil, in turn, "before the feet of his ad- versary [Enki] the land Sumer he laid out." We can envision the two brothers facing each other, Enki—as always—the more concerned of the two about mankind and its fate. Having dealt with the disputes among the Anunnaki themselves, he now turns to the future of mankind. In the aftermath of the Deluge, it was given farming and domesticated animals; now it was the chance to look and plan ahead, and he seized the opportunity. The ancient text may well describe a spontaneous act; Enki drawing on the ground, "before the feet of Enlil," a plan for the establishment of human settlement centers in his lands; agreeing, Enlil responds by drawing "before the feet of Enki" the plan for the restoration of the pre-Diluvial cities of southern Mesopotamia (Sumer). If the olden pre-Diluvial cities of Mesopotamia were to be re- stored, Enki had a condition: He and his sons were to be allowed to come freely to Mesopotamia; and he, Enki, was to be given back the site of Eridu, the hallowed place of his first Earth Station. Ac- cepting the condition, Enlil said: "In my land, let your abode be- come everlasting; from the day that you shall come into my presence, the laden table shall exhale delicious smelis for thee." Enlil expressed the hope that in return for this hospitality, Enki would help bring prosperity also to Mesopotamia: "Pour abun- dance on the Land, each year increase its fortunes." And with all these matters settled, Enki and his sons departed for Afton An After Enki and his sons had departed, Enlil and his sons contem- plated the future of their territories, born old and new. The first chroni- cle, the one reported by Barton, relates that in order to reaffirm the status of Ninurta as second to Enlil and superior over his brothers, En- lil put him in charge of the Olden Land. The territories of Adad in the northwest were extended by a thin "finger" (Lebanon) to include the Landing Place at Baalbek. The territory that was in contention—we can describe it as Greater Canaan, from the border of Egypt in the south to the border of Adad in the north, with modem Syria includ- ed—was put under the aegis of Nannar and his offspring. To that effect "a decree was established," sealed, and celebrated with a meal offering shared by all me Enlilite gods. A more dramatic version of these final proceedings is found in the I Sing the Song of the Mother of the Gods text. We learn THE WARS OF GODS AND MEN their African domains.