The story of our Universe has forever been shaped by humanity’s pursuit to understand its origins. Our ancient ancestors passed tales through oral tradition, where early scribes made note of these first attempts to explain our beginnings. Throughout history, philosophy, science, and religion have intertwined to offer different paths toward a shared fundamental question.

The Sumerians lived in southern Mesopotamia, in the region of modern-day Iraq, around 4500–1900 BCE. This ancient society was advanced, credited with establishing one of the world’s first urban civilisations. City-states were ruled by priest-kings, who formed the backbone of early human governance and culture. Creation stories were passed down orally before being recorded on clay tablets in cuneiform script. These myths appear in early Sumerian religious texts, including the Eridu Genesis and other fragments that describe gods and the creation of humanity.

“When the gods themselves had not yet made the people, when the land was one, the heavens were one.”
The Eridu Genesis (paraphrased due to fragmentary text)

The Universe began as a primeval sea called Nammu, the mother of all gods. From Nammu emerged the first deities, An (sky) and Ki (earth), who gave birth to successive generations of gods. The gods eventually created humans from clay and the blood of a slain god, intending humanity to serve them by tending the earth and performing rituals. The Sumerian myth emphasises humanity’s gravitation towards the divine and the natural order, portraying humans as partners in maintaining cosmic balance. This story highlights the interconnectedness of gods, humans, and the natural world.

Along the Nile River, Ancient Egypt arose around 3100 BCE, prevailing for millennia under pharaohs who were considered divine. The Heliopolitan tradition originated in the city of Heliopolis, a major religious center in Lower Egypt. Creation stories were preserved in temple inscriptions, papyri, and funerary texts. The Heliopolitan myth centers on the god Atum, who emerged from Nun, the primordial waters, to initiate creation.

“Atum arose from the Nun and made the first divine beings.”
The Pyramid Texts

In the beginning, there was only Nun, the chaotic waters. Atum, the self-created god, emerged from these waters and gave birth to Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture), who in turn produced Geb (earth) and Nut (sky).  From this divine family came the other gods and goddesses, who together shaped the world and all living things. Humans were later created to sustain the gods through worship and ritual.

The myth reflects the Egyptian view of creation as an ordered process emerging from chaos, emphasizing the role of divine kingship and ritual in maintaining cosmic harmony. Humans exist to honor the gods and participate in sustaining Ma'at - the principle of balance and order.

It is in our nature as human beings to understand the source from which our world emerged.