The Anunnaki found themselves in a considerable bind conducting the mining operations in South Africa. After arriving with Enki almost 432,000 years ago, the Igigi helped colonize the Earth. After splashing down in the Persian Gulf, building Eridu (Earth Station One) and attempting to unsuccessfully glean sufficient quantities of gold from the ocean, the mining operation was moved the Abzu (Africa) along the Zambezi River. The Igigi were later accompanied by lower echelon workers that were dedicated to the gold ore mining task. After long periods working in the mines, under what appears to be harsh conditions, the miners rebelled surrounding Enlil’s fortress, and demanded relief.
The following passage from the Atrahasis captures the emotional mood the miners were in after, according to the account, working for 3,600 years (1 shar coincidentally = 1 Niburian Solar Year).
Atrahasis Tablet 1 [37, pg. 10]
Come, let us carry Ellil,
The counselor of gods, the warrior, from his dwelling
Then Alla made his voice heard,
And spoke to the gods his brothers
Come! Let us carry Ellil,
The counselor of gods, the warrior, from his dwelling.
Now, cry battle!
The gods listened to his speech,
Set fire to their tools,
Put aside their spade for fire,
Their loads for the fire-god,
They flared up. When they reached
The gate of warrior Ellis’s dwelling,
It was night, the middle watch,
The house was surrounded…
Enlil’s guards, Nusku and Kalkal, roused their master to the rabble that was surrounding his house. When Enlil was told he was surrounded by the Igigi miners, he had weapons brought to his dwelling. Nusku, Enlil’s vizier, cautioned him to seek counsel from his father Anu and to also fetch Enki. Anu and Enki were summoned to an impromptu Council meeting to discuss what to do about the revolting lower echelon Anunnaki.
Atrahasis Tablet 1 [37, pg. 10]
Anu king of the sky was present,
Enki king of the Apsu attended.
The great Anunnaki were present.
Ellil got up and the case was put.
Ellil made his voice heard
And spoke to the great gods,
“Is it against me that they have risen?
Shall I do battle…?
Anu made his voice heard
And spoke to the warrior Ellil,
“Let Nusku go out
And find out word of the Igigi
Who have surrounded your door.
Nusku, fully armed, approached the rabble mob and queried on behalf of Anu, Enki, Enlil, and the canal-controller Ennugi who was in charge and what the problem was?
The revolting miners told Nusku to give Enlil the message:
Atrahasis Tablet 1 [37, pg. 12]
“Every single one of us gods declared war!
We have put a stop to the digging.
The load is excessive, it is killing us!”
Upon hearing the issue presented by Nusku on behalf of the fed up miners, Enlil wept upon hearing the news then turned to his father Anu and asked that one of the miners be made an example of by terminating him publicly.
Atrahasis Tablet 1 [37, pg. 13-15]
Anu made his voice heard
And spoke to the gods his brothers,
“What are we complaining of?
Their work was indeed too hard, their trouble was too much.
Every day the earth resounded,
The warning signal was loud enough, we kept hearing the noise.
(gap)
Enki (Ea) made his voice heard
And spoke to the gods his brothers,
“Why are we blaming them?”
Their work was too hard, their trouble was too much,
(gap)
Belet-ili the womb-goddess is present—
Let her create primeval man
So that he may bear the yoke,
So that he may bear the work of Ellil,
Belet-ili the womb-goddess is present,
Let the womb-goddess create offspring,
And let man bear the load the gods!”
(gap)
Nintu (AKA: Belet-ili) made her voice heard,
And spoke to the great gods,
“It is not proper for me to make him.
The work is Enki’s; He makes everything pure!
If he gives me clay, then I will do it”
Enki made his voice heard
And spoke to the great gods,
“On the first, seventh, and fifteenth of the month
I shall make a purification by washing.
Then one god should be slaughtered.
And the gods can be purified by immersion.
Nintu shall mix clay
With his flesh and blood.
Then a god and a man
Will be mixed together in clay.
Let us hear the drumbeat forever after,
Let a ghost come into existence form the god’s flesh,
Let her proclaim it as his living sign,
And let the ghost exist so as not to forget the slain god.
They answered “Yes”!” in the assembly,
The great Anunnaki who assign the fates.
So, the Anunnaki council, with Anu as the head of the assembly, makes the decision to allocate Enki and Nintu (the medical officer also known as Ninharsag) to the task of creating a primitive worker to replace the rebellious Igigi miners. The Atrahasis continues in great detail describing the multiple genetic attempts, failures, and abominable mishaps. When success was finally at hand, Nintu, who was then promoted to Mistress of All Gods, spoke to the Anunnaki council.