Archaeology Today Tomorrow

My inside source at Archaeology Today has passed me another juicy tidbit about the headline story of their next issue.

One small good news story to come out of the ongoing tragedy that is Iraq is the return of archaeologists to some parts of the country to resume explorations and research.

While hazardous, the work has paid off in incredible dividends as will be reported later this week.

A manuscript has been found dating from the height of Sumarian times and it appears to be a very early version of what we know as the book of Genesis.

Remarkably though this account differs from the biblical account in some crucial details.

The expulsion from Paradise is the most remarkable example of these differences.

I have included below the translation of this account.

And thus from the rib of Adam was Eve created so that she might be equal with him and the Lord spake thus:

"Of all the trees in the garden you may pluck such fruit as thou will but not from this tree for it is the tree of knowledge of good and evil and is mine alone"

Adam and Eve, wide eyed and awed nodded their assent.

Some time passed whereby Adam and Eve did explore their differences. Adam returned from a walk to find that Eve was artfully arranging leaves and pebbles.

"What art thou about" he inquired.

"I am depicting my memories our love and lives" she quoth

"That's nice" said he and hurried off to pluck the fruit of the lager plant.

In time Eve's artfulness did increase and soon many examples of this were piled around their arboreal home.

Eve did suggest that perhaps she could expand the space for the storage of her scraps and Adam consented, ever hopeful his efforts would be rewarded.

Eve became engrossed in her tasks and had chosen a new area for her creations under the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil for its branches did spread mightily and shade the ground around it.

Late in the afternoon, Adam slept, and Eve, frustrated by an inability to depict in leaves and embellishments that which she was feeling, looked up at the branches of the tree and their saw the perfect accent to her work. At that moment the snake appeared and said:

"Pluck ye yonder fruit and use it in thy work for did not the Lord create all things in this garden for your use? I swear by my Creative Memories sales oath that this is the truth".

Eve picked the apple and as she did so Adam awoke, the Lord arrived in a stormy mood, took one look at Adam, gave Eve a scowl, removed the snakes local sales privileges and expelled them from the garden.

"Bloody scrapbookers" rumbled the Lord. "I just KNOW they'll be back to give me trouble".