Mesopotamia, First Dynasty of Babylon (ca 1895-1595 BCE); clay Etana was, according to legend, the first king after the Flood. In the epic, Etana is childless; meanwhile an eagle has ignored his own children's advice and eaten the children of a friend, a serpent. All three pray to Shamash (the sun god) for help. Shamash helps the serpent avenge his loss but sends Etana to help the eagle, who helps him in return. The scene in which the eagle carries Etana to heaven in search of a magical fertility plant is famous for being the only episode in Mesopotamian literature identifiable in ancient illustrations (seal 30)
aperture=f4.5 focal length: 60.0 mm exposure 1/200 sec ISO: 1250