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Journals / Avrasya Beşeri Bilim Araştırmaları Dergisi / 2026 / Sayı: 2

Musical Cosmology and Acoustic Ontology in Enuma Eliš: Sound, Naming, and Numerical Order in Babylonian Creation Thought

Enuma Eliš Ekseninde Müzikal Kozmoloji ve Akustik Ontoloji: Babil Yaratılış Düşüncesinde Ses, İsimlendirme ve Sayısal Düzen

Hüseyin Cem Esen(NİĞDE ÖMER HALİSDEMİR ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-0747-946X
Pages
1–16
Publication Date
2026-08-30
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⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The study further establishes that the Ešarra–Esagil architectural symmetry operates as a speculum theology—a structural mirroring of macrocosm and microcosm—and traces the transmission of this acoustic tradition through Vedic cosmology, Boethian Musica Mundana, and Neo-Platonic emanation theory into Ottoman music theory.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:This study investigates the Babylonian Creation Epic, Enuma Eliš (c. second millennium BCE), as a primary archaic source of musical cosmology and acoustic ontology.
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Key Findings & Data:Employing an interdisciplinary methodology that integrates hermeneutic textual analysis, archaeomusicology, and speculative music theory, this study examines four interconnected axes within the epic: primordial silence as an undifferentiated acoustic ground state; rigmu and hubūru as ontological categories of chaotic frequency and kinetic existence; incantation and utterance (šuma zakaru) as regulative acoustic mechanisms that establish harmonia from chaos; and the sexagesimal divine numerical matrix as a tonal architecture encoding musical ratios.
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Conclusion & Impact:The study further establishes that the Ešarra–Esagil architectural symmetry operates as a speculum theology—a structural mirroring of macrocosm and microcosm—and traces the transmission of this acoustic tradition through Vedic cosmology, Boethian Musica Mundana, and Neo-Platonic emanation theory into Ottoman music theory.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:2001 Verileri
⚙️Variables:Enuma Eliš · müzikal kozmoloji · akustik ontoloji

Abstract

This study investigates the Babylonian Creation Epic, Enuma Eliš (c. second millennium BCE), as a primary archaic source of musical cosmology and acoustic ontology. The prevailing academic tendency to confine the intellectual origins of musical cosmology to Pythagorean, Platonic, and Neo-Platonic traditions has long obscured the philosophical depth embedded in Mesopotamian cosmogonic literature. Employing an interdisciplinary methodology that integrates hermeneutic textual analysis, archaeomusicology, and speculative music theory, this study examines four interconnected axes within the epic: primordial silence as an undifferentiated acoustic ground state; rigmu and hubūru as ontological categories of chaotic frequency and kinetic existence; incantation and utterance (šuma zakaru) as regulative acoustic mechanisms that establish harmonia from chaos; and the sexagesimal divine numerical matrix as a tonal architecture encoding musical ratios. Drawing upon the foundational research of Kilmer (1971), McClain (1994), and Westbrook (2001), the analysis demonstrates that Babylon's pantheon encodes a coherent system of acoustic-cosmological thought predating Pythagoras by at least a millennium. The study further establishes that the Ešarra–Esagil architectural symmetry operates as a speculum theology—a structural mirroring of macrocosm and microcosm—and traces the transmission of this acoustic tradition through Vedic cosmology, Boethian Musica Mundana, and Neo-Platonic emanation theory into Ottoman music theory.

Özet

Bu çalışma, Babil Yaratılış Destanı Enuma Eliš'i (yaklaşık MÖ 2. binyıl), müzikal kozmoloji ve akustik ontoloji araştırmaları açısından birincil ve arkaik bir kaynak olarak ele almaktadır. Müzikal kozmolojinin entelektüel kökenlerini yalnızca Pythagorasçı, Platoncu ve Yeni Platoncu geleneklere bağlamak şeklinde tezahür eden yerleşik akademik eğilim, Mezopotamya kozmogonisinde saklı felsefi derinliğin bugüne değin sistemli biçimde incelenmesinin önünde önemli bir engel oluşturmuştur. Hermeneutik metin çözümlemesini, arkeomüzikolojiyi ve spekülatif müzik teorisini bütünleştiren disiplinlerarası bir yöntemle yürütülen bu çalışma, destanda birbiriyle bağlantılı dört temel ekseni ele almaktadır: farklılaşmamış bir akustik potansiyel zemini olarak primordiyal sessizlik; kaotik frekans ve kinetik varoluşun ontolojik kategorileri olan rigmu ve hubūru; kaostan harmoniayı tesis eden düzenleyici akustik mekanizmalar olarak büyü ve isimlendirme (šuma zakāru); ve müzikal oranları kodlayan tonal bir mimari olarak altmışlık (sexagesimal) ilahi sayısal matris. Kilmer (1971), McClain (1994) ve Westbrook (2001)'un temel araştırmalarından hareketle gerçekleştirilen çözümleme, Babil panteonunun Pythagoras'tan en az bin yıl önce formüle edilmiş tutarlı bir akustik-kozmolojik düşünce sistemini bünyesinde barındırdığını ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışma ayrıca Ešarra–Esagil mimari simetrisinin makrokozmos ve mikrokozmosun yapısal bir aynalaması olan bir speculum teolojisi işlevi gördüğünü tespit etmekte; söz konusu akustik geleneğin Vedik kozmoloji, Boethius'un Musica Mundana'sı ve Yeni Platoncu sudûr nazariyesi üzerinden Osmanlı mûsikî nazariyatına aktarım sürecini izlemektedir.

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Cite This Article

Esen, H. C. (2026). Musical Cosmology and Acoustic Ontology in Enuma Eliš: Sound, Naming, and Numerical Order in Babylonian Creation Thought. Avrasya Beşeri Bilim Araştırmaları Dergisi, Sayı: 2, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.7596/abbad.1960759

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