Babylonia in the Time of Hammurabi: A Study in Human Ecology

After man had been created, Ea laid on him the service of the gode. Ceaseless activity is the price man pays for life. The inescapable process of mutual adjustment between living things and their surroundings compels his unwearied participation. "Survival demands the constant effort of adaptation," say modern ecologists. "Toil is the mandate of the gods," said Babylonian theologians.