The Legend of the Apkallu

[FlickerOfLight]

That goes way back. Are we talking about 2-3,000 BC, around the beginning of written history? Further back than that, given oral story telling traditions?

I've always associated these early myths of gods imparting knowledge to the idea of migrating "sages" that were refugees of Atlantis or some other more advanced prehistoric civilization that collapsed. They would eventually arrive in the most civilized places outside of Atlantis, like Ancient Mesopotamia.

Yes, we’re talking about a timeframe that stretches back to at least 3000 BC, which marks the beginning of written history with the earliest Sumerian cuneiform tablets. However, given that oral storytelling predates writing by thousands of years, the myths of the Apkallu and similar figures likely originate from much earlier—possibly even the remnants of forgotten prehistory.

Your idea of these "sages" being refugees from a lost civilization like Atlantis is intriguing and aligns with many ancient traditions. Cultures around the world have myths of wise, advanced beings appearing after a great catastrophe to impart knowledge to humanity. Plato’s account of Atlantis describes a highly advanced civilization that was destroyed in a cataclysm, much like the great flood myths found in Mesopotamian, biblical, and other ancient sources. If Atlantis—or some similar prehistoric civilization—existed, it’s plausible that survivors could have spread their knowledge to the earliest emerging civilizations, such as Sumer, Egypt, and the Indus Valley.
Sites like Göbekli Tepe lend credibility to these ancient accounts. Dated to around 9600 BC, Göbekli Tepe predates known civilizations and challenges conventional timelines of human development. Its sophisticated construction suggests that advanced knowledge—perhaps in engineering, astronomy, and spirituality—existed long before history records it.