0031 At the end of Part 1, Craig considers nonbiblical written mythologies of the ancient Near East and Egypt.
We do not know these mythologies from living traditions. Rather, Westerners cobble together these mythologies from lucky finds in archaeological excavations. Miraculously, the ancient Sumerians write on clay tablets. This practice continues in subsequent civilizations. Capital cities throughout the Fertile Crescent archive these tablets in royal libraries. When a capital city burns to the ground, the clay tablets harden into brick. The brick tablets lay in ruins that are covered over by plant growth, dirt and later settlements. These tablets lay buried for thousands of years in dusty hills in the Near East. Then, they are excavated.
The entire story of the discovery and translation of cuneiform tablets is amazing.
0032 Even more amazing, distorted versions of stories in the Primeval History appear on several cuneiform tablets. On top of that, biblical names are found in the mythologies of Egypt.
In other words, the (recovered) literature of the ancient Near East contains the same genres and storylines as Genesis 2.4-11.
One would imagine that the historical Adam associates with the Ubaid of southern Mesopotamia. Noah associates with a spectacular flood (producing a break in a Sumerian king list) that occurs during the Uruk period. Writing is invented during the Uruk.
0033 As such, the Ubaid should provide the background for a quest for the historical Adam.
0034 However, unbeknownst to the reader, Craig silently harbors an alternate to the potential1 that defines3 the stories of Adam and Eve2.