That’s when Enlil and the rest of the gods stepped in. Aside from inventing mortality, to set an upper limit on the human problem, they also set down a bunch of edicts about birth control and sexuality so there would be fewer births. Women were categorized into sacred temple prostitutes with special knowledge of herbs and birth control; wives, who would be okay for sex and reproduction; and “forbidden women,” who were off limits when it came to sex. Other Sumerian cuneiform tablets lay out advice for the best herbs and methods for both aiding and hindering fertility.
