Works are ascribed to Ea (the god of wisdom), to antediluvian sages and semi-mythical kings; but also to famous family ancestors and scholars from a less remote past.
[2] Furthermore, as all post-diluvian scholars mentioned in it are said to either stem from Babylon, Nippur or Eridu, a Babylonian origin of the text is more than likely.
[3] At present, the Catalogue is preserved in two versions: one from 7th century Nineveh and a less well-preserved one from Hellenistic or Arsacid Babylon.
This fact in itself is remarkable, since for the most part of its history Mesopotamian scholarly tradition showed little interest in understanding works of literature as creations of inspired individuals (see Author).
For this reason, it has been argued that the main raison d'être of the Catalogue was not the concern for the biographies of individual authors, but rather the wish to underline the professional and familial heritage of the scribes whose prerogative it was to engage with and maintain cuneiform scholarship.