Birds and gods in ancient Mesopotamia

Uri Gabbay*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

The article deals with the different types of relationships between gods and birds, considering different environments in Mesopotamia in which birds dwell, specifically riverbanks and marshes, remote mountains, and the city. The article also discusses the ways in which birds were understood by ancient Mesopotamian scholars to represent the divine world for humans, whether as ominous predictions or as allusions to mythological episodes.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMortals, Deities and Divine Symbols
Subtitle of host publicationRethinking Ancient Images from the Levant to Mesopotamia: Studies Offered to Tallay Ornan
PublisherArchaeopress
Pages451-464
Number of pages14
ISBN (Electronic)9781803272948
ISBN (Print)9781803272931
StatePublished - 29 May 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The individual authors and Archaeopress 2025. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • Akkadian
  • Cuneiform
  • Gods
  • Mesopotamia
  • Nature
  • Sumerian

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