The Intellectual Heritage of the Ancient Near East, pp. 459-475, 2023/04/12
Proceedings of the 64th Rencontre Assyriologique Internationale and the 12th Melammu Symposium, University of Innsbruck, July 16‒20, 2018
Sumerian and Akkadian texts often depict the dog in a very negative way, presenting it as a dangerous and unpredictable animal. Despite this, it became the emblem of the goddess of healing. The present study aims to explain why the dog, of all animals, was chosen to be associated with healing powers. We shall show which of the dog’s characteristics played a role in this matter, contributing to associate the animal not only with the goddess but also with some aspects of the very idea of healing, allowing this bond to manifest itself in neighbouring civilizations and to be integrated into other cultural systems.
